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Xbox Executive Retracts AI Chatbot Advice for Sacked Staff as Microsoft Pushes Ahead With 9,100 Layoffs

The deleted LinkedIn post offering ChatGPT prompts for career guidance has drawn criticism over ethical limits of using AI to support laid-off employees.

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An Xbox exec suggested Microsoft CoPilot can reduce the cognitive load of the company's own layoffs.
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Overview

  • Microsoft announced on July 1 that it would cut 9,100 jobs, about 4 percent of its workforce, as part of cost-saving measures.
  • Xbox executive producer Matt Turnbull posted and then deleted LinkedIn advice on July 4 suggesting displaced workers use AI chatbots for career planning and emotional support.
  • Turnbull’s post included prompt templates for resume building, networking outreach and reframing imposter syndrome through tools like ChatGPT and Copilot.
  • Observers condemned the advice as tone-deaf given Microsoft’s concurrent $80 billion investment in AI infrastructure and deep cuts in its Xbox division.
  • Experts and OpenAI’s terms of service caution that AI output should not be relied on as a substitute for professional guidance or therapy.