News Calm Now (July 4th), Time for Microsoft to Unearth First Batch of Mass Layoffs for July? (According to Microsoft's Media Operative, Tom Warren)
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More Xbox Layoffs at Microsoft Inbound This Week, Tom Warren Claims
Yesterday, Xbox's Jessie Thomas announced on X that her role at Microsoft was "eliminated". After this post on X, Tom Warren responded that more Xbox layoffs will be happening this week. While many suspected that it was just Thomas that was let go, Warren has now clarified that more individuals at Xbox will be losing their jobs. "more Xbox layoffs happening this week", Warren wrote some hours ago. "Microsoft laid off Jessie while she was on vacation". For those in the unknown, Thomas has been with Microsoft since 2015, and served as Senior Business PM of Culture Programs as of 2022.
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Even More Xbox Layoffs Are Reportedly on the Horizon
Even more layoffs across Xbox are on the horizon, an industry insider has said. The purported cutbacks would mark the third major round of Xbox layoffs since the turn of the year.
Microsoft laid off approximately 1,900 Xbox staffers back in late January 2024. Those cutbacks affected not just its Xbox Game Studios division but also Activision Blizzard and ZeniMax Media, which continue to operate as standalone publishing arms. The company later cited concerns over a general lack of gaming industry growth as the reason for that decision. Come early May, Microsoft also closed down four ZeniMax studios: Arkane Austin, Alpha Dog Games, Tango Gameworks, and Roundhouse Studios. The move saw its total number of 2024 layoffs reach approximately 2,100.
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Layoffs have once again impacted workers at Ubisoft and Microsoft
We have the unfortunate duty to report that layoffs in the gaming industry don’t appear to be abating anytime soon, as there are new reports of job cuts affecting employees at both Ubisoft and Microsoft.
We’ll start with Microsoft, which is once again seeing more jobs shed at the company’s Xbox division according to The Verge’s senior editor Tom Warren. One of the firings has affected senior business PM of culture programs Jessie Thomas, who confirmed that her role was eliminated after working with the company since 2015.
According to Warren, “it’s not just one person” who has been let go, but there are no details about how many have been affected as of this writing, though Insider Gaming notes layoffs have also affected a senior product manager and technical program manager. It’s also unclear if these layoffs are related to redunandices planned for Azure and HoloLens employees.
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Another Round of Layoffs Hit Microsoft
Throughout the past 24 hours, several people have taken to social media to announce that they have faced layoffs at Microsoft.
It’s currently unclear the exact number of those affected or if they’re part of the 1500 estimated to be laid off in June. Insider Gaming has found four people announcing their departure from the company.
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Xbox Facing More Layoffs This Week – Rumor
It’s been a rough year for the games industry with thousands of layoffs, including at companies like Microsoft. About 1,900 jobs were cut from Xbox, Activision Blizzard and ZeniMax in January, followed by the closure of studios like Arkane Austin, Alpha Dog Studios and Tango Gameworks in May.
However, Insider-Gaming reported on more recent layoffs, including senior product manager Angela Viness, design researcher Jessie and technical program manager Cory Ebert. Each took to social media to reveal their positions had been eliminated. Unfortunately, The Verge’s Tom Warren reports that more layoffs will be happening this week at Xbox and that Jessie was let go while on vacation.
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Rumor: More Xbox Layoffs This Week, After MCC/Halo Insider Program’s Founder Reveals Her Exit
Jessie Thomas, who has worked at Microsoft for nine years, revealed she just learned that she was laid off herself. In her tweet she says this:
“Sad to announce that my role with Microsoft has been eliminated.
To all those who have been a part of Team Xbox. Thank you. Hope I made you proud. <3”
Our review of her LinkedIn account reveals that her most recent role was Senior Business PM of Culture Programs. We’re not clear if she was a part of Team Xbox itself at this time, but in the seven years before this, she was bringing her specializations in neuroscience and UX research to do user research for Xbox.
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Microsoft Plans Further Layoffs At Xbox Division This Week
According to The Verge’s Tom Warren, more Xbox employee layoffs are set to happen sometime this week. One such employee who has already been laid off is Jessie Thomas, former Senior Business PM of Culture Programs. She was on vacation when Microsoft informed her of the decision. She took to Twitter/X to thank all those who have been a part of Team Xbox, and hoped that she made them proud.
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Xbox Facing More Layoffs This Week After 1900 Job Cuts In January
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This week, Microsoft is set to start more layoffs for the Xbox Division
According to the most recent report, Microsoft is planning to hire more employees at the Xbox division this week.
Tom Warren from The Verge has stated that Microsoft will be laying off additional Xbox employees this week, and Jessie Thomas, former Senior Business PM of Culture Programs, is one such employee who was informed of the decision while on vacation. She wished her colleagues a happy retirement and thanked them on Twitter/X.
The latest wave of layoffs in the Xbox division has left Microsoft with a serious challenger in terms of job security. We offer our condolences to those who have been and will be affected by these changes.
Update
More partisan slant:
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Another Round Of Layoffs Hits Xbox and Microsoft As Company Fully Embraces Woke Agenda
Microsoft executives have rolled out another round of layoffs at Xbox as multiple employees have reported they no longer are employed by the company. All of this comes as the company fully embraces the woke agenda.