Microsoft lays off 9,000 employees, and an Xbox exec thinks AI can help them cope

Rumors about big layoffs at Microsoft started circulating back in June, with employees across different departments bracing for bad news. And sure enough, by early July, they confirmed around 9,000 people would be getting let go across the company’s various divisions. Some game studios got shut down, and projects were canceled too. Now, even devs at Halo Studios are getting nervous, worried they might get replaced by AI next. It’s a pretty rough scene right now, but one man came up with a “great” idea to help everyone dealing with the aftermath of losing their jobs.

Nothing says support like AI prompts

Matt Turnbull, Executive Producer at Xbox Game Studios Publishing, shared a long post on LinkedIn a few days ago for everyone affected by the layoffs – you really have to see it for yourself. It’s so clueless that it’s almost hard to believe someone actually wrote it, but it’s very real.

The post got so much backlash that it didn’t last long, it was deleted pretty quickly. But, of course, by then, people had already taken screenshots and started sharing it all over social media. The whole thing just feels like an ad for AI tools. But the most worrying part is the suggestion people turn to AI for help with mental health and emotional support.

LinkedIn has been known for its fair share of cringey, out-of-touch “inspirational” stories that eventually became memes, but this one might just take the crown. You can bet the internet won’t let this one be forgotten anytime soon. It’s already made its way to Reddit, and let’s just say people are absolutely roasting him in the comments.

• layoffs / employments
• Xbox Game Studios / Microsoft Gaming
• AI / Artificial Intelligence