Sadly they can, there is no law stopping a company from shutting down offices. They’ll have to pay people who are laid off a few months’ salary with no work performed but it might be a better deal to MS compared to paying higher wages forever.
The official average salary is a half-truth (hence a russian saying: if my boss eats meat and I eat cabbage, on average we eat golubtsi), most people in the regions are living on 30000 RUB a month or so. It may still be better than the US because you get public transit and thus don’t really need a car but it’s still not good. Capitalism ruins everything.
China is a more enticing proposition but it’s very difficult/impossible for a foreigner to get a permanent residence permit.
Yeah, I think that’s basically what they’re going to do.