Xbox Hit With Layoffs and Game Cancellations as Microsoft Cuts 9,000 Jobs
WiredJUL 3
Microsoft Cuts 9,000 Jobs Amid AI Push, Restructuring
Above: The Microsoft logo during the Mobile World Congress 2025 in Barcelona, Spain, on March 5, 2025. Image copyright: Joan Cros/NurPhoto/Getty Images
The Spin
Techno-skeptic narrative
Microsoft's cruel paradox emerges: while preaching AI liberation, they mercilessly discard thousands of employees to appease shareholders. This ruthless efficiency worship — sacrificing experienced talent for algorithmic promises — betrays the very creativity and institutional wisdom that built their empire. Progress without humanity isn't progress; it's corporate barbarism disguised as innovation.
Techno-optimist narrative
While corporate restructuring creates temporary displacement, AI heralds humanity's greatest liberation from drudgery. Every worker has the opportunity to become an "agent boss," directing autonomous intelligence to amplify creativity and impact. This technological revolution promises not job destruction but profound elevation, transforming laborers into strategic leaders of tomorrow's frontier firms.