Matt Turnbull, an executive at Xbox Game Studios, posted on LinkedIn recommending that employees affected by Microsoft’s recent mass layoffs use artificial intelligence tools such as ChatGPT and Copilot to ease the “emotional and cognitive load” of losing their jobs. The message was deleted after receiving strong criticism online.
Post encouraged AI to help with immediate job-search tasks
According to a screenshot preserved by Aftermath, Turnbull suggested those laid off could rely on AI to help rewrite résumés, plan next career steps and apply for openings during a period when energy and focus are depleted.
“These tools don’t replace your voice or your lived experience,” Turnbull wrote in the post. “But they can help you respond with more speed, calm and clarity.”
Layoffs and AI spending at Microsoft set the context
- The recommendation came as Microsoft cut roughly 9,100 employees and restructured its Xbox division, actions that included game cancellations, studio closures and service shutdowns.
- At the same time, Microsoft announced about $80 billion in AI infrastructure investment this year, underscoring the company’s strong push into artificial intelligence.
- Many in the creative and games communities view AI as a threat to jobs and creative work, a perspective that intensified the backlash to Turnbull’s suggestion.
Online reaction was largely negative
Responses on social media were predominantly critical, with many users calling the suggestion tone-deaf given that some blame AI-driven automation for part of the industry’s employment pressures. Critics argued that advising recently fired workers to seek comfort or practical help from technologies seen as contributing to layoffs was insensitive.
The deletion of Turnbull’s LinkedIn post suggests the public response was stronger than anticipated and highlighted the fraught perception of AI as a source of both aid and displacement during periods of corporate downsizing.
