Backlash for Xbox: AI-Generated Job Ad Sparks Outrage After Mass Layoffs
After massive layoffs at Microsoft, a LinkedIn post from the Xbox department ensures indignation: a AI-generated picture with “backward monitor” advertises new employees-only two weeks after thousands of employees have lost their job.
Xbox is looking for new employees – with a stupid AI picture
Mike Matsel, Principal Development Lead of the Xbox graphics department, recently published a job advertisement on LinkedIn that causes violent criticism. In his post, Matsel is looking for specialists for device drivers, GPU performance and system validation. What heats the mind: The display uses an obviously AI -generated picture that shows a smiling woman in front of a computer – but with a decisive mistake.
The code on which she supposedly works is displayed on the back of the monitor-a “classic” mistake of AI-picture generators. Timing could hardly be more unhappy. The job advertisement appeared only a few days after Microsoft had released over 9000 employees, of which were numerous from the Xbox area. During these cuts, not only employees were released, but also several game projects, including the long-awaited “Perfect Dark” reboot and “Everwild” by Rare. The studio “The Initiative”, which worked on Perfect Dark, was completely closed.
LinkedIn-Post triggers outrage wave
Matsel’s contribution triggered a wave of outrage. “The irony that the head of the Xbox graphics department uses a AI image and does not notice that the screen is wrong,” commented one user. Another wrote: “Try to introduce me to how it feels when thousands of Xbox employees are released and then the graphics chief advertises new positions with AI waste.” This year Microsoft put massive AI this year and plans to invest around $ 80 billion in this area in 2025.
The company even informed its employees that “AI is no longer optional” – the use of AI tools is taken into account in employee reviews. Despite the violent criticism, the post is still online two days after publication. This puzzles many industry observers whether Microsoft simply ignores the negative perception or whether the corporate culture is now so strongly focused on AI that such errors are accepted.
