The laid-off employees at Microsoft don’t need to be sad. They can use Microsoft’s AI to seek help.
It reads a bit like the dystopian future that sci-fi authors have always warned us about. But at Microsoft, 9,000 employees were laid off across various fields. Executive Producer Matt Turnbull had some “great” tips on how those affected should cope: they could use Microsoft’s own AI so they wouldn’t feel so bad.
World of Warcraft and thereby Blizzard are now part of Microsoft:
What’s going on at Microsoft? It was recently announced that 9,000 employees across various sectors were laid off at Microsoft. This also included game development, such as the promising MMORPG Blackbird, which has now been completely canceled.
Due to the many layoffs, there are now numerous developers looking for new jobs or simply experiencing existential fears because they lack income and thus their foundation for living.
Matt Turnbull, Executive Producer at Xbox Game Studios Publishing (not affected by the layoffs), subsequently gave some tips that sparked a lot of outrage.
What did Turnbull say? Turnbull’s post largely reads like advertising for various AI tools, such as ChatGPT or also Microsoft’s Copilot. He primarily gives suggestions on how to use AI to get through a difficult time now. On Bluesky, Brandon Sheffield captured Turnbull’s post:
Noteworthy passages include particularly questionable segments, such as some suggestions for prompts to direct at the AI to seek help and support:
“I have issues with impostor syndrome after being laid off. Can you help me reframe my experiences in a way that reminds me what I’m good at?”
The impostor syndrome occurs when people doubt their own skills despite their success and abilities. They fear that someday it will be “exposed” that they are not as good as others think – even though this is completely untrue.
He also argues that one could use the tools to alleviate the “emotional and mental burden associated with job loss.”
Where was this said? Matt Turnbull wrote the lengthy post on LinkedIn, but after some harsh criticism, the post was deleted. However, it has been captured by many users and continues to circulate on the internet.
The internet and those affected react in disbelief: The reactions are largely negative, especially in the gaming subreddit. People accuse Turnbull of being unable to “read the room” and that it is cynical to recommend Microsoft products to those who have just lost their jobs – especially when one (i.e., Turnbull) still retains his job.
- “Anyone telling laid-off people to talk to a computer algorithm for therapy is just insane.” – Magnon
- “Bro, what the hell. I had to look at the exact quote because I thought it must have been taken out of context. But no, the post says exactly that.” – Alundra828
- “I’m convinced that people in power positions eventually become psychopaths. You really must be completely disconnected from reality.” – MuptonBossman
The whole incident – along with the layoffs themselves – certainly generates a lot of negative headlines surrounding Microsoft. Furthermore, things are currently also odd among the games, as a security vulnerability in Call of Duty allows your teammates to take over your PC.
