workers

Ford had 20,000 workers in the Colonia factory. Ten years later they are 7,600 because their electric cars are not bought

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Three years ago, Ford presented its short and medium -term road map for Europe. Then they announced seven new completely electric modelsof which they were commercial vehicles. Of the other three, only one was a Ford. And, in fact, it has ended up becoming the electric variant of a combustion car. We talk about Ford Pumaan electric car in which they have had to juggle to put an electric motor train. A car limited to the city because platform restrictions Combustion barely leave space for a 43 kWh battery. With its more than 34,000 euros of departure, it has become a difficult car taking into account that it moves on the highway between 200 and the 250 real kilometers of autonomy. The other two, as we said, are not Ford cars. The Ford Explorer and Ford Capri They are electric cars mounted on the Volkswagen platform. In both cases we have stressed that, dynamically, cars have a slightly more interesting tuning than that of the Germans, with more hard suspensions and a slightly more direct direction. However, if you mount one and another it is easy to verify that both models are mounted on the Volkswagen MEB platform. That is disguised with the vertical displaceable screen in depth and a speaker arranged as if it were a sound bar. But that’s it. The interface of a good part of the menus is Purely Volkswagen And, specifically, it is evident that it is a hardware and software mounted on the MEB platform. And that is bad news. For your touch controls or for your usability decisions. And they are also bad news for Ford. So much that it will fire a thousand German employees because their electric cars are not buying. The results of a failed strategy A thousand employees. That is the number that Ford will say goodbye to its neighborhood plant (Germany). They argue that “in Europe, the demand for electric cars is still well below the forecasts of the sector” and that, therefore, the plant will pass to a single shift in 2026, reducing its productive capacity, in words collected by Motorpasion. They explain in the middle that so far this year, Ford has sold 19,000 Ford Explorer units and Capri is still below. In fact, you have to go down to the fourteenth place between best -selling electric cars in Europe in the first half of the year to find the Americans. Cupra, Byd or Peugeot were above them. We could talk about bad results but Ford invested 1,000 million euros in Colonia to modernize the plant and get its electric cars out of there. With a productive capacity of 250,000 vehicles per year, the factory works at half a gas. Nor is it a good time to receive this news since The company is losing money this year and suffering with American tariffs. So much so that last year he earned 1.8 billion dollars and this year plays in red numbers. The result is also the consequence of a risky strategy: to offer two clearly differentiated products. In October 2024, Jim Farley, his CEO, said that the company was “leaving the market of boring cars to enter the market of iconic cars” to the magazine Car. The statements They coincided over time with the abandonment of classic vehicles in the European market such as party, Mondeo or Focus. And it continued: “We are good making a quick car (about Ford and the bronco sub -jack) and authentic SUVs. Look at the Raptor, we brought it from Mexican competitions and turned it into a car that can be used in the street. It is a great example of where I think our passenger cars should go (…) We can face Porsche with the Mustang, it is the best -selling sports coupe in the world. and be stronger and stronger “ In those words, Ford’s strategy was hidden. European emission regulations They aimed at 2025 of Milmillonarias fines. Finally, the sanctions were delayed to 2027 but, if applied, Ford needs to sell many more electric and few cars like the ones Farley mentioned since they exceed the maximum proposed emissions of 93 gr/km of CO2. The answer was the hug to the Volkswagen MEB platform. This has been criticized harshly by critics and the public. In their eagerness to reduce costs, decisions have been made as a profusion of tactile controls They bother in place of adding. And cars have not highlighted precisely for good autonomy or a groundbreaking price. But, in return, Ford has obtained two electric cars in the market with a minimum investment. The risk is almost limited to the modernization of the colony plant. So, There are two clearly differentiated business lines In Ford: Cheap cars (developed on the work of others) and expensive and representative cars that do not even refer to Ford. It is no accident that the Mustang, Bronco or Raptor have lost the Ford logo on their front. They are, in themselves, as families that work almost independently. The problem is that the public has not bought Ford’s bet. The Ford Explorer or Capri are not bad electric cars but you have to assume the youth errors of the MEB platform paid, in addition, at a high price. In what we have been, in Spain, 649 units have been bought between the sum of these two models. 649 units of the almost 21,000 registrations that Ford is registered at the end of August. The damage is especially bleeding in more powerful markets. In Germany, Volkswagen has managed to overcome with the ID.3a car that seemed dead but is the best selling in the electricity market. He is followed ID.7which also uses the MEB platform. The Volkswagen ID.4 and ID.5 They are positioned in the fourth position (add up to the same bag because ID.5 is only the Coupé variant of ID.4). You have to go down to the twelfth position to find the Ford Explorer. Capri is not among … Read more

We knew that North Korea has been infiltrating workers in companies in the West. Now we know how they do

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North Korea has been infiltrating teleworkors with false identities in United States companies. After that country became more hostile, the actor’s attention turned to Europe. According to the FBI, the Department of Justice and Googlewhat these employees pursue is to get income to finance the North Korea Nuclear Program. He modus operandi It was a great unknown. Until now. A framework without any improvisation. A cybersecurity researcher who responds to the name of Sttyk It was made with a database that has shown the environment Wired. The files include, according to Sttyk, “dozens of data gigabytes” and “thousands of emails.” From this information an organized workers’ structure is extracted in twelve groups, which in turn have approximately other twelve members. They respond to a general “master boss.” Organization in spreadsheets. The group works using the Slack communication tool, Google, Github and spreadsheets accounts. In the latter, an exhaustive follow -up of the works and the progress of the objectives, both economic and strategic, is made. They even collect the needs of specific jobs (required programming languages) of the companies to attack and their locations, with a record of whether there have been contact with the companies or progress of the process. How they get work. A few days ago, the BBC collected Jin-Su’s testimonya false North Korean teleworking that managed to defect. He said that most of the time of his work focused on acquiring fraudulent identities to request work. He went through Chinese, but aware that he needed Western identities, more attractive to the labor market, he got identities of people from Hungary, Türkiye or the United Kingdom. From there, the most involved workers in the process of getting work are the ones who most dominate English, although the fact that communications with technology companies are done by platforms such as Slack helps a lot. Also that many interviews are not made face to face, although that can be reversed with the proliferation of interviews made with artificial intelligence. Researchers have found identical curriculum among the suspects of being false workers. What jobs do they point to. We knew that false teleworkors were looking for employment in technology companies. The filtration is confirmed and limited to the areas: artificial intelligence, blockchain, Bots development, web development and mobile apps and desktop, CMS development, etc. The question of income. Jin-Su said that several works between the United States and Europe, earned about $ 5,000 per month. From what I entered, I had to pay 85% to North Korea, and even so, he said “it is much better than when we were in North Korea.” According to a United Nations report in March 2024, workers manage to generate between 250 and 600 million euros per year for their country of origin. The money they retain has a lot of value when they return to their country (many work from Russia or China, where they have more freedom), so the reasons for dropout lose weight. In parallel to this group of teleworkors operate the hackers that They steal cryptocurrencies To pass at the hands of the regime. Only in a blow in March this year they got 1,500 million, but in December 2024 they accumulated Other 1.3 billion in 47 blows. Working conditions that scare. The filtration presents a scenario that, although better than the one in North Korea, is nothing flattering for the workers involved in the plot. According to a Slack recording, the boss’s account stated in a message that “everyone should work more than at least 14 hours a day.” Although it sounds a lot, it does not perform from the model of some Silicon Valley companies or of the Elon Musk vision and its 120 hours per week. Images | Kremlin and Altumcode in Unspash In Xataka | Now we know everything that the new North Korea resort offers for 2,000 dollars. There is only one rule: be Russian

The Chinese industry has been pulling the prices of solar panels for years. Now 30% of its workers are on the street

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Chinese solar panel manufacturers achieved a crushing domain of the industry with a relentless recipe: mass production, constant improvements and increasingly low prices. Now that they have left out European and American competitors, The whole world depends on its technology. However, this apparent success story hides an internal crisis with serious consequences: a INSUSTANIBLE PRICE WARmillionaire losses and the silent dismissal of tens of thousands of workers. An unprecedented overproduction. Between 2020 and 2023, the Chinese government redirected huge resources of the real estate sector, then in decline, towards what it called the “three new growth industries”: solar panels, electric cars and batteries. This bet unleashed a fever of new factories and Colossal dimensions solar parks. The result was an unprecedented overproduction. According to Reutersthe world now produces twice as much solar panels it needs, most manufactured in China. This market saturation caused a collapse of prices to the point that many companies They started selling below their costs To give out to the stock, a situation that has been aggravated by the war of tariffs with the United States. The Chinese solar industry lost the amazing figure of 60,000 million dollars last year. The human invoice. The least known consequence of this crisis, despite the fact that companies They asked the government for a rescueIt has been a drastic reduction of personnel. The financial reports of the five largest photovoltaic companies in China (Longi Green Energy, Trina Solar, Jinko Solar, Ja Solar and Tongwei) reveal a 31% reduction of their templates, which means that they left 87,000 employees on the street. This figure is a mixture of direct layoffs and non -renovations due to salary or hours cuts. Diseases are a politically very sensitive issue in China, where employment is seen as the key to social stability. Therefore, none of the big companies have officially announced these massive template reductions. With the exception of Longi, who recognized a 5% cut of the template. Beijing tries to stop the bleeding. The main producers created an entity similar to OPEC to control prices and offer, But it didn’t go well. Before the disaster, the Chinese government took action on the matter. In early July, President Xi Jinping asked for the end of the price war. In addition, a fund of 7,000 million dollars was created to buy and close about a third of the lower quality solar panels in the industry. Is it enough? According to a Jefferies analysis, it would be necessary to eliminate at least one 20-30% capacity manufacturing for companies to be profitable again. However, many Chinese provincial governments, evaluated for their ability to create employment and economic growth, are reluctant to apply drastic cuts that affect their local companies. Image | Jinko Solar In Xataka | Neither in Taiwan, nor in China: the plan to manufacture the purest semiconductors in the world is to go to space

Italian workers have entered anger through Stellantis’s investments. Those who have taken Morocco, specifically

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Stellantis will invest in Morocco. A lot (very much) money. And that will have consequences in your investments in Europe. Especially in Italy where they aspired to see an approach of the company after the departure of Carlos Tavares. Now workers and politicians see how they will continue to vain in favor of North Africa. 1.2 billion. That is the Investment announced by Stellantis For Morocco. 1.2 billion euros that will be distributed in the country to expand the productive capacity of its plant in Kenitra, Morocco, to 535,000 cars per year. That means putting the country’s factory At the height of Vigo’sone of the company’s historical (before PSA). In recent years, Stellantis investments in Morocco have been constant. In fact, the company He began his journey on Moroccan soil in 2019 And in 2020 I was manufacturing just over 200,000 units. In 2030, the forecast is to exceed those more than half a million vehicles produced. Cheap. Stellantis’s intention has been, so far, of factories cheap options for the local market and its expansion by Europe. With the new agreement, the company has also announced that will manufacture hybrid engines in Africaa way to lower its offer of electrified vehicles. Later the known as Smart Car will arrive. This motorist production and three -wheel vehicles will be added to the current production of light grids. The company produces in Morocco Citroën Ami either Fiat Topolino. The latter were reason for controversy to include a flag of Italy which prevented its sale in the country Transalpino because the use of it is limited to products manufactured within its borders. A constant fight. This was just another episode of the open war between Stellantis and Italy. The automobile group It has Italian companies that historically they have had a great weight in the country: Fiat or Alfa Romeo, but also Lancia, Maserati or Abarth, who was born as the sports division of the first of them. Despite this, Stellantis has leaving aside the production of cars in the country. In recent years their layoffs have been famous in Italy and in 2024 the trend was confirmed: 70 years ago that Italian brands in possession of Stellantis did not produce so few cars in the country. The reasons are varied but are distributed between high productive costs and the way to get into the European emission rules. An effort that the company based on fuelmake more electrified And even Pausar Those who were not despite being the best selling. Finally, the automobile industry paws fines until 2027 with a last minute agreement. Italian anger. The departure of Carlos Tavares seemed to give a respite to Italian workers. Or at least, the decision to put Antonio Filosa (Italian) at the head of the company was seen as an approach to a country that had gone from having Fiat as one of its flags Let’s see how your plants They entered the auction to produce Chinese cars. Stellantis’s movement to invest more money in Morocco to the detriment of cars that could have been manufactured in Italy has raised Polvareda in the country. The toughest have been the members of the Government. In Panorama They point out that these have described the Moroccan investment as “absurd”, emphasizing that “for decades, the company has lived the money delivered by the Italian public coffers.” Of course, in the middle they qualify the “predictable” reaction. Also Carlo Cardone, from Azione, He has claimed John Elkannpresident of Stellantis, who complies with The Italian plan That the company put on the table and of which, they point out, no results have been seen, qualifying the movement of “the nth mockery” towards the country by Stellantis. And, at the same time, Samuele Lodi, spokesman for the FIOM union, stressed that investments From Stellantis in Italy they are freezing, they point to the inactivity of the government and emphasize that the situation (with the company) the situation has not changed, but has worsened. “And it emphasizes:” It is the confirmation that they look the other way. “ Smart Car. The harsh statements from Italy take strength after knowing that Stellantis’s investment will imply giving work to 3,000 employees and that it is estimated that the economic impact in the region can exceed 6,000 million euros, taking into account the component supply network from which they have to use. All this will be necessary to build the already mentioned light quadricycles, new three -wheeled electric vehicles and their most affordable hybrid options in the market such as the Fiat Grande Panda or the Citroën C3 whose low price must be decisive for face Chinese competition. Morocco takes strength. All these plans strengthen the Moroccan position as an African car. To Stellantis’s plans we must add the production that Renault has in the country But, above all, the steps that are taking place in the country to position yourself as an alternative attractive to produce electric cars. Morocco is in a key position. Its proximity to Europe allows a distribution that does not more expensive. At the same time, its commercial agreements with the European Union make it a cheap alternative to the south of them but without the economic barriers that it implies, for example, to bring cars from China. In fact, The Asian country itself is promoting investments In Morocco to try to turn the country into a bridge to Europe. Photo | Stellantis and Jack Walker In Xataka | The straps in oil completely sank Stellantis’s reputation. But it wasn’t the only

Ryanair workers have a good reason for passing passengers with too big suitcases: collect more

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When we approach the shipping doors, it is quite common that part of the airline team is responsible for looking sideways at passengers to see if We comply with the regulations of luggage and we do not carry excessively large bags in the cabin. In addition to because it is part of their work, Ryanair employees also have another motivation behind: collect more. The airline pay your employees 1.50 euros For each suitcase that detects that it does not meet the rules, a practice that the company’s own CEO itself, Michael O’Leary, not only defends, but even considers expanding. Why this happens. The Irish airline has confirmed that this economic incentive pays for its staff for catching passengers that carry luggage that exceeds the allowed dimensions. Those who catch can fall a sanction of up to 75 euros for billing it in the cellar. O’Leary justifies This policy as a way to “eliminate the scourge of passengers with excessive luggage.” The numbers that explain the business. Each employee can win up to 80 euros per month for this practice. Although it should be said that, according to the company, more than 99.9% of travelers comply with luggage standards. It should be said that the difference between what Ryanair pays to its employees for detecting a suitcase and what charges the passenger for sanction (up to 75 euros) is a considerable margin that contributes in part to the spectacular results that the airline has had. And is that Up to 820 million euros in the last quarter, shooting their shares 4.7% in the stock market after exceeding all forecasts. The growth of 7% in auxiliary income, where these luggage penalties are included, has been key next to the 21% rise in average rates up to 51 euros per ticket. Ryanair is not the only one. This practice makes employees at the boarding door also act as a kind of luggage guards. It is not for less, since if in addition to making passengers to comply with the regulations, they take a pinch, better than better. Todo esto teniendo en cuenta además que Ryanair anunció que would expand the dimensions of the permitted suitcases in cabin. Although the truth is that the practice is not exclusive to Ryanair: other airlines like Easyjet have also implemented similar schemes Through subcontracted companies such as Swissport, which pays 1.20 pounds for each pillada suitcase. The workers, who usually charge around 12 pounds per hour according to The Guardian, also face tense situations with passengers, since no one makes it funny to have to pay more just when you are going to ride on the plane. The context of the sector. Ryanair is now in a sweet moment, especially knowing that it has become the main airline in Spain by passengers with a growth of 20.6% this last quarter and maintains this country as its second most important market after Italy, with income of 772 million euros. The European Parliament Press so that airlines allow luggage in cabin and hand for free, but O’Leary predict that this proposal “will not prosper due to the lack of space in the airplanes.” According to its latest financial report, the airline operates with virtually 94% occupation flights, where approximately half of the passengers can carry two packages and the other half only one. And now what. Ryanair does not rule out increasing the incentives paid to its employees for detecting excess bulk, although O’Leary expects detections to decrease in the coming years as passengers adapt better to the standards. Meanwhile, the airline benefits from a European market with a limited capacity until 2030. “We will be at least five years old, until 2030, with the constrained offer,” Neil Sorahan accountfinancial director of the airline. This allows them to keep high rates and strict policies. For travelers, this means that we will have to take special care in the boarding gates, especially to comply with the regulations and not take an unpleasant surprise later. Cover image | Niels Baars and Anastasiia Nelen In Xataka | Ryanair’s new competition does not come from any European airline: it comes from India and has an ambitious plan

The 22 -year CEO of a Tech company that demands 80 hours a week to its workers

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In Silicon Valley, a new generation of technological entrepreneurs He is turning his back to the traditional workday of 40 hours. A case that has generated a heated debate is that of Daksh Gupta, founder and CEO of the STARTUP GREPTILwho has implemented an extreme day model that has raised a large dust in the Reddit threads. Gupta, only 22 years old, considers that working 80 hours per week is not only not excessive, but is necessary to survive in the current technology industry. An extreme workday. Daksh Gupta published in late 2024 in Your X profile That his company did not offer any type of conciliation between working and personal life, literally affirming: “Greptile does not offer balance between working and personal life.” As he said in that same message, the days in his company begin at 9:00 and end at 23:00 or even later. “We also work on Saturdays and sometimes on Sundays. I emphasize that the environment is very stressful and that poor work is not tolerated,” the CEO added without ambiguity. The work culture defended by Gupta shows An important change Among the managers and founders of Silicon Valley, who are erasing the boundaries between working and personal life. What was traditionally understood as labor exploitation, some see it now as An extreme form of commitment professional. In the case of Greptile, this commitment can mean days of 14 hours from Monday to Sunday. Competition as justification. In one Interview with Inc.comGupta argues that this time demand responds to the reality of technological startups. The CEO declared that “this is an extremely competitive space. Nobody cares about the third best company, not even the second best, in any software category. If you are going to strive 95%, it is the equivalent of striving to 0%.” His position generated an intense debate on networks and, as confirmed in Your X profilehe received numerous criticisms and even death threats for applying this policy. Gupta, however, insists that changing his work form would mean a competitive disadvantage that cannot be allowed. “We face very intense competition,” he said to justify the sacrifices required by his employees. Silicon Valley and the culture of hyperproductivity. What for many may seem an unsustainable work excess, in Silicon Valley begins to become a norm, such and as they publish in The confidential. The so -called “new culture of effort” to which Daksh Gupta gave visibility, is referring to figures such as Elon Musk, who has publicly defended The extreme days. “No one has changed the world working 40 hours a week,” said the millionaire CEO of Tesla in one of Your messages in x. At the same time, Tesla’s own investors They asked the tycoon Dedicate at least 40 hours a week to do your job as the CEO of the electric car manufacturer. Another outstanding name of this new culture of the eternal working days is Serguéi Brin, co -founder of Google, which also asked his employees a minimum of 60 working hours per week. The era of offices with ping-pong tables And free food has given way to marathon days where, literally, workers are expected to live for the company. As I said Reid Hoffman, founder of LinkedIn, work from 9 to 5 as we know it, is in danger of extinction. AI was going to end the eternal days. Beyond the regression in labor rights imposed on Silicon Valley, the most ironic thing is that these proposals for extreme days arrive precisely those companies that are developing AI models that promise reduce workload of workers. No less ironic it turns out that companies like Microsoft or Google ensure that between 25 and 30% of its code is already generated with AI agents, and at the same time they have hardened performance demands and commitment to carry out longer days, under the Shadow of mass layoffs. In Xataka | Lucy Guo, co -founder of Scale Ai, bets everything at 996: “If you want to leave at 5 you are not at the right work” Image | Unspash (Aluminum dissemboweler3000)

The public sector is an oasis of stability against unemployment. That is why 52% of workers consider opposing

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In Spain, public employment has become a increasingly valued option For millions of people. Precariousness and job instabilitytogether with the problems to which Young people face and greater than 55 To find a job in the private sector, they are causing many people in precarious or unemployment situation to choose to prepare oppositions as a professional alternative. In A stage With 2,789,200 of people in unemployment, it is not surprising that more than half of the active population (about 12 million people) has thought of opposing seeking the security of a employment and stable salary in the public sector. The Public Employment Offer for 2025. The Government has already published the Public Employment Offer (OEP) by 2025, which includes a total of 36,588 places available. These vacancies include positions for state security forces and forces, as well as for the armed forces. Of the total, 27,697 places are new and 8,891 internal promotion. The vast majority of places, 70% (26,889 places), are intended for the General State Administration. In addition, 10% of vacancies (2,610 places) are reserved for people with disabilities, thus expanding opportunities within the public sector. Unemployment as an engine to oppose. Currently, more than 2.7 million people are unemployed in Spain, many of whom face serious difficulties in returning to the labor market in the private sector, either because they are too young and not meet the experience requirements, or for being over 55 years old. According to Report data ‘The weight of the opponent in Spain in 2025’ that the opposition formation portal elaborates every year, 48% of the unemployed between 18 and 55 years are preparing an opposition or intends to do so soon. If those who have already opposed in the past are included in the strip, the percentage amounts to 68%. The quarry of officials. The study reveals that the unemployment figures of the different autonomous communities are inversely proportional to the percentage of the active population that arises or is already preparing an opposition to one of the public employment squares. Thus, Extremadura, with a 16.60% strike According to EPA data Of the first quarter of 2025, it is the one that has prepared the highest percentage of the active population or is preparing an opposition with 48% of its population in order to work. Murcia follows, with a 12.83% unemployment rate, which records 43% of its labor mass with the intention of opposing, drawing in that figure with Castilla y León. At the opposite end, communities with less interest in opposing in relation to the total of its active population is Catalonia (19%), followed by Madrid (21%) that tied with Valencia and the Balearic Islands. How many people are? These percentages, taken to absolute numbers, assumes that 6,779,344 people are preparing to oppose At the moment or have recently opposed presenting themselves to the Latest calls. The data reveal that 9% of the people who are currently opposing a year ago. Of these, 67% had never opposed before. Which implies that the public sector is attracting a greater number of employees who would not have considered developing their career as a public official. 5,386,328 people plan to oppose in the near future, so they could participate in the call for oppositions that have just made public, or will do so for the call of 2026. In total, 52% of the active population, about 12,165,672 people are preparing, they are preparing or intention to prepare an opposition shortly, against 48% that they do not intend to do so. Official, but where? The results of the study slide that people who are opposing today do so To cover a place for the administrative or auxiliary body and for positions in health or education. The results are similar among those who have expressed their intention to oppose in the near future, the most quoted administrative places being. The main difference between those who plan to oppose and who is already doing it, we find in the aspiration of the new opponents for presenting themselves to a postal square, which almost quadruples. In Xataka | How to prepare some oppositions or a doctorate without dying in the attempt: strategies to maintain motivation Image | UNSPLASG (Unseen Studio)

After saying goodbye to 9,000 people, an Xbox manager has a suggestion for the rest of its workers: AI as therapy

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Microsoft has been news again after announcing the Dismissal of 9,000 employees worldwide, a decision that has shaken both the company’s central departments and Xbox and their associated studies. The reason for this restructuring is not economic problems, but a Microsoft strategy to be more agile in the race for the development and implementation of AI. In this context, Matt Turnbull, executive producer of Xbox Game Studios Publishing, published a message in his LinkedIn profile aimed at those who had lost their job. In his statement, Turnbull encouraged his former partners, to use AI to how to cope with the impact emotional and mental dismissal. The message was not well received. Dismissed. Unlike the massive dismissals that occurred decades ago, the layoffs that are currently taking place in large technological ones They are not due to economic problemsbut to business strategies to flatten the structures of the companies to be more agile in the crazy technological career that the AI ​​is starring. That makes thousands of employees lose their job not because they will be replaced by an AI, but as collateral damage to their development. The news of the layoffs has coincided with Microsoft’s promise to invest 80,000 million dollars in AIwhich has generated even more debate on the priorities of the company and the impact of the Employment automation. Those affected, including Xbox Game Studios and other key departments, now face a technological scenario marked by labor cuts. An AI to cry. Amid This restructuringTurnbull published a series of recommendations for supporting their former employees and colleagues from Your LinkedIn profile: “These are really difficult times, and if you are going through a dismissal or even preparing silently for one, you are not alone and you don’t have to do it alone.” The manager was not referring to the fact that Microsoft will offer support to its employees. Invited them to rely on chatgpt to overcome the trauma of dismissal. Matt Turnbull’s original message capture “I have been experimenting with ways to use AI tools to help reduce the emotional and cognitive load that entails the loss of employment,” explained the manager in his publication. Turnbull’s recommendation soon generated controversy, since many considered ironic that a high position of Microsoft, a company that is reducing workforce to adapt to the AI ​​era, suggest to the dismissed use precisely those technologies as emotional support. Microsoft more “Severance”. The reactions in social networks to the publication of the Xbox manager did not wait. The controversy intensified on platforms like x and Redditwhere Some users They compared the situation with the labor dystopia of the “Severance” series when the “separations” of the company occur, while others criticized the lack of empathy of the manager for inviting those affected to face the frustration of a dismissal using a chatbot as a therapist. Touch the image to go to the original message The comments on networks indicated that Turnbull’s proposal reflected a disconnection with the emotional reality of those who lose their jobs. “It is not a tool for the one that can replace your voice or your experience lived,” recalled Turnbull himself in his message, although for many, the suggestion of resorting to AI in a moment of vulnerability lacked the empathy that requires the situation and the They qualified as insensitive And little successful. Following the wave of criticism for the lack of empathy, Turnbull finally eliminated his LinkedIn comment. A therapist without empathy. In its publication, the Turnbull invited Microsoft’s newly fired employees to seek emotional support in AI. Although more and more people turn to AI models designed to Offer psychological supportthese technologies They cannot empathize With the nuances of human suffering and its use can have negative consequences. They have Documented cases in which the use of chatbots such as Chatgpt has led people to anguish situations or worsen its emotional state, which calls into question the suitability of these tools As emotional support In critical moments. The AI ​​can help you find a job. Beyond the debate generated, Turnbull shared a series of suggestions to use AI as a personal assistant to find a new job, proposing Prompts Specific that could help with career planning, the update of the curriculum, the writing of messages to contact former partners. Points where AI can be of great help. There is the circumstance that personnel selection processes are increasingly conditioned to the algorithmic selection of profilesso a solution to overcome that barrier is to use more AI for Optimize the curriculum and generate presentation letters. In Xataka | Some employees sued their company for cutting the salary. The supreme has responded that being unpunctual is not a job Image | Pexels (Angel Bena)

Microsoft is one of the world’s largest companies. He has had to abrive his workers because they didn’t even use Copilot

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In case it was not enough pressure for Microsoft employees, after announcing the dismissal Now he has decided to take a radical turn in his internal strategy and requires his employees to use tools for In your workflow. What was only a recommendation before, now it has become a demand in the toughest line of the “Ai Fluency” that has already been established in companies Like Duolingo, or Canva. According to published Business Insiderthis change responds to the imperative need for Microsoft to accelerate the adoption of AI among its own template, especially considering that only a few They used their github co -ilot. At the blacksmith’s house, stick knife. AI is no longer optional. Microsoft’s address has made it clear that “the use of artificial intelligence is no longer optional.” As published by the American media, Julia LiusonPresident of the Microsoft developer division, sent a forceful email to Microsoft managers: “AI is now a fundamental part of our way of working. Just like collaboration, data -based thinking and effective communication, the use of AI is no longer optional: it is essential for all roles and all levels.” This message implies that all employees, regardless of their position, must carry out literacy in AI and incorporate artificial intelligence into their workflows with the objective of Automate bureaucratic tasks or repetitive processes. Do not use it penalizes. To encourage their use, Microsoft managers received the order to incorporate the knowledge and use of AI among the factors to assess when evaluating their performance. “(AI) It should be part of their holistic reflections on the performance and impact of each individual, “Liuson instructed to those responsible for team. Although there is still no unique metric in all departments, some teams are already assessing establishing concrete ways of measuring this aspect in the next annual performance reviews. The enemy at home. This change seeks to solve what Microsoft considers that Github Copilot’s too slow adoption among its own workers. The pressure to adopt the AI ​​not only comes from within. Satya Nadella’s firm faces hard competition between models of programming assistanceas cursor or Replitwhich are winning growing in number of users, to the point of overcoming it in some segments of use. Citing a Barclays report, the American media says that “cursor would have already overcome Copilot in a key segment of the development market.” Technology currently allows its employees to use external AI tools provided they meet certain security requirements, which shows that not even in its Github Copilot bosom has the monopoly. Business Carambolas. Microsoft’s alliance with Openai is about to give a new fruit, since Sam Altman’s company is tantling the purchase of Windsurfmain cursor rival in the Nic of AI agents for programming assistance. Since Microsoft has an agreement with the Chatgpt creator, this acquisition would give indirect access to the intellectual property of Windsurfwhich would help you improve co -ilot performance. With this New movement Nadella’s masterful, Microsoft would have access to the heart of its main rival, something does not go unnoticed for Windsurf and OpenAi managers. In Xataka | Microsoft fired him after 23 years but continues to go to the office: “I feel responsible for my team and my clients” Image | Unspash (Salah Darwish, Tai Bui)

Despite this, 9,000 workers will say goodbye

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Microsoft has announced the dismissal of 9,000 workers worldwide, a figure that represents approximately 4% of its template globally. The cuts affect different departments and jobs from different regions, including key divisions such as Xbox and their European studies King and Zenimax. The pattern is repeated. Mass cuts after finishing a fiscal year are not, unfortunately, novelty in Microsoft. The company justifies these measures as “necessary organizational changes to better position the company in a dynamic market,” confirmed a Microsoft spokesman to the environment Central Windows. But the reality is that these adjustments have become a summer constant for technological. The figures speak. Microsoft closed its last quarter with income of 64.7 billion dollarsa growth of 15%, and accumulated 245,100 million for the entire fiscal year, with an annual increase of 16%. Despite these positive results and a stock market capitalization that exceeds 3.36 billion dollars, the company considers it necessary to reduce template to maintain its competitiveness. Xbox in the spotlight. The video game division has been especially beaten, with Phil Spencer, Xbox leader, Explaining Employees that cuts seek “eliminate management layers to increase agility and effectiveness.” King, head of Candy Crush, will lose approximately 200 employees (10% of its workforce), while other European studies such as Zenimax will also suffer significant reductions. The history is extensive. Microsoft already accumulates several episodes of mass layoffs in 2025: less than 1% in January by performance, More than 6,000 in May and another 300 in June. The most serious precedent dates back to 2014, when He eliminated 18,000 positions After the acquisition of Nokia. In 2023 there were 10,000 those affectedand in 2024 another 6,000, adding the same figure only two months ago. And now what? The company has never billed as much as now, but every summer the cuts arrive as if it were an unavoidable appointment. The impact of his mass layoffs in the past has touched divisions such as Surface, which does not go back. In addition, although the income generated by its Xbox division They have benefited After the acquisition of Activision-Blizzard, Xbox hardware sales They go in a chopped falland many of their development studies also have been affected In recent sometimes. His commitment to AI depends almost completely on Openai, although the relationship is more temperate than beforewhile rivals as goal develop their own models. The company is in its best economic moment, but also in a moment of great changes, with the same injured. Cover image | Simon Ray In Xataka | Microsoft fired him after 23 years but continues to go to the office: “I feel responsible for my team and my clients”

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