Older tech workers are retiring at 55. But claiming Social Security early offers

Many tech workers who've been in the business since the pre-dot-com era are now considering retirement. Some by choice and some not.

More than 113,000 tech workers have been laid off in 2026. Those layoffs span 179 companies, including Meta, Amazon, Microsoft and (1)Alphabet (1).

Amazon has chopped a minimum of 30,000 positions since October 2025. Meta announced 8,000 layoffs, or about 10% of its workforce, in April, and Microsoft offered early retirement or voluntary buyouts to thousands of employees that same month (1).

Steve Otteson was one of those offered a buyout from Microsoft. The 55-year-old former software engineer told the Seattle Times that he hadn't been planning to retire early, but he was offered a package that included nine months of (2)pay (2).

Tech workers often receive high compensation and, in some cases, stock options. With that in mind, they may be in a better position to retire than workers in other industries.

But they often have more expenses, too. The cost of living in San Jose, California, which is in the Silicon Valley tech corridor, is 84% higher than the national (3)average (3). The cost of living in Redmond, Washington, where the Microsoft campus

Fuente original: Yahoo Finance (https://finance.yahoo.com/small-business/articles/older-tech-workers-retiring-55-104500266.html)