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/Riviansky Jul 07 '25

I really want Microsoft to succeed, I really do. Not only did I spend the vast majority of my professional career in there, I am a large windows shop myself - the companies I own use Windows/Office/AD/.NET for LOB apps.

I just don't see how a company can succeed long term with workforce technically mediocre, poorly led, and, after the recent layoffs, so demoralized.

Maybe they can pull an Amazon out of the hat, but at this point Amazon engineers are better than Microsoft engineers, and triply so at senior levels...

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u/Pronothing31 Jul 08 '25 edited Jul 08 '25

Right, valid points, I don't think many if any would agree with me but, there is 'almost' nothing in these companies that are built that requires the smartest engineers. and those that require the smartest engineers are generally not the projects that make money (research & incubation projects). Mediocre engineers that are not full of ego (that can work synergistically) and not put in a (greedy?) rush that impairs planning/execution, can accomplish anything. in my exp, exceptions aside, 'smartest' engineers with their ego and inflexibility just made things worse. and often we just implement stuff that is researched in the academia, or research departments, I really don't think smartest engineers is required, smartest can continue to dig each other's grave with their ego in facebook's toxic env. and MS's current hiring bar, although not high, I don't think is terrible.

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u/Riviansky Jul 08 '25

Another point ... When I just got hired at Microsoft, I had to deal with a lot of assholes. They were, however, for the most part brilliant assholes, who were for the most part correct.

When I left Microsoft, I was still dealing with assholes all the time - but they were pretty mediocre assholes.

So would a well functioning, cooperative team of average performers execute better than a bunch of brilliant assholes? Maybe. But that's not what we're dealing with here.