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AI Is Not in the Memo, but It Haunts Every Layoff at Xbox

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In the new AI economy, it seems no job is safe, not even at a thriving business. Microsoft’s Xbox division is a case in point. Last quarter, its revenue soared by 8% year over year. And yet, the division is now at the center of the tech giant’s largest wave of layoffs since 2023, with thousands of its employees among the 9,000 jobs cut by Microsoft on Wednesday.

In a memo sent to his shell-shocked employees and reviewed by Gizmodo, Microsoft’s head of gaming, Phil Spencer, performed a masterclass in corporate doublespeak. He announced a massive new round of layoffs across the Xbox division, all while insisting that business has never been better.

“I recognize that these changes come at a time when we have more players, games, and gaming hours than ever before,” Spencer wrote. “Our platform, hardware, and game roadmap have never looked stronger.”

And yet, in the same breath, he confirmed that thousands of jobs would be eliminated and that the company will “end or decrease work in certain areas of the business.” A separate memo from Xbox Game Studios head Matt Booty made the damage concrete: long-awaited, ambitious titles like Perfect Dark and Everwild are being canceled, and at least one studio, The Initiative, one of Microsoft’s newer, high-profile studios, is being closed entirely.

So what’s really going on? If the company is stronger than ever, why fire thousands of people and scrap years of creative work?

The answer isn’t in what the memos say, but in what they omit: artificial intelligence.

The corporate jargon about “agility,” “effectiveness,” and “removing layers of management” is a convenient smokescreen for a calculated and ruthless strategic pivot. Microsoft is moving toward a new model of game development, one that requires fewer humans. These layoffs appear as the first major casualties of the company’s new AI-driven efficiency doctrine.

“The success we’re seeing currently is based on tough decisions we’ve made previously,” Spencer wrote. “We must make choices now for continued success in future years.”

When asked to comment on the apparent contradiction between Phil Spencer’s claims of record success and the thousands of job cuts, a Microsoft spokesperson declined.

Microsoft hasn’t directly said that artificial intelligence is replacing workers in its gaming division. But the timing and language of the memos come amid the company’s aggressive push to integrate generative AI into everything, from Office and Azure to GitHub Copilot and game development.

Microsoft CEO Satya Nadella has already stated that AI is writing “20 to 30 percent” of the company’s code. This isn’t just about simple automation. In game development, AI tools are now capable of generating background art and textures, writing and localizing dialogue, designing levels, conducting quality assurance testing, and even assisting with project management.

In theory, this should speed up production and make developers more efficient. In practice, it also means that some tasks once performed by full teams are now handled by a handful of people and a few powerful models. In this new paradigm, large teams of human creators become “redundant.” The “tough decisions” Spencer mentions are about maximizing profits in a successful business by replacing people with software.

The gaming division is simply the latest and most visible test case for this new philosophy. For years, gamers have anticipated ambitious, creative swings like Perfect Dark and Everwild. These projects require huge teams of artists, designers, and engineers working for years to build new worlds from scratch. But that model is now seen as inefficient. In the age of AI, it is far cheaper and faster to have a smaller team manage AI tools that churn out content for existing, predictable franchises.

When Spencer says “we will protect what is thriving,” he isn’t talking about creativity. He’s talking about a business model. And right now, the most thriving business model is the one that promises the most aggressive automation and the highest margins, even if it comes at the cost of thousands of jobs and the death of ambitious new ideas.

Fewer Jobs, More Games?

Microsoft says it has more than 40 projects in active development and that its fall 2025 slate is strong. If all goes to plan, players will barely notice the difference. The games will ship. The platform will thrive.

But behind the scenes, the people who make those games are being reorganized, laid off, or replaced, sometimes by code they helped train. That is the real transformation happening in gaming. And if Microsoft’s success is built on tough decisions, the toughest one may be this: a future of gaming where AI builds the worlds, and fewer people get to be part of them.





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Capgemini acquires India-based WNS for $3.3 billion to boost AI business services – Firstpost

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Capgemini expects the deal to be closed by the end of 2025 and be immediately accretive to its revenue and operating margin

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France’s Capgemini has agreed to buy technology outsourcing firm WNS for $3.3 billion in cash to expand the range of AI tools it offers for companies, the IT services group said on Monday.

The deal equips Capgemini to create a consulting business service focused on helping companies improve their processes and cost efficiency with the use of artificial intelligence, namely generative AI and agentic AI, which it expects to attract significant investments.

The purchase price translating to $76.50 per WNS share represents a 17% premium compared to their last closing price on July 3 and does not include WNS’s financial debt, Capgemini said.

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Its interest in India-based WNS, whose services include business process outsourcing and data analytics, was first reported by Reuters in April.

“WNS brings … its high growth, margin accretive and resilient Digital Business Process Services … while further increasing our exposure to the US market,” Capgemini CEO Aiman Ezzat said in a press statement.

WNS’s customers include large organizations such as Coca-Cola, T-Mobile and United Airlines.

On a conference call with media and analysts, Ezzat said the acquisition would immediately create cross-selling opportunities between the two companies, mainly in the U.S. and Britain.

Capgemini expects the deal to be closed by the end of 2025 and be immediately accretive to its revenue and operating margin.

However, its shares fell around 5% following the news, the biggest losers on Europe’s benchmark STOXX 600 index as of 1024 GMT, with Morgan Stanley analysts saying the deal would limit its balance sheet flexibility while not having a major impact on financials.

Some investors are also concerned that Gen AI could impact the typically staff-intensive business process outsourcing (BPO) market, which could bite into Capgemini’s revenues and expose it to new competition, the analysts said in a research note.

“We expect investors to be able to see the opportunity that could come from disrupting BPO with Gen AI but think some evidence will be needed to convince the market WNS is the right vehicle,” they added.

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Cambridge Judge Business School Executive Education launches the AI Leadership Programme in collaboration with Emeritus

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The programme explores future-focused AI strategies and frameworks to foster innovation, accelerate organisational growth and build resilience.

CAMBRIDGE, England, July 7, 2025 /PRNewswire/ — Cambridge Judge Business School Executive Education announces the launch of its four-month Cambridge AI Leadership Programme. This programme equips leaders with both strategic insights and practical knowledge to harness AI for business transformation. Launched in collaboration with Emeritus, a global leader in making high-quality education accessible and affordable, enrolment is now open for a September 2025 start.

Artificial intelligence (AI) is transforming industries, and organisations are eager to understand and leverage its full potential to enhance efficiency, drive innovation and stay competitive. According to Forbes, 68% of employers consider AI to be crucial for future success. However, many AI projects fail due to a lack of strategic leadership and integration. The Cambridge AI Leadership Programme helps participants navigate the complexities of AI adoption, identify scalable opportunities and build a strategic roadmap for successful implementation.

Through a blend of in-person and online learning modules, participants will develop an understanding of AI concepts, applications and best practices to enhance decision-making skills as well as examine digital transformation and ethical AI governance. They will engage directly with world-renowned Cambridge faculty, industry experts and global peers while immersing themselves in the rich Cambridge ecosystem. By the end of the programme, participants will be prepared to implement AI strategies that deliver operational excellence and long-term organisational success.

“AI is a transformative force reshaping business strategy, decision-making and leadership. Senior executives must not only understand AI but also use it to drive business goals, efficiency and new revenue opportunities,” says Professor David Stillwell, Co-Academic Programme Director. “The Cambridge AI Leadership Programme offers a strategic road map, equipping leaders with the skills and mindset to integrate AI into their organisations and lead in an AI-driven world.”

“The Cambridge AI Leadership Programme empowers decision-makers to harness AI in ways that align with their organisation’s goals and prepare for the future,” says Vesselin Popov, Co-Academic Programme Director. “Through a comprehensive learning experience, participants gain strategic insights and practical knowledge to drive transformation, strengthen decision-making and navigate technological shifts with confidence.”

The programme is designed for senior leaders looking to lead transformation, unlock new revenue opportunities and integrate AI technologies into business operations effectively. It bridges the critical gap between technology and business strategy, preparing leaders to achieve AI-driven business goals.

“We are delighted to collaborate with Cambridge Judge Business School Executive Education to help senior leaders deepen their understanding of AI’s strategic applications and build foresight to balance innovation while managing risk,” says Mike Malefakis, President of University Partnerships at Emeritus. “Through blended learning, the Cambridge AI Leadership Programme enables participants to leverage AI tools and strategies for business optimisation and growth.”

The Cambridge AI Leadership Programme starts on 22 September 2025. For more information and to apply, please visit the programme website.

About Cambridge Judge Business School

Cambridge Judge Business School leverages the power of academia for real-world impact to transform individuals, organisations and society. Since 1990, Cambridge Judge has forged a reputation as a centre of rigorous thinking and high-impact transformative education, situated within one of the world’s most prestigious research universities and in the heart of the Cambridge Cluster, the most successful technology entrepreneurship cluster in Europe. In the Research Excellence Framework (REF) 2021, Cambridge Judge placed first in the Times Higher Education rankings for Business and Management Studies in the United Kingdom. Ninety-four per cent of Cambridge’s overall REF submissions were rated as “world leading” or “internationally excellent”, demonstrating the major global impact that Cambridge Judge researchers are making on society. Cambridge Judge pursues innovation through interdisciplinary insight, entrepreneurial spirit and collaboration. Cutting-edge research is rooted in real-world challenges, and students and clients are encouraged to ask excellent questions to create real-world change. Undergraduate, graduate and executive programmes attract innovators, creative thinkers, thoughtful and collaborative problem-solvers as well as current and future leaders, drawn from a huge diversity of backgrounds and countries.

About Cambridge Judge Business School Executive Education

Cambridge Judge Business School Executive Education offers a wide range of open-enrolment and customised programmes that will test, challenge, encourage and inspire you. We will help you embrace the knowledge and skills you need – to grow in confidence and to evolve and adapt. Get ready to lead purposefully, manage effectively and innovate in an increasingly complex future.

About Emeritus

Emeritus is committed to teaching the skills of the future by making high-quality education accessible and affordable to individuals, organisations and governments worldwide. It does so by collaborating with more than 80 top-tier universities across the United States, Europe, Latin America, Southeast Asia, India and China. Emeritus’s short courses, degree programmes, professional certificates and senior executive programmes help individuals learn new skills and transform their lives, companies and organisations. Its unique model of state-of-the-art technology, curriculum innovation and hands-on instruction from senior faculty, mentors and coaches has educated more than 350,000 individuals across more than 80 countries. For more information, please visit https://emeritus.org.

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Capgemini falls as WNS deal raises questions over AI’s business impact — TradingView News

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** Shares in French IT services firm Capgemini CAP fall more than 5% to their lowest price since late April, after it agreed to buy WNS WNS for $3.3 billion of cash

** Analysts from Morgan Stanley say investors are concerned over the impact of Gen AI on the business process outsourcing (BPO) market that Capgemini wants to develop into

** “The bear case is that new technology would shift BPO from a people intensive business to one which is much more highly automated and managed by software and not people” – MS

** This could mean reduction of BPO revenues and exposure of incumbent vendors to competition from new entrants, MS adds

** “We expect investors to be able to see the opportunity that could come from disrupting BPO with Gen AI but think some evidence will be needed to convince the market WNS is the right vehicle,” MS says

** The analysts add WNS is not large enough to be transformational to Capgemini’s financials, while the deal is using up its balance sheet firepower for a couple of years

** Capgemini’s shares are at the bottom of Europe’s benchmark STOXX 600 index SXXP



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