Xbox producer sparks backlash after telling laid-off staff to lean on AI for emotional support
Matt Turnbull, an executive producer at Xbox Game Studios Publishing, faced criticism over a now-deleted LinkedIn post suggesting laid-off Microsoft employees use AI tools like ChatGPT or Copilot to handle emotional stress.
The post popped up right after Microsoft announced it would cut up to 9,000 jobs this year, affecting roughly 4% of its 228,000 global workforce. Reports say Xbox is among the divisions impacted. 
Turnbull shared AI prompts to help with career planning, resume writing, LinkedIn updates, and even emotional clarity and confidence. He claimed he was trying to offer “the best advice” in tough times and admitted he’s been “experimenting with ways to use LLM AI tools.”
The post didn’t sit well with some, with one user calling it “plain disgusting” and another saying it left them “speechless.” The BBC reached out to Microsoft for comment.
Turnbull did acknowledge layoffs are hard:
"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 also warned:
"I’m aware these tools can cause strong feelings in people but I want to try and offer the best advice I can under the circumstances"
Microsoft is gearing up to invest $80 billion in AI infrastructure, including massive data centers to train AI models. Some game projects at Xbox reportedly took hits in the cuts.
This incident adds to tensions as Microsoft pushes AI hard while trimming staff. No official response yet from Microsoft on Turnbull’s post.
