--- title: "After 9,000 Layoffs, Microsoft Boss Has Brutal Advice for Sacked Workers" description: "An executive at a Microsoft subsidiary suggested that his newly laid-off colleagues talk to ChatGPT about how they feel post-firing." date: "2025-07-06" modified: "2025-07-06" authors: - name: "Noor Al-Sibai" job_title: "Senior Staff Writer" link: "https://futurism.com/authors/nooralsibai" url: "https://futurism.com/microsoft-boss-ai-advice" categories: - "Artificial Intelligence" tags: - "ai therapy" - "chatgpt" - "microsoft" - "xbox" --- # After 9,000 Layoffs, Microsoft Boss Has Brutal Advice for Sacked Workers ![An executive at a Microsoft subsidiary suggested that his newly laid-off colleagues talk to ChatGPT about how they feel post-firing.]() *Mid adult man sits at his desk with his hands covering his face, reflecting frustration or exhaustion in a modern startup office. \Image: Getty Images\* Microsoft has [laid off about 9,000]() workers in the midst of a newly-announced $80 billion AI investment — and apparently, those who just lost their jobs should be talking to ChatGPT about it. As [*Aftermath* reports,]() an executive producer at Microsoft-owned Xbox ended up with egg on his face after suggesting that laid off workers pour their hearts out to AI. "These are really 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," that producer, Matt Turnbull, said in a since-deleted LinkedIn post that *Aftermath* thankfully screenshotted for posterity. "No AI tool is a replacement for your voice or your lived experience. But at a time when mental energy is scarce, these tools can help get you unstuck faster, calmer, and with more clarity." "I know these types of tools engender strong feelings in people, but l'd be remiss in not trying to offer the best advice I can under the circumstances," he continued. "I've been experimenting with ways to use \[large language model\] Al tools (like ChatGPT or Copilot) to help reduce the emotional and cognitive load that comes with job loss." Yes, you read that right: a Microsoft boss was telling those just laid off by the tech giant that they should use chatbots — run or funded by the company that just fired them — to avoid crying on a company shoulder. Following that phoned-in introduction, Turnbull offered a few potential prompts for AI as a job loss grief counselor, including those that help with career planning, resume-building, networking, and, our personal favorite, "emotional clarity \[and\] confidence." "I'm struggling with imposter syndrome after being laid off," Turnbull's "clarity" prompt reads. "Can you help me reframe this experience in a way that reminds me what I'm good at?" It comes as little surprise, given how absolutely tone-deaf those suggestions are, that folks on social media had quite a lot to say to the Xbox executive. "The new Severance season is insanely good," [joked one commentator]() on X-formerly-Twitter. As another irked observer [wrote on the r/gaming subreddit](), "anyone that tells people who were fired to talk to a computer chat algorithm for therapy is insane." Indeed, gamers seem to be the most affronted by Turnbull's attempt at sensitivity and advice, with [another X commentator remarking]() that his response to those layoffs was one of "the most tone-deaf and cruelest things" they'd ever seen. "I hope this finally shatters the illusion for some people that Xbox is not your good buddy," that same user quipped. Though it's hard to say whether the Xbox producer's sentiments were sincere or not, it's clear from the subsequent deletion of the post that he was made to feel some type of way about it after putting it out into the world — and honestly, that potential embarrassment is the most we can hope for with these sorts of tech bros. **More on AI:** [*Journalists Just Roasted Sam Altman To His Face*]() ## Author At Futurism, I've often been drawn to unpacking the narratives that underlie technological, scientific and medical progress, with a special interest in areas of conflict and ambiguity that end up setting agendas and steering the fates of both elites and the hoi polloi. I'm a committed generalist, but I often find myself returning to work involving NASA and the private space sector, the effects of AI on media and society, and the mechanics of the pharmaceutical industry, with a specific focus on the spread of GLP-1 drugs like Ozempic and Wegovy. Prior to Futurism, I worked for publications ranging from Media Matters and Truthdig to Raw Story and Bustle. I'm also the author of "Myspace Scene Queens," a 2024 title in Instar Books' acclaimed "Remember the Internet" series. My work at Futurism has been cited by outlets including the New Yorker, Slate, Nieman Lab, the Verge, the MIT Technology Review, the Sunday Times, and the Daily Beast. I grew up in North Carolina, attended the University of North Carolina at Asheville, and now live in Brooklyn, New York. In my free time, I'm an avid reader and music fan; you can probably find me at a local poetry reading, concert, underground rave, or DJ set. I'm the proud parent of an ineffable orange cat named Mee-Mow. ### Author social links [Bluesky]()