Microsoft's Xbox Graphics Lead Faces Backlash for AI-Generated Job Ad Amid Recent Layoffs

Microsoft slammed for awful AI-generated Xbox job post, weeks after laying off 9,000 workers

Serving tech enthusiasts for over 25 years. TechSpot means tech analysis and advice you can trust. Facepalm: If there's one thing you can say about Microsoft, it's that the company's executives can show a stunning lack of self-awareness. The latest comedically inappropriate LinkedIn post from one of these employees was for positions at Xbox graphics -- featuring a very bad AI-generated image. Principal Development Lead for Xbox Graphics, Mike Matsel, shared the "Xbox Graphics Is Hiring" post on the professional social networking platform. It appears to be a generic cartoon-style image complete with the Xbox logo, but the woman seems to be using one of those fancy monitors that have their display on the rear instead of (or as well as?) the front. She also appears to be paying more attention to the floating logo than anything else. The image is, of course, AI-generated. There are plenty of other tell-tale signs, like the unnatural shading on her top, weird keyboard, and the headphones she's using look an awful lot like they're from Apple (and very few people still use wired ones). The majority of the posts are criticisms of the ad itself. "They didn't even review the AI image, while Microsoft says AI is the future it creates slop like this," wrote one person. "You're the lead of the Xbox GRAPHICS team and didn't notice you posted an image where almost everything is wrong (including, ethically speaking, the use of AI) ? Why would anyone apply to be on your team?" wrote another. People haven't failed to highlight the fact that Microsoft has just laid off 9,000 employees - its fourth round of layoffs in 18 months - including many from the Xbox division. This brings Microsoft's total layoffs since 2023 to over 20,000, yet it is investing $80 billion into AI infrastructure over the next fiscal year. It's been reported that staff at Candy Crush-maker King, part of Microsoft's gaming division, were replaced by the AI tools they helped build. This isn't the first time a Microsoft employee has been slammed for an AI-related LinkedIn post. Matt Turnbull, Executive Producer at Xbox Games Studio Publishing, wrote a post that advised anyone who had lost or was losing their job to use AI tools, including Microsoft's own Copilot, for emotional support, career planning, and resume help. The message was met with even more vitriol than Matsel's, which is why Turnbull quickly deleted it. Many consumers continue to push back hard against the use of AI in any form, no matter how much companies try to ram it down the public's throats. The mission to spread the "it's a benefit to humanity" narrative isn't helping when the technology is making so many people jobless. The latest example is at Glassdoor and Indeed, where 1,300 workers are being laid off as a direct result of AI.

Microsoft employee uses terrible AI-generated image to advertise for Xbox artists just weeks after massive layoffs

The ad is especially awkward as Microsoft recently completed laying off more than 9,000 people A post on LinkedIn seeking graphic designers for Xbox is going viral for the irony of terrible AI-generated graphics. Principal Development Lead for Xbox Graphics, Mike Matsel, shared a post announcing the roles, accompanied by what at first glance appears to be an innocuous cartoon of a woman at a workstation typing code. Except the code is on the back of her monitor, and that's just the beginning of the issues with the image. The fact that Microsoft concluded the latest of several rounds of layoffs, affecting a total of more than 9,000 people, including many in the Xbox division, just a few weeks ago, makes it even more awkward. The more you examine the image, the more obvious it becomes that it was (poorly) produced with AI. The computer is unconnected to anything, the desk sort of fades away into nothingness, and the shadows don't make sense. Plus, would Microsoft want a graphic of someone clearly using Apple headphones? Not to mention the fact that, in 2025, you're very unlikely to see someone with the corded iPhone headphones of nearly 20 years ago. The image does at least sell the idea that Microsoft desperately needs graphic designers, or at least people who know when graphics are very wrong. The dozens of comments on the post emphasize just how annoying many people find the post. A lot are from developers and graphic designers who might otherwise be interested in the positions. The fact that this wasn't just a bad image, but one that undermines the entire point of the job being advertised, is truly mind-boggling. It's like handing out flyers for a bakery that uses clip art of a melting candle with "bread" written on the attached label. It's so bizarrely bad that more than a few commenters wondered if it was on purpose. It might be a way to draw attention to the open positions, or, unlikely as this may be, a form of malicious compliance from someone instructed to use AI to announce the open jobs after their colleagues in those positions were recently let go. Or maybe it was the sharpest satire ever seen on LinkedIn. Those are wildly unlikely theories, but it's telling that they aren't totally impossible. An ad symbolizing everything people are worried about, especially regarding the very artistic jobs being advertised, would be far too blatant to use in a joke. Still, apparently, that's just reality now. The fact that Microsoft is currently investing billions of dollars in AI only adds to the dissonant reaction. Even if it wasn't formally approved by Microsoft, it still has their Xbox logo on it. Then again, even senior executives can faceplant when discussing and using AI. Just last week, Executive Producer at Xbox Game Studios Publishing Matt Turnbull suggested that people recently let go could turn to AI chatbots to help get over their emotional distress and find new jobs. He took down the essay encouraging former employees to use AI tools to both find jobs and for "emotional clarity," eventually, but this graphic disaster remains visible to the public, as opposed to the code hiding behind the back of the monitor.

Head of Xbox graphics department puts out cringe-worthy hiring post... with AI graphics

Xbox's principle development lead for its graphics department has put out a LinkedIn post announcing some new job opportunities. The catch? He used a cringey AI-generated graphic to do so, drawing ire. Mike Matsel's weekend post calls for those experienced with "device drivers, GPU performance, or related validation or engineering system experience". The attached image shows a lady typing away on a computer, with the text displayed on the back of the monitor. Brilliant. This caught traction online and, as you can imagine, responses to this post are quite negative. Alexander Bertram-Powell wrote: "Appreciate this preview of the care and attention to detail that make you a leader", while Danylo S followed up with: "First layoffs, then post for hire with AI slop, wonderful work, Xbox". This post came at a bad time, too. Earlier this month, Xbox cut a significant chunk of its workforce across various game developers such as Zenimax Online Studios, Rare, The Initiative, and more. It's also been reported Microsoft is pushing its remaining employees to use more AI at work in the wake of these layoffs. As such, while a sizable chunk of the company has been let go, those remaining are left handling software that's largely yet to generate any provable increases in productivity or income.

Fresh from telling laid-off employees to console themselves with AI, Microsoft doubles down by advertising Xbox jobs with pathetic AI image: 'So tone deaf I hope it is satire'

The rollicking clown car that is Microsoft corporate leadership has outdone itself once again. Earlier this month Phil Spencer said Microsoft's gaming business has "never looked stronger" as he announced mass layoffs, which was swiftly followed up by an Xbox exec suggesting that affected employees use AI to console themselves. And now? A round of slow claps for Xbox's principle development lead Mike Matsel, another victim of terminal LinkedIn brain, who took to the social networking site this past weekend to announce some good news: we're hiring! Except... The post comes with an image that is clearly AI-generated (first spotted by Eurogamer). It shows a cartoon image of a woman smiling and wearing headphones in front of a PC: but look closer and you'll notice that this PC is very special, because the display is on the back of the monitor. Then you notice her eyes aren't on the front of the monitor either (I guess there's not much to see), and she's just staring gormlessly over the top and into the distance. The more you look the worse it gets: the shading on her top is all sorts of wrong; the keyboard just seems to have randomly shaped blocks rather than resembling a keyboard; there's a weird little divot between the thumb and index finger on the left hand. In other words, this is a classic AI-generated image, aka slop. The thing is, this is being posted by a senior figure at Xbox and is explicitly about hiring graphics designers. You'd think that might earn a bespoke visual for any hiring push. Tempting as it may be to dunk on Matsel, the guy also may be trying to keep his own job: Microsoft has said "AI is no longer optional" for its staff, and employees are being evaluated on how they use these tools. The first reply to the post is, appropriately enough, a poop emoji. "This is so tone deaf that I hope that it is satire," replies Kevin Catarino. "Does everyone left at Xbox have brain damage," wonders Rick Desilets. "Are you seriously posting a job ad for Xbox Graphics using this AI garbage? It looks like shit, man, what is happening over there?" "AI is a billion dollar industry, a lot of money and resources have been poured into this, and this is the result of it," says Joseph M. "My god, I don't believe in AI and I never will. It's not worth the hype or money. You could have just hired someone for cheap looking for help with their portfolio to do a much better job than this." Microsoft's latest cuts were a real bloodbath, with studios like The Initiative closed and several high-profile Xbox exclusives cancelled, including Rare's Everwild, an unannounced Zenimax MMO, and the excellent-looking Perfect Dark reboot. Since the start of 2023, Microsoft has fired over 20,000 people. It's also announced that it plans to spend $80 billion on AI this year. Well: I hope you all like hot garbage. Because right now, that's sure looking like the future of Xbox.

Xbox Graphics Lead Puts Out Tone-Deaf Hiring Call With AI-Slop, Shortly After Devastating Layoffs

July 2025 kicked off with devastating news for Microsoft employees, as it laid off 9,000 workers across the entire company, with a significant number of those layoffs hitting Xbox and Microsoft's gaming division. Studios and game projects were shut down, veteran developers were either laid off or left because of the cuts, and amid reports that the layoffs are directly related to Microsoft wanting to invest more in its AI efforts, Microsoft and Xbox executives have failed to read the room multiple times. While claims were circulating that Microsoft and Xbox are "trying their damndest to replace jobs with AI agents," it was unfortunate, to say the least, that a seemingly automated invite went out to developers inviting them to a roundtable at Gamescom 2025 all about how AI tools can aid in game development. Disdain towards Xbox, Microsoft, and the c-suite executives who didn't lose their jobs compounded when an executive producer at Xbox suggested that laid-off workers confide in ChatGPT to help them cope with being laid off. At least executive producer Matt Turnbull's ill-advised LinkedIn post was, at least on the surface, an attempt to help laid-off workers. Principal development lead for Xbox Graphics, Mike Matsel's post, however, is somehow even more tone-deaf and bull-headed. Matsel put out a call that the Xbox Graphics team was hiring two roles. He specified that the team is looking for people "with experience with device drivers, GPU performance, or related validation or engineering system experience." He then links the two job postings, and tells people to message him directly if the postings on Microsoft's website claim to be closed. That's all fine and well, and even though putting out a hiring call a little more than a week after mass layoffs is never a good look, it's unfortunately a common occurrence. What cinches Matsel's post as tone-deaf, is that he shares an AI-generated image along with his post, which shows someone working at a desktop, presumably looking at nothing, since the image shows their screen on the backside of the monitor. The comments are, unsurprisingly, filled with people digging into Matsel for posting the image, with one person saying "You could have just sketched an ad on paint, at least it would have been funny. This is just embarrassing." Another, seemingly referencing Matsel's lack of care in his post, wrote, "I too can post AI slop. Put me on the team, coach!" You have to wonder whether Turnbull and Matsel made their posts earnestly, or if they were baiting the uproar that both posts have caused. Neither is a good look, because if they earnestly made these posts, then that shows a huge inability to read a room, and a lack of understanding as to how they should communicate with others, whether that's trying to communicate a message of empathy, or opportunity. If they were baiting the reactions, it's surprising and disappointing to see two high-level executives seeking enjoyment out of a situation that has devastated hundreds of their former coworkers and each of their families.

Did Xbox really just advertise jobs in graphics with this terrible AI art?

It seems recent history is repeating. In November, Netflix was roasted when an exec posted an AI-generated image to announce the launch of AI game development two weeks after the company closed its AAA studio Team Blue. You might think that would have taught industry players to be aware of the optics at least, but Microsoft's XBox is now facing a similar flak. Two weeks ago, Xbox communicated thousands of layoffs, cancelling games like Everwild and Perfect Dark in the process. The finger was inevitably pointed at AI. Now Xbox's graphics development lead has announced that his department is hiring - with what appears to be a bad AI-generated image as if to prove that it urgently needs the staff (see our pick of the best game development software if you prefer to work on your own game). It seems nobody at Xbox graphics realised that the image on the job ad shows a computer monitor with a display that's the wrong way around, but what's really shocking is the lack of awareness of how bad such a lazy use of AI looks amid industry layoffs and concerns about AI replacing jobs. Comments on LinkedIn don't tend to descend into public roastings like they do on other social media platforms, but this proved to be an exception. "Trying to imagine what it must be like for thousands of Xbox staff getting laid off, and watching the head of graphics posting AI slop to advertise new vacancies," one person responded to the post. "Xbox is dead," another person wrote. "The people at the top [are] creatively and morally bankrupt. Not to mention detached from reality." Some people went further: "You guys are driving this industry into a death spiral and destroying as many lives as you can in the process. This isn't technological progress, this is speedrunning circling the drain." Others feel that the ad is hardly going to inspire confidence in new recruits. "Why would anyone take a job listing using AI for a position in your art department? That screams to me you'll just replace me in a year or so." To clarify, we don't have confirmation that the job losses at Xbox are directly connected with AI. But with the industry at a difficult juncture right now and AI a major concern for anyone getting started in game design, the big players might need to do some soul searching - or at least tread more carefully with their communications.

Microsoft Employee Criticised for Advertising Xbox Graphics Role Using AI 'Slop' Artwork, Just Weeks After Mass Layoffs

A Microsoft employee has drawn criticism for sharing a widely-ridiculed AI image to advertise empty roles on Xbox's graphics team. The image, which features a woman sat at a computer typing code -- shown on the rear of the monitor, rather than its screen -- is clearly made by AI. Accompanying text states: "Xbox Graphics Is Hiring". Reaction to the post, which went live on LinkedIn over the weekend and is still available at the time of writing, is a mixture of bafflement and outright anger -- with many responses criticising the "embarrassing" quality of the image, and the timing of the post, just weeks after mass layoffs at Xbox as Microsoft doubles down on AI. "The Xbox Graphics team is hiring folks with experience with device drivers, GPU performance, or related validation or engineering system experience," a Principal Development Lead on the Xbox Graphics team wrote, sharing two Senior Software Engineer jobs based at Microsoft's Redmond headquarters. While seemingly not an official post by Microsoft itself -- and instead, it appears, the work of this individual employee -- the post has generated more than 100 replies, nearly all heavily critical of the job ad. "Do you think this image communicates 'this is a company where we value people who can make stuff look good?'," wrote a fellow Microsoft staff member. "Posting this days after MS laid off 9,000 folks in gamedev, while including an AI-generated image wherein the monitor is backwards... like, dude, read the room," wrote an employee at Meta. "This s**t is just embarrassing. AI gutter-slop image (THE SCREEN IS ON THE BACK OF THE MONITOR) to advertise a *graphics* post," wrote a Ubisoft employee. "Do. F**king. Better." A handful of other responses simply laughed off the image, however, with one even suggesting the image was posted on purpose -- to show why good hires were needed. IGN has contacted the post's author, who is yet to respond to any of the comments. Microsoft announced plans to shed nearly 4% of its staff, or roughly 9,100 employees, earlier this month, with deep cuts to several major Xbox studios. Rare's long-gestating fantasy project Everwild was canned, as was the upcoming Perfect Dark reboot from Tomb Raider studio Crystal Dynamics and Microsoft outfit The Initiative -- which was shut down completely. Other projects impacted include a promising new role-player from Bethesda's The Elder Scrolls Online team, and Romero Studios' new first-person shooter. This latest round of layoffs is the fourth to hit Microsoft's gaming business in 18 months. Tom Phillips is IGN's News Editor. You can reach Tom at [email protected] or find him on Bluesky @tomphillipseg.bsky.social