An executive producer at Xbox has been facing the wrath of the Internet after suggesting that people turn to artificial intelligence (AI) tools to manage their emotions during layoffs. Matt Turnball, in his now-deleted LinkedIn post, further said that he has been using AI chatbots to ease the “emotional and cognitive” toll of layoffs.
His insensitive post comes at a time when tech giants like Microsoft, Infosys, and Google continue to lay off employees, with some citing cost-cutting, AI-driven automation, and a shift towards AI and cloud services as key reasons.
“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,” Turnbull, who has been associated with Xbox for over a decade now, wrote on LinkedIn.
His post, which started on an empathetic note, took a jarring turn when he endorsed using AI to channel the emotional strain of losing a job.
He further wrote, “I know these types of tools engender strong feelings in people, but I’d be remiss in not trying to offer the best advice I can under the circumstances,” before adding, “I’ve been experimenting with ways to use LLM Al tools (like ChatGPT or Copilot) to help reduce the emotional and cognitive load that comes with job loss.”
The backdrop to his post is a wave of cancellations of games, shutdowns of services, closure of studios, and sweeping job cuts across major Xbox divisions, with Microsoft laying off up to 9,000 employees across the company, according to a report by The Verge.
Further in his post, he suggested some prompts that people can use if they’re feeling “overwhelmed”. These include career planning, resume and LinkedIn help, network and outreach, emotional clarity and confidence.
In his “emotional clarity and confidence” prompt, he suggested that if one is struggling with the “impostor syndrome” after being laid off, they can take the help of AI to help them remember what they are good at.
“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,” he reasoned.
This raised eyeballs, with many on social media accusing him of being tone-deaf and out of touch.
One social media user, in response to his post, wrote on X, “Big talk all from the comfort of the executive position where he’s in no danger of a layoff.”
“Didn’t they report that a lot of the layoffs were because they wanted to incorporate more AI? So like… ‘Sorry AI is laying you off. Here, use AI to cope’,” another added.
A third said, “Crazy that he wrote this and thought, ‘Yeah: this is good… I’m going to post.’”
“I didn’t think it was possible to be this disconnected from reality,” posted a fourth.
“Something I’ve realised over time is that people in general lack the ability to think in a broader scope and include context and eventualities. But after thousands of people get laid off from your company, maybe don’t suggest they turn to the thing you’re trying to replace them with for solace,” another furious individual wrote on Bluesky.