An executive producer at Xbox Game Studios Publishing, which is owned by Microsoft, has sparked major outrage after making a particularly shocking LinkedIn post.
He wrote advising employees who were fired because of AI investments to use that same tech to help navigate their emotions.
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Microsoft laid off thousands of workers
The tech company confirmed it would be laying off thousands of employees following an announcement of the company’s plans to invest $80 billion in AI, mainly investing in training AI models.
One boss for the company put in his two cents
Matt Turnbull, an executive producer at Xbox Game Studios Publishing, took to LinkedIn at the start of the July 4 weekend to talk about how people who lost their jobs to the AI investment should handle the situation.
He wrote about ‘navigating a layoff’
In a now-deleted post, Turnbull admitted that ‘these are really challenging times’, telling those who are ‘navigating a layoff’ that they ‘don’t have to do it alone’.
Instead of suggesting that those facing unemployment due to AI investments turn to professionals for help, he suggested they talk to that same technology to handle their emotions.
Turnbull mentioned ‘strong feelings’
“I know these types of tools engender strong feelings in people, but I’d be remiss in not trying to offer the best advice I can under the circumstances,” Turnbull wrote, according to a screenshot that was posted online.
“I’ve been experimenting with ways to use LLM Al tools (like ChatGPT or Copilot) to help reduce the emotional and cognitive load that comes with job loss.”
He even suggested prompt ideas
Turnbull even went on to suggest AI prompt ideas like career planning prompts that ‘might help if you’re feeling overwhelmed’.
“No Al tool is a replacement for your voice or your lived experience. But at a time when mental energy is scarce, these tools can help get you unstuck faster, calmer, and with more clarity,” he concluded.
The post sparked a lot of anger
Naturally, this post wasn’t met with much warmth. People were majorly upset by his suggestion as readers described the post as ‘tone deaf’.
“This is actually insane work wtf,” one person wrote upon reading Turnbull’s post.
People called him ‘out-of-touch’
In reaction to Turnbull’s post, another person wrote, “I never understood how people could say stuff like this.”
“You have to be ridiculously out-of-touch on a whole other level to post that at this time. I just don’t get how that’s possible,” they remarked.
Microsoft spoke about the job cuts
Speaking to the BBC about the decision to lay people off their jobs and invest in AI, a spokesperson for Microsoft said, “We continue to implement organizational changes necessary to best position the company for success in a dynamic marketplace.”
