Overview

• Matt Turnbull’s LinkedIn post urging laid-off employees to use AI chatbots like ChatGPT and Copilot for emotional and career guidance was deleted after widespread criticism.
• Microsoft is cutting about 9,100 jobs company-wide, with Xbox Game Studios hit hardest through canceled titles including Perfect Dark and Everwild and the closure of The Initiative studio.
• Critics have labeled Turnbull’s suggestion tone-deaf for outsourcing traditional human outplacement services to the same AI technology linked to the layoffs.
• Experts warn that relying solely on AI for counseling or professional advice can be unreliable and may fall short of the accuracy and empathy provided by human coaches.
• The episode underscores a wider tech-industry shift toward cost-cutting and AI automation, with peers from Infosys to Google also trimming headcounts while expanding AI and cloud investments.