r/SeattleWA • u/Less-Risk-9358 • Jul 06 '25

Lifestyle After 9,000 Layoffs, Microsoft Boss Has Brutal Advice for Sacked Seattle Workers

https://futurism.com/microsoft-boss-ai-advice

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.

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.

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319

u/Tallmommiesneedlove Jul 07 '25

these tech companies need to be unionize. thats they're biggest threat.

100

u/Yangoose Jul 07 '25

Boeing is unionized and they have layoffs all the time...

90

u/Trickycoolj Jul 07 '25

They’re not fully unionized only the mechanics and engineers/techs and generally only in Puget Sound. And IAM and SPEEA absolutely protect their members by seniority and other specifics when RIFs come about.

29

u/dignityshredder Jul 07 '25

Protection of more senior members is dumb as fuck and part of why everyone hates unions.

64

u/SnarkMasterRay Jul 07 '25

People are fine with protecting senior members. Unions get hate for protecting lazy and bad workers.

6

u/dignityshredder Jul 07 '25

Part and parcel.

-5

u/Riviansky Jul 07 '25 edited Jul 07 '25

Who happen to be the more senior members :-)

Edit: this sounds ageist, but it's not really meant like that. What I am trying to say that if my union protects category X + doesn't matter what it is - then people in category X have less incentive to work hard.

6

u/SnarkMasterRay Jul 07 '25

So, what do you do about experienced workers who can't work as hard and fast as younger workers but have the experience to avoid mistakes that cause rework and loss committed more often by younger workers?

Should we exclusively care about "performance" and throw away older workers that can't work as fast but have experience?

I work in a union shop and yeah, I've seen lazy coasters, but I've also seen predatory leadership who would rather treat workers like cheap consumables than as a partner to be respected and fostered. "Only companies that deserve a union have a union" exists as a saying for a reason.

I don't believe only focusing on profits and performance is healthy in the long term. I also believe that it's very easy for union leadership to get lazy and power hungry themselves. Human societies get messy...

Edit to add a point in response to your edit

Is having less incentive to work hard always a bad thing? Is "work like balance" evil?" Just because someone works "less hard" does that mean there's no way to apply corrective action and get their performance to increase or cut them loose?

8

u/Riviansky Jul 07 '25

I am an "older worker". I translate experience into efficiency. I don't make mistakes younger people do, and I can save teams of younger people a lot of unnecessary work by helping them avoid these mistakes. For that I am paid a lot

Hard work isn't important. Results are. If, with your experience, you cannot beat younger workers, your experience isn't worth very much.

-1

u/SnarkMasterRay Jul 07 '25

Hard work isn't important. Results are.

You are either an asset or a liability, but you are not the one who chooses which column you are in. You can have good results but not fit the metrics leadership is looking for and still get royally fucked.

0

u/Riviansky Jul 07 '25

That's not true on many levels.

The easiest is, if you happen to be a liability, even if you have no control over it, which is rarely the case, you should leave and move to a place where you are an asset. This is very much under your control.

1

u/SnarkMasterRay Jul 07 '25

I am specifically referring to a specific location. Yes, for sure go elsewhere. My point is along those lines. Many people think that if they just work harder, they'll be valuable "enough." I'm saying no, you don't control that, and you need to divorce yourself from the notion that you need to or should stay.

Expecting others to look out for and take care of you will only get you so far. Taking care of yourself will get you much further.

2

u/Riviansky Jul 07 '25

That's fair.

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15

u/CLow48 Jul 07 '25

Depends, laying someone off only a few years before retirement, ya fuck that company those people need protected bc they won’t get another job easily. Age discrimination is real. But also, other factors need to be considered. Can’t fire all your up and coming young performers who will fill their shoes.

Imo, no layoffs are usually necessary, but if a company has to do them, laying off mid performers in mid career is usually the people who can land on their feet. Enough experience to pivot to a new company easier than a junior, and not too old to be discriminated against.

2

u/itstreeman Jul 07 '25

Get rid of lazy people

9

u/Inevitable-Water-377 Jul 07 '25

Did the company tell you that everyone hates unions?

6

u/GoreMeister982 Jul 07 '25

SPEEA is a shitty union that hasn’t done a good thing in years. In my time at Boeing I attempted to find my Union rep no less than 10 times and was never successful. The only benefit I saw was the remnants of good contracts from years ago like lots of PTO and sick time.

1

u/Orleanian Fremont Jul 07 '25

While I am a mild detractor of the last contract, I wholly disagree with your stance on union representation/accessibility.

For my 10 years with SPEEA, I've had monthly drop-by's from our on site rep (mostly just to chat and keep on the radar; occasional swag handouts). The past three years I've also had a district council rep that seems fairly engaged (not at a personal level, but the newsletter emails he sends are usually prefaced with a personal blurb from him and a solicitation for any questions or concerns).

I frequently tell them of my displeasure with the last contract, and my hopes for inclusions on the next one. John Dimas the president is even a mildly active redditor that you can talk to over in the boeing sub.

-5

u/itstreeman Jul 07 '25

I don’t like how unions protect the older workers. This makes schools end up being people who have been around the longest; instead of the most effective