Microsoft Under Fire After Xbox Leader Tells Fired Staff to ‘Ask AI for Comfort’
After massive layoffs, an Xbox manager has advice for the dismissed employees. In view of the current corporate strategy, it looks like another slap. Because the ex-employees should get help from Microsoft’s Ki Copilot.
Xbox manager recommends terminated AI help
Microsoft converts its gaming division, because according to some insiders, the “Xbox consoles are dead”. In Europe, you would like to stop operating in some areas and have recently released thousands of employees. In this tense situation, a high-ranking Xbox manager now also provided additional outrage. Because Matt Turnbull, Executive Producer at Xbox Game Studios Publishing, published an unusual advice on the dismissed colleagues on LinkedIn. According to the manager who has kept his job, the released AI tools such as Microsoft’s own copilot should use to deal with the “emotional and cognitive burden” of job loss.
“These are really challenging times, and if you are doing a termination or preparing for it, you are not alone and don’t have to get through it alone,” wrote Turnbull in his now removed post. He offered a number of AI prompts that should help those affected in career planning, resume optimization and even emotional support.
Like Matt Turnbull on LinkedIn (via Aftermath) With his contribution, he wanted to “offer the best advice that I can give under the given circumstances”. His proposal was particularly bizarre, the AI with “I fight with impostor syndrome after being released. Can you help me to reinterpret this experience in such a way that I remember my strengths?” to address. The Impostor syndrome actually describes the feeling of not deserving your own success – affected people believe that they have only deceived others. Despite objective services, they doubt their skills and lead successes to happiness or external circumstances. This phenomenon can lead to stress, self -doubt and fear.
Bad timing and lack of tact
The irony of the Turnbull post did not escape many. Of all things, while Microsoft invests billions in AI technology and dismisses thousands of employees, those affected should now ask exactly this technology for help. The reactions to the advice were correspondingly critical. Various industry representatives criticized the proposal and accused the Xbox manager in a lack of sensitivity. In the recommendation, many saw a particularly inappropriate reaction to the wave of discharge. The contribution was therefore quickly deleted after the violent criticism.
Massive AI investments and studio enthusiasm
In addition to the thousands of Xbox employees who lose their jobs, several game studios were also closed and projects were hired. The Perfect Dark developer studio The Initiative was completely dissolved, and Rare’s long-standing project Everwild was also discontinued after almost a decade of development. At the same time, according to Brad Smith, Vice President of the company, Microsoft plans to invest around $ 80 billion in AI-enabled data centers in the 2025 financial year.
This contrast between massive investments in AI and the dismissal of thousands of employees makes Turnbull’s proposal particularly inappropriate. The criticism of Microsoft’s strategy is growing anyway. Because while the company has spent over $ 100 billion in recent years to bring well -known developer studios such as Activision Blizzard, Zenimax Media, Mojang and Rare, many of these studios are now affected by the cuts. However, the leadership continues to emphasize the strength of the current corporate strategy.
