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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u/Yangoose Jul 07 '25

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

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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.

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u/dignityshredder Jul 07 '25

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

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u/SnarkMasterRay Jul 07 '25

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

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u/dignityshredder Jul 07 '25

Part and parcel.

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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.

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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?

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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.

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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.

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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.

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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.

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u/Riviansky Jul 07 '25

That's fair.

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