Microsoft Responds to Xbox Layoff Controversy: "Not Replacing Employees with Foreign Workers"
Microsoft's head of communications has refuted claims that recent Xbox layoffs are part of a plan to replace U.S. workers with foreign nationals, stating the adjustments are for business restructuring.
Microsoft has addressed controversy surrounding recent layoffs within its Xbox division, stating that the job cuts are not intended to replace U.S. employees with foreign workers. The company clarified that the adjustments are part of a necessary restructuring of the Xbox business, which it described as unhealthy.
The dispute arose following a Fox News report that linked the layoffs of over 3,000 employees to a concurrent increase in H-1B visa applications. The report also raised questions about the ethnic background of Xbox CEO Asha Sharma and alluded to "The Great Replacement Theory," sparking unsubstantiated conspiracy theories.
Frank Shaw, Microsoft's head of communications, stated on social media that the personnel changes were aimed at restructuring the Xbox business. "These adjustments are not to replace existing employees with foreign employees," Shaw said.
Shaw further clarified that any H-1B visa applications mentioned were company-wide and not specific to the Xbox division. He also noted that the layoffs impacted employees globally, not solely in the United States, citing affected studios in Canada, France, and Germany.
Additionally, Shaw pointed out that Sharma was born in the U.S., contrary to some speculation, and criticized the use of ethnic identity for attacks by some media outlets.