Report: Microsoft has laid off their DEI team, shutting down diversity division

[John Elden Ring]

Microsoft is reportedly shuttering a major diversity, equity, and inclusion (DEI) team, according to an internal email sent by the team's leader to a significant number of Microsoft staff last week, in which the lead also accuses the company's executive leadership of "investigated and evidenced discrimination, harassment, and toxicity."

The email, first reported by Business Insider and corroborated by IGN, was sent by the former lead of one of Microsoft's key DEI teams. In it, they state that their "role and team were eliminated due to 'changing business needs' as of July 1st, 2024." IGN has reached out to Microsoft for comment as to the full extent and nature of these layoffs, but has not yet heard back.

The email goes on to assert that DEI programs are in danger not just at Microsoft, but across all businesses:

"Unofficially in my opinion, not specific to Microsoft alone, but [conservative policy plan] Project 2025 looms and true systems change work associated with DEI programs everywhere are no longer business critical or smart as they were in 2020. Hence the purposeful and strategic 3-5 year shelf life of many company's inclusion commitments post the murder of George Floyd are being reevaluated," the email reads. "And the way I see it, the timing was impeccable so businesses everywhere could reevaluate the path forward should their U.S. federal contracts be at risk if the work continues on its face."

via IGN

 

[Shadow2027]

Could the healing of the industry and world finally be starting?

 

[AllBizness]

More Microsoft PR, everyone knows they only market to the Anglosphere and are right leaning. Their DEI initiative was just PR fluff and the only reason why Phil Spencer made those comments about Stellar Blade.

 

[Sircaw]

I must admit it makes me happy to see it getting shut down; you don't fix discrimination by being discriminatory.

Also, I seriously doubt Microsoft started the project because they wanted to fix some inequality in their company; it was more like they wanted to virtue signal.

Saying that, I was born in Zambia, and I do wonder if its the only reason @Bryank75 gace me a job on this forum as a mod.

Bastard...

 

[voke]

I must admit it makes me happy to see it getting shut down; you don't fix discrimination by being discriminatory.

Also, I seriously doubt Microsoft started the project because they wanted to fix some inequality in their company; it was more like they wanted to virtue signal.

Saying that, I was born in Zambia, and I do wonder if its the only reason @Bryank75 can me a job on this forum as a mod.

I moved from West Africa, and I agree with you completely.

It comes off as forced and distasteful. Although I do not specifically despise it as most do, I mostly view it as a corny way forward, the world doesn't flourish off sympathy...

 

[gokuss4]

Best news ever
Good job Microsoft

 

[peter42O]

This is great news. Now give me an Eve clone you bastards!!!

 

[GachaMadeMeBroke]

I must admit it makes me happy to see it getting shut down; you don't fix discrimination by being discriminatory.

Also, I seriously doubt Microsoft started the project because they wanted to fix some inequality in their company; it was more like they wanted to virtue signal.

Saying that, I was born in Zambia, and I do wonder if its the only reason @Bryank75 gace me a job on this forum as a mod.

Bastard...

My main problem with these initiatives was not the forcing of ideals but it always felt like a selling point, a bullet point to show you these corporations care. Diversity is important but these companies don’t actually, truly care about diversity.

You won’t catch a huge corpo supporting Palestinians because that won’t do anything to their bottom line, because that’s all that matters at the end of the day.

Racism and inequality is still rife in this day and age but one side is concerned with profiting off it with performative inclusion while the other side wants to also profit off it by raging on Twitter and YouTube. To truly fight discrimination would mean to dismantle so many societal pillars and people just aren’t ready or willing to do that.

 

[Gediminas]

Could the healing of the industry and world finally be starting?

no chance.

 

[Zzero]

Weren't they "doubling down" on it just a week ago? Lol, good riddance.

 

[thicc_girls_are_teh_best]

This won't fix a single core issue with Xbox as far as the brand is concerned. Maybe they'll start having sexier female characters in their games again, but the brand's problems WRT the console market are much deeper than that.

And ironically those issues are from what the vast majority have been fooled into thinking aren't the DEI hires: Phil Spencer, Matt Booty, Aaron Greenberg and so forth. If it was always about hiring the best person for the job, why has Microsoft allowed one guy to run the console side of their gaming market into a death spiral for 10 years?

Like I said, it's a good move to shelve the department, but it ultimately was a -5 on a 100-point scale, so shutting it down is at best a +5 back on that scale. Xbox as a brand is probably at 50 points of that (PS at 90 and Nintendo at 85), and the console side is at a 25 of that 50. Shutting down the DEI department isn't going to do much in elevating Xbox's prospects at this point, except for the most deluded.

 

[Gods&Monsters]

You would think it would blow up on Era, the most woke place on the internet, but I can't find a thread about it

It's from IGN so it's not like the source is unknown.

 

[Sircaw]

You would think it would blow up on Era, the most woke place on the internet, but I can't find a thread about it

They are probably all at the funeral.

 

[JAHGamer]

You would think it would blow up on Era, the most woke place on the internet, but I can't find a thread about it

It's from IGN so it's not like the source is unknown.

They were too busy moving their stuff out of the offices to make a thread

Thread just got posted how long before it’s locked and how many people will be banned

Microsoft DEI Lead Blasts Company in Internal Email After Team Is Reportedly Laid Off (IGN) News

Article written by Rebekah Valentine. Really infuriating seeing this from Microsoft and if the reports are true, other companies both in and out of the gaming industry but sadly depressingly not surprising. Companies are not our allies, they don't truly care about equality.

www.resetera.com

 

[Shmunter]

Oh boy, you can fire thousands of Devs relatively hassle free….but once these fuckers infest a place, getting rid of them will be a screeching feast like no other.

 

[Yurinka]

Could the healing of the industry and world finally be starting?

That would be great, but I think isn't the case.

I assume that after the ultra expensive ABK acquisition and after decades of losing billions, MS's gaming division received the order from their higher ups to start cutting the fat everywhere they can and adjust everything they can to improve their profitability. As part of this, they shut down unprofitable and unproductive teams and promotions.

Obviously, their DEI team would be a casualty part of this. Specially that since years ago nobody talks in the press about the many sexual harassment and discrimation cases that Activision and (over 200) Microsoft had. After the acquisition they silenced the Activision cases as they previously did with the MS ones.

They no longer need a DEI team for PR purposes, for the censorship in games they now have external professional censors like Sweet Baby Inc., for their workforce they need to fire unproductive and problematic people instead of hiring more, etc.

And well, now seems 100% sure that if somebody doesn't kill him Trump will win, so maybe gets rid of all the goverment -and nearby- related stuff that forced DEI stuff at companies like MS.

 

[anonpuffs]

I must admit it makes me happy to see it getting shut down; you don't fix discrimination by being discriminatory.

Also, I seriously doubt Microsoft started the project because they wanted to fix some inequality in their company; it was more like they wanted to virtue signal.

Saying that, I was born in Zambia, and I do wonder if its the only reason @Bryank75 gace me a job on this forum as a mod.

Bastard...

A good DEI program doesn't teach discrimination, it teaches you to be aware of your internal biases. Which everyone could do with. The problem is that these consultants often hold outrageous personal views. Also imo this kind of job doesn't need an entire department.

 

[Cool hand luke]

 

[Sircaw]

A good DEI program doesn't teach discrimination, it teaches you to be aware of your internal biases. Which everyone could do with. The problem is that these consultants often hold outrageous personal views. Also imo this kind of job doesn't need an entire department.

No, this being aware of your internal biases is a load of rubbish.

That is placing people into groups when we should be looking at people as individuals.

Treat others how you like to be treated yourself, it's a good motto to adopt.

The sooner we move away from these Groupthink initiatives, the better.

What we should be trying to do instead of filling quotas and Robbing Peter to pay Paul, is making sure that all children for example of all creeds get a decent education and are able to leave school with the bare minium skills to help them later in life.

The number of children leaving school without basic qualifications by the age of 18 has risen by nearly a quarter in the past three years, according to a report by the children’s commissioner for England.

Almost one in five children (18%) left school last year without the government benchmark of five good GCSEs, or the equivalent technical qualifications, a 24% increase since 2015, the study found.

This is slightly old, but you get the picture and I would imagine that is probably even worse in America. If we really want to help minorities/ people who do not have opportunities, etc etc, we really need to start with the very basics.

The tide rises all ships approach.

 

[anonpuffs]

No, this being aware of your internal biases is a load of rubbish.

That is placing people into groups when we should be looking at people as individuals.

Treat others how you like to be treated yourself, it's a good motto to adopt.

The sooner we move away from these Groupthink initiatives, the better.

What we should be trying to do instead of filling quotas and Robbing Peter to pay Paul, is making sure that all children for example of all creeds get a decent education and are able to leave school with the bare minium skills to help them in life.



This is slightly old, but you get the picture and I would imagine that is probably even worse in America. If we really want to help minorities/ people who do not have opportunities, etc etc, we really need to start with the very basics.

The tide rises all ships approach.

Ok, but you'd be surprised how many people don't have that kind of common sense.
People assume you can do kung fu due to being Asian. Or being good at math. People assume LOTS of things on initial impressions and internal stereotypes. Don't even pretend it doesn't happen.