The suggestions were termed both, tone deaf and insensitive especially in the light of wide-spread layoffs at the tech giant.
Microsoft recently announced that 4% of its workforce, amounting to 9,000 employees, has been laid off. Amid the turmoil, an executive producer at Xbox Game Studios landed himself in hot water after posting advice to his laid-off colleagues on LinkedIn that was not positively received, and with good reason.
He suggested using AI tools like ChatGPT and Microsoft Copilot to deal with the grief of losing their positions and preparing for their next job, which has not gone down well with both his ex-colleagues and other users, partly because it feels insensitive.
In a now-deleted post on LinkedIn, which has been shared on Bluesky by Brandon Sheffield, Matt Turnbull suggested that employees use AI tools to “reduce the emotional and cognitive load that comes with job loss.” He continued:
“These are challenging times, and if you’re navigating a layoff or even quietly preparing for one, you’re not alone and you don’t have to go it alone.”
Turnbull recommended the use of AI as a “career coach” and to help “build a 30-day plan to regroup, research new roles, and start applying without burnout.” Turnbull went on to recommend using AI to curate resumes for different positions, draft new “About Me” sections, and reach out to potential employers.
Suggesting that former employees were struggling with impostor syndrome, he shared a prompt that sparked outrage in the games industry and among former employees:
“I’m struggling with impostor syndrome after being laid off. Can you help me reframe this experience in a way that reminds me what I’m good at?”
The post drew sharp criticism from the industry and former Microsoft employees. ZeniMax Online’s former producer Eric Smith, whose project was canceled, responded with a curt “Read the room dude.”
Many pointed out that Turnball’s advice was tone-deaf, especially with Microsoft’s aggressive push into AI, which is speculated to be the reason behind the layoffs in the first place. The company did plan to spend nearly $80 billion on AI infrastructure in 2025 alone.
The fallout from the massive layoffs continues as at least 13 game studios have been affected, and three games have been canceled. Amidst the layoffs, Turn 10 Studios lost 70 staff members, accounting for half its workforce. ZeniMax Online’s recent MMORPG was canceled after nearly seven years in development, followed by the departure of its studio founder, Matt Firor.
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Rahim Amir Noorali – Tech Writer – 29 articles published on Notebookcheck since 2025
I am a UAE-based tech writer who likes to build and benchmark PCs both professionally and as a hobby. I contribute to multiple tech publications, including TechRadar and NotebookCheck, as well as Game Rant, where I focus primarily on news, commerce, and buying guides. When I’m not scouring the internet for the latest in tech stories, you will find me playing a game of Civilization or DotA with friends and frenemies alike while dropping recommendations for Apple TV+’s Foundation to everyone I come across.
Rahim Amir Noorali, 2025-07- 4 (Update: 2025-07- 4)
