this post was submitted on 03 Jul 2025
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TechTakes

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Big brain tech dude got yet another clueless take over at HackerNews etc? Here's the place to vent. Orange site, VC foolishness, all welcome.

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[–] HedyL@awful.systems 30 points 3 days ago

Stock markets generally love layoffs, and they appear to love AI at the moment. To be honest, I'm not sure they thought beyond that.

[–] BlueMonday1984@awful.systems 22 points 3 days ago (3 children)

This is pure speculation, but I get the feeling Microsoft's gonna significantly downsize, if not collapse, by the decade's end.

This recent move's gonna kneecap Microsoft's ability to function as a company, and their heavy investment into AI mean they'll likely take the brunt of the impact when the bubble bursts.

[–] Hirom@beehaw.org 9 points 3 days ago (1 children)

This does sounds like doubling down on a bet.

[–] BlueMonday1984@awful.systems 12 points 3 days ago

As a matter of fact, someone's noted Ed Zitron had called this back in September:

[–] MonkderVierte@lemmy.zip 9 points 3 days ago (1 children)

That's fine, they had a "make money by stepping over morals" philosophy from the very start.

[–] diz@awful.systems 5 points 1 day ago (1 children)

That philosophy always ends in stepping into dogshit to try to boost stock prices.

[–] MonkderVierte@lemmy.zip 2 points 1 day ago* (last edited 1 day ago)

Yeah, it's not sustainable long-term, but they're not in for it long-term anyway.

[–] mii@awful.systems 8 points 3 days ago* (last edited 3 days ago) (2 children)

There’s something I’ve been wondering about: is the management (of not just Microsoft but really any company who’s pivoting to AI this hard, so also Duolingo and Klarna, &c.) really convinced that there’s going to be a foom event soon and the chatbots become capable enough to actually do the work they attribute to them? Or do Nadella and friends know this is all bullshit and just play along until they can’t anymore and leave the sinking ship?

I honestly can’t tell anymore.

[–] arbitraryidentifier@awful.systems 3 points 13 hours ago (1 children)

From the perspective of the company I work for (not a tech company, but has a pretty large development center) they truly believe that AI will 10x productivity. Not so much the FOOM stuff. Just typical Capitalism.

Standard Business Idiot nonsense. They don't actually understand the work that their company does, and so are extremely vulnerable to a good salesman who can put together a narrative they do understand that lets them feel like super important big boys doing important business things that are definitely worth the amount they get paid to do them.

[–] MonkderVierte@lemmy.zip 9 points 3 days ago* (last edited 3 days ago)

My take is that the Silicon Valley overlords live in a bubble, where they believe that.

[–] fullsquare@awful.systems 14 points 3 days ago

but does the prospect of mass human sacrifice please The Line?

[–] Fiivemacs@lemmy.ca 9 points 3 days ago (3 children)

What is that title even that doesnt

[–] Stovetop@lemmy.world 19 points 3 days ago

Microsoft lays off the staff who make the money (which is used) to fund AI that doesn’t (make money).

[–] gerikson@awful.systems 11 points 3 days ago (1 children)

It's English, but British, Jim.

[–] Fiivemacs@lemmy.ca 0 points 3 days ago (1 children)

Tried saying it in a British accent, it didn't help.

[–] gerikson@awful.systems 13 points 3 days ago (1 children)

If you don't get it, LLMs don't either, and David's work here is done.

[–] Fiivemacs@lemmy.ca 5 points 3 days ago

Thanks David. I really enjoy your tea