Do you work at Meta in Amsterdam? Worried you might get laid off?
Join an online info session hosted by the Tech Workers Coalition, where you will learn about steps you can take right now as a collective to try and prevent the layoffs and protect your jobs.
What: Meta layoffs info session
When: Tuesday 5 August at 18:30
Where: Online
The session is open to all Meta workers in the Netherlands. Bosses and leadership not welcome.
Do you work at Meta in Amsterdam? Worried you might get laid off?
Join an online info session hosted by the Tech Workers Coalition, where you will learn about steps you can take right now as a collective to try and prevent the layoffs and protect your jobs.
What: Meta layoffs info session
When: Tuesday 5 August at 18:30
Where: Online
The session is open to all Meta workers in the Netherlands. Bosses and leadership not welcome.
💣 Big Tech Killed the Golden Age of Programming — Taylor G. Lunt
｢ What happened wasn't just carelessness on the part of Big Tech. It was a power move. They wanted to monopolize talent, burned billions doing it, and then discarded those people like they were nothing. They caused the problem, and now we developers are paying for it ｣
Microsoft: Thanks for Building the AI. You’re Fired.
200 King game devs (Candy Crush) let go after training their AI replacement.
#TheInternetIsCrack#AI#Microsoft#GameDev#TechEthics#Layoffs#Automation
The video game industry is in a tough spot. Microsoft’s effort to remake it hasn’t helped.
On #TechWontSaveUs, I spoke with @nathangrayson to discuss huge Xbox layoffs and how Microsoft’s plan to remake gaming around Game Pass hasn’t panned out.
Listen to the full episode: https://techwontsave.us/episode/285_microsoft_is_gutting_the_video_game_industry_w_nathan_grayson
The video game industry is in a tough spot. Microsoft’s effort to remake it hasn’t helped.
On #TechWontSaveUs, I spoke with @nathangrayson to discuss huge Xbox layoffs and how Microsoft’s plan to remake gaming around Game Pass hasn’t panned out.
Listen to the full episode: https://techwontsave.us/episode/285_microsoft_is_gutting_the_video_game_industry_w_nathan_grayson
'Once Google stops growing, it becomes a "mature" company and its PE ratio will fall from 20:1 to something more like 4:1, meaning an 80% collapse in the company's share price. This would be very bad news for Googlers (whose personal wealth is disproportionately tied up in Google stock) and for Google itself (because many of its key personnel will depart when the shares they've banked for retirement collapse, and new hires will expect to be paid in scarce dollars, not abundant stock). For a company like Google, "maturity" is unlikely to be a steady state – rather, it's likely to be a prelude to collapse.
Which is why Google is so desperately sweaty to maintain the narrative about its growth.'
'Once Google stops growing, it becomes a "mature" company and its PE ratio will fall from 20:1 to something more like 4:1, meaning an 80% collapse in the company's share price. This would be very bad news for Googlers (whose personal wealth is disproportionately tied up in Google stock) and for Google itself (because many of its key personnel will depart when the shares they've banked for retirement collapse, and new hires will expect to be paid in scarce dollars, not abundant stock). For a company like Google, "maturity" is unlikely to be a steady state – rather, it's likely to be a prelude to collapse.
Which is why Google is so desperately sweaty to maintain the narrative about its growth.'
🫧 Companies That Tried to Save Money With AI Are Now Spending a Fortune Hiring People to Fix Its Mistakes
｢ As the BBC reports, there's now something of a cottage industry for writers and coders who specialize in fixing AI's mistakes — and those who are good at it are using the opportunity to rake in cash ｣
https://futurism.com/companies-fixing-ai-replacement-mistakes
🫧 Companies That Tried to Save Money With AI Are Now Spending a Fortune Hiring People to Fix Its Mistakes
｢ As the BBC reports, there's now something of a cottage industry for writers and coders who specialize in fixing AI's mistakes — and those who are good at it are using the opportunity to rake in cash ｣
https://futurism.com/companies-fixing-ai-replacement-mistakes
📊 CEOs Say AI Is Poised to Wipe Out an Astonishing Number of Jobs
｢ What gets presented as proof of AI's automation potential is instead a mash of penny-pinching layoffs, outsourcing, labor market saturation, and in some cases, employer bias against recent college grads ｣
Against the backdrop of #Microsoft's mass #layoffs at its #Xbox division, the management advertises genAI workshops at #GamesCom and advises the fired #gamedevs to use AI to cope with the job loss.
If there is any way to appear more out of touch with reality, I can't think of any.
As Brandon Sheffield documented these messages over on BlueSky:
https://bsky.app/profile/brandon.insertcredit.com/post/3lt32s7t22k2r
https://bsky.app/profile/brandon.insertcredit.com/post/3lt4diia3xc2l
![Screenshot of a posting by Matt Turnbull (Executive Producer at Xbox Game Studios Publishing) on LinkedIn:
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.
I know these types of tools engender strong feelings in people, but I'd be remiss in not trying to offer the best advice | can under the circumstances. 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.
Here are some prompt ideas and use cases that might help if you're feeling overwhelmed:
Career Planning Prompts:
“Act as a career coach. I've been laid off from a [role] in the game industry. Help me build a 30-day plan to regroup, research new roles, and start applying without burning out.” “What kinds of game industry jobs could | pivot to with experience in [Production/Narrative/LiveOps/etc.]?"
Resume & LinkedIn Help
“Here's my current resume. Give me three tailored versions: one for AAA, one for platform/publishing roles, and one for startup/small studio leadership.” “Rewrite this resume bullet to highlight impact and metrics.” “Draft a new LinkedIn ‘About Me’ section that focuses on my leadership style, shipped titles, and vision for game development.”
Networking & Outreach
“Draft a friendly message | can send ..."
Sorry, text too long for full length!](https://cdn.masto.host/mastodongamedevplace/media_attachments/files/114/794/233/199/945/461/original/bb2afd8dc8536c86.jpg)
Recently, Microsoft has been laying off employees at a rate of approximately 5,000 per month, and this trend is accelerating. Thus, my machine learning algorithm predicts that by 2027, the company will be run solely by the CEO and some AI.
#AI #layoffs #microsoft
https://www.bbc.com/news/articles/cdxl0w1w394o
Recently, Microsoft has been laying off employees at a rate of approximately 5,000 per month, and this trend is accelerating. Thus, my machine learning algorithm predicts that by 2027, the company will be run solely by the CEO and some AI.
#AI #layoffs #microsoft
https://www.bbc.com/news/articles/cdxl0w1w394o
💥 DOOM co-creator John Romero’s entire Romero Games studio has been let go following Microsoft layoffs as Xbox cuts funding for new FPS - VideoGamer
Not sure paying Copilot to cheat for you playing videogames was worth firing 9000 people.
MS math is really strange.
A space for Bonfire maintainers and contributors to communicate
