Latest news with #JuliaLiuson
Yahoo
21-07-2025
- Business
- Yahoo
Bosses warn workers: use AI or face the sack
When ChatGPT first burst into the public consciousness, techies and geeks were eager to experiment with the latest cool product. Before long, some of them were using it to automate their work or respond to emails in the office. The reaction from executives was a brutal crackdown. Dozens of companies banned or restricted access to ChatGPT, warning staff about data leaks and plagiarism. Now, bosses cannot get enough of artificial intelligence (AI) chatbots. With pressure from investors to boost productivity and cut costs, executives are increasingly demanding their underlings brush up on using AI tools, whether they like it or not. While some workers have eagerly taken to the new technology, others are hesitant. In a survey of chief executives by technology giant Kyndryl, 45pc reported their staff were either 'resistant or openly hostile' towards AI. Having already coaxed true believers into trying out AI tools, executives at some of the world's biggest companies are now turning to more aggressive tactics to boost uptake. Last month, Julia Liuson, president of Microsoft's developer division, warned staff that 'using AI is no longer optional'. Liuson said in an internal email that AI use should be factored into 'reflections on an individual's performance and impact'. Just days later, Microsoft said it would cut 9,000 workers. Separately, Tobias Lütke, chief executive of $150bn (£112bn) e-commerce business Shopify, told staff in April the business would 'add AI usage questions to our performance and peer review questionnaire'. Lütke added that 'before asking for more headcount and resources', staff should consider how they could use AI to be more productive. Duolingo, the translation app, has similarly linked AI use to performance reviews. The implication for workers is clear: use AI, or risk losing your job. 'Innovate or die' Micha Kaufman, the chief executive of freelancing app Fiverr, was blunt in a note to its 700 staff. He urged staff to 'wake up' and warned those who did not adapt to the 'new reality, fast, are, unfortunately, doomed'. However, pressure for staff to use AI to improve productivity is not just limited to technology. In an interview with Bloomberg in May, Nicolai Tangen, chief executive of Norway's sovereign wealth fund, said: 'It isn't voluntary to use AI or not. If you don't use it, you will never be promoted. You won't get a job.' One City source says there has been a 'huge push' in their workplace to use AI tools and that 'clients love it'. A private equity executive says: 'Our deal team uses some kind of AI tool every single day.' According to AI evangelists, it is 'innovate or die'. Harry Stebbings, founder of technology investor 20VC, says: 'All leaders must be encouraging people to actively look for ways that they can insert AI and make themselves more efficient.' At 20VC, for instance, Stebbings says his team sits down every Friday afternoon to spend an hour experimenting with AI tools and chatbots, before presenting new ideas for using them to the team. Investors, meanwhile, are clamouring for businesses to embed AI in everything they do, hoping to match some of the trillions of dollars in share-price gains that some of the world's biggest tech giants have enjoyed since the launch of ChatGPT. AI use among workers has been rising. A study from Slack, the workplace messaging tool, found that 60pc of US office workers were now using AI tools, up 50pc on six months ago. But many workers are understandably uneasy. For one, AI leaders have been proclaiming the tools will soon replace swathes of white-collar jobs. Dario Amodei, chief executive of AI lab Anthropic, told Axios that AI could wipe out half of white collar jobs and increase unemployment by 10 to 20pc within five years. Andy Jassy, the Amazon chief executive, has likewise warned staff that AI will allow it to 'reduce our total corporate workforce'. A widely-cited report from Goldman Sachs warned 300m jobs could be lost to AI. Workers plainly have little to gain by handing over tasks to tools that their bosses believe could replace them before long. Cause for scepticism LJ Justice, an analyst at Gartner, says there remains a 'clear gap between executive enthusiasm and employee enablement'. Gartner argues this is down to most staff being expected to take up the tools with little guidance. It found 82pc of staff had received no instruction on how best to use the tools. Meanwhile, Lewis Keating, of Deloitte, says that just half of workers trust businesses to use AI tools responsibly, holding back uptake. 'The biggest hurdle to AI adoption right now isn't the technology, it's trust,' he says. Some tech workers are cynical about the motives of their leaders. On Blind, a forum frequented by tech employees, one worker says: 'Most big tech companies are mandating their employees use AI … it allows them to pump up the numbers of their product. 'What it tells you is, we aren't going to make our numbers and if you aren't helping to boost those numbers, we will replace you.' Across social media, tech workers and programmers have bemoaned being ordered to using AI tools that are not always completely accurate. AI models suffer from an issue known as 'hallucination', meaning they are prone to making up facts. Some have claimed the pressure is making them consider quitting the industry. AI labs including OpenAI, Anthropic and the tech giant Microsoft have all launched AI tools designed to speed up coding that have been championed by AI fans. But Anton Zaides, a software developer and author of the newsletter, writes: 'Stop forcing AI tools on your engineers.' He writes it is 'nuts' that managers are grading workers on 'how the 'best' employees are eating through the tools budget'. He adds that companies that mandate AI use should not be 'surprised if you end up with a slower pace and a complete mess in a year'. Some executives argue attitudes are changing and there is no need to force tools on staff. Barney Hussey-Yeo, founder of UK fintech start-up Cleo, says: 'What was once met with strong resistance - using AI for coding - is now standard at Cleo. We've covered tool costs for our team but avoided mandating adoption; it's grown organically.' But developers with first-hand experience of AI tools may have reasons to be sceptical about the hype from the C-suite. A study from the Upwork Research Institute found that while 96pc of senior leaders believed AI was leading to productivity gains at their companies, 77pc of workers reported they felt it was slowing them down. Perhaps most striking is a controlled study from METR, an AI research lab. It found that while computer programmers believed they were 20pc faster when using AI tools, they were actually working 19pc slower. But AI doubters may wish to keep quiet – their careers could be at stake. As Kaufman, the Fiverr chief executive, warned staff: 'If you think I'm full of sh-- … be my guest and disregard this message. But I honestly don't think that a promising professional future awaits you.' Broaden your horizons with award-winning British journalism. Try The Telegraph free for 1 month with unlimited access to our award-winning website, exclusive app, money-saving offers and more. 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Telegraph
21-07-2025
- Business
- Telegraph
Bosses warn workers: use AI or face the sack
When ChatGPT first burst into the public consciousness, techies and geeks were eager to experiment with the latest cool product. Before long, some of them were using it to automate their work or respond to emails in the office. The reaction from executives was a brutal crackdown. Dozens of companies banned or restricted access to ChatGPT, warning staff about data leaks and plagiarism. Now, bosses cannot get enough of artificial intelligence (AI) chatbots. With pressure from investors to boost productivity and cut costs, executives are increasingly demanding their underlings brush up on using AI tools, whether they like it or not. While some workers have eagerly taken to the new technology, others are hesitant. In a survey of chief executives by technology giant Kyndryl, 45pc reported their staff were either 'resistant or openly hostile' towards AI. Having already coaxed true believers into trying out AI tools, executives at some of the world's biggest companies are now turning to more aggressive tactics to boost uptake. Last month, Julia Liuson, president of Microsoft's developer division, warned staff that 'using AI is no longer optional'. Liuson said in an internal email that AI use should be factored into 'reflections on an individual's performance and impact'. Just days later, Microsoft said it would cut 9,000 workers. Separately, Tobias Lütke, chief executive of $150bn (£112bn) e-commerce business Shopify, told staff in April the business would 'add AI usage questions to our performance and peer review questionnaire'. Lütke added that 'before asking for more headcount and resources', staff should consider how they could use AI to be more productive. Duolingo, the translation app, has similarly linked AI use to performance reviews. The implication for workers is clear: use AI, or risk losing your job. 'Innovate or die' Micha Kaufman, the chief executive of freelancing app Fiverr, was blunt in a note to its 700 staff. He urged staff to 'wake up' and warned those who did not adapt to the 'new reality, fast, are, unfortunately, doomed'. However, pressure for staff to use AI to improve productivity is not just limited to technology. In an interview with Bloomberg in May, Nicolai Tangen, chief executive of Norway's sovereign wealth fund, said: 'It isn't voluntary to use AI or not. If you don't use it, you will never be promoted. You won't get a job.' One City source says there has been a 'huge push' in their workplace to use AI tools and that 'clients love it'. A private equity executive says: 'Our deal team uses some kind of AI tool every single day.' According to AI evangelists, it is 'innovate or die'. Harry Stebbings, founder of technology investor 20VC, says: 'All leaders must be encouraging people to actively look for ways that they can insert AI and make themselves more efficient.' At 20VC, for instance, Stebbings says his team sits down every Friday afternoon to spend an hour experimenting with AI tools and chatbots, before presenting new ideas for using them to the team. Investors, meanwhile, are clamouring for businesses to embed AI in everything they do, hoping to match some of the trillions of dollars in share-price gains that some of the world's biggest tech giants have enjoyed since the launch of ChatGPT. AI use among workers has been rising. A study from Slack, the workplace messaging tool, found that 60pc of US office workers were now using AI tools, up 50pc on six months ago. But many workers are understandably uneasy. For one, AI leaders have been proclaiming the tools will soon replace swathes of white-collar jobs. Dario Amodei, chief executive of AI lab Anthropic, told Axios that AI could wipe out half of white collar jobs and increase unemployment by 10 to 20pc within five years. Andy Jassy, the Amazon chief executive, has likewise warned staff that AI will allow it to 'reduce our total corporate workforce'. A widely-cited report from Goldman Sachs warned 300m jobs could be lost to AI. Workers plainly have little to gain by handing over tasks to tools that their bosses believe could replace them before long. Cause for scepticism LJ Justice, an analyst at Gartner, says there remains a 'clear gap between executive enthusiasm and employee enablement'. Gartner argues this is down to most staff being expected to take up the tools with little guidance. It found 82pc of staff had received no instruction on how best to use the tools. Meanwhile, Lewis Keating, of Deloitte, says that just half of workers trust businesses to use AI tools responsibly, holding back uptake. 'The biggest hurdle to AI adoption right now isn't the technology, it's trust,' he says. Some tech workers are cynical about the motives of their leaders. On Blind, a forum frequented by tech employees, one worker says: 'Most big tech companies are mandating their employees use AI … it allows them to pump up the numbers of their product. 'What it tells you is, we aren't going to make our numbers and if you aren't helping to boost those numbers, we will replace you.' Across social media, tech workers and programmers have bemoaned being ordered to using AI tools that are not always completely accurate. AI models suffer from an issue known as 'hallucination', meaning they are prone to making up facts. Some have claimed the pressure is making them consider quitting the industry. AI labs including OpenAI, Anthropic and the tech giant Microsoft have all launched AI tools designed to speed up coding that have been championed by AI fans. But Anton Zaides, a software developer and author of the newsletter, writes: 'Stop forcing AI tools on your engineers.' He writes it is 'nuts' that managers are grading workers on 'how the 'best' employees are eating through the tools budget'. He adds that companies that mandate AI use should not be 'surprised if you end up with a slower pace and a complete mess in a year'. Some executives argue attitudes are changing and there is no need to force tools on staff. Barney Hussey-Yeo, founder of UK fintech start-up Cleo, says: 'What was once met with strong resistance - using AI for coding - is now standard at Cleo. We've covered tool costs for our team but avoided mandating adoption; it's grown organically.' But developers with first-hand experience of AI tools may have reasons to be sceptical about the hype from the C-suite. A study from the Upwork Research Institute found that while 96pc of senior leaders believed AI was leading to productivity gains at their companies, 77pc of workers reported they felt it was slowing them down. Perhaps most striking is a controlled study from METR, an AI research lab. It found that while computer programmers believed they were 20pc faster when using AI tools, they were actually working 19pc slower. But AI doubters may wish to keep quiet – their careers could be at stake. As Kaufman, the Fiverr chief executive, warned staff: 'If you think I'm full of sh-- … be my guest and disregard this message. But I honestly don't think that a promising professional future awaits you.'
India Today
14-07-2025
- Business
- India Today
As Microsoft lays off 15,000 employees, company's AI head has a message for remaining workers
In the past few months, Microsoft has already laid off over 15,000 employees. And for the remaining workers, the company has a message: it wants its workers to embrace artificial intelligence – not just as a tool, but as a core part of their job performance. Julia Liuson, president of Microsoft's Developer Division, recently told employees that AI usage will now be treated as essential. 'AI is now a fundamental part of how we work,' she wrote. 'Just like collaboration, data-driven thinking, and effective communication, using AI is no longer optional – it's core to every role and every level.'advertisementThe company is reportedly pushing managers to include AI usage as a factor in employee evaluations. In some teams, this may even involve formal metrics tied to how frequently and effectively an employee uses Microsoft's internal AI tools, such as move appears to be part of a larger strategy to boost adoption of Microsoft's own AI offerings, particularly Copilot. Despite widespread promotion, internal usage of the tool has fallen short of expectations. This is especially concerning given the increasing popularity of rival AI assistants like Cursor. Microsoft now wants employees – especially those building AI products – to not only use its tools but to become more comfortable and skilled with them. The company is said to allow limited use of some external AI tools like Replit, but is primarily focused on getting its own systems into regular workflows. While Microsoft is urging its current employees to adapt, advice given to those it recently laid off has raised eyebrows. Matt Turnbull, an executive producer at Xbox Game Studios, suggested in a now-deleted LinkedIn post that laid-off workers could turn to AI chatbots like ChatGPT or Copilot for emotional support and job search assistance.'These are really challenging times, and if you're navigating a layoff or even quietly preparing for one, you're not alone and you don't have to do it alone,' Turnbull wrote. He recommended using large language models (LLMs) to ease the mental load that comes with job hunting — from writing resumes and LinkedIn bios to reframing negative self-talk. While he acknowledged that many people have mixed feelings about AI — especially when it's seen as contributing to job losses — he said it could still be a helpful resource. 'No AI tool is a replacement for your voice or your lived experience,' he post sparked criticism and was eventually taken down. Many questioned the timing and tone of encouraging workers to use the very tools believed to be accelerating job for its part, has defended the layoffs as part of broader restructuring efforts. In a company memo, executives said the changes were necessary to adapt to a rapidly changing market. Microsoft Gaming CEO Phil Spencer explained that the cuts were aimed at streamlining teams and focusing on long-term strategic goals.- Ends
India.com
11-07-2025
- Business
- India.com
Bad news for employees of THIS company as it fires 15000 workers, makes AI mandatory for…, not Google, Amazon, Ratan Tata's TCS, Narayana Murthy's Infosys
Representational Image/AI-generated Microsoft layoffs: Microsoft has cut more than 15000 jobs across multiple divisions in several rounds of massive layoffs, and has asked the rest of its employees to invest in AI skilling. The Redmond-based tech giant has urged workers to 'invest in your own AI skilling', The Information reported, citing the company's internal communications. As per the report, Microsoft eliminated over 15,000 jobs in at least four major rounds of layoffs in 2025, including cutting 9,000 positions in the latest round that focused on its Xbox gaming division and sales teams. Earlier, Microsoft had sacked 6,000 workers in May, followed by more workforce reductions in June. Why Microsoft made AI mandatory for employees? Microsoft plans to replace its sales force, which was primarily targeted in the latest round of layoffs, with more technical 'solutions engineers' who can demonstrate AI tools directly to customers. In an internal memo sent a day before the latest Microsoft layoffs, the company's sales chief, Judson Althoff, who is reportedly on an 8-week sabbatical, outlined Microsoft's plans to become 'the Frontier AI Firm' and 'establish a Copilot on every device and across every role'. According to a Business Insider report, Microsoft has made AI usage mandatory in the performance review of employees. Recently, Julia Liuson, president of Microsoft's Developer Division, directed managers that AI usage 'should be part of your holistic reflections on an individual's performance and impact', the report said. 'AI [usage) is no longer optional — it's core to every role and every level,' read an internal email sent by Liuson to managers. As per the report, Microsoft is mulling to add formal formal AI usage metrics to performance reviews to force greater adoption of its Copilot AI services. Various teams are exploring specific AI usage benchmarks in next fiscal year's employee evaluations, sources said, according to the report. How Microsoft's AI push is threatening more jobs? Microsoft is reportedly planning to invest a staggering $80 billion in 2025 to develop more AI infrastructure, aimed at expanding the company's AI capabilities and rolling out its Copilot AI assistants across various platforms and services. However, this shift in priorities is threatening various roles within the company, especially in product development and engineering, which are being restructured or gradually phased out.
Time of India
11-07-2025
- Business
- Time of India
Microsoft cuts 15,000 jobs, tells remaining employees to invest in ...
Microsoft is encouraging remaining employees to "invest in your own AI skilling" following a series of massive layoffs that have eliminated over 15,000 positions across multiple divisions this year, according to internal communications obtained by The Information. The Redmond giant has conducted at least four major rounds of workforce reductions in 2025, cutting approximately 9,000 jobs in the latest round that particularly impacted the Xbox gaming division and sales teams. Previous cuts included 6,000 positions in May and hundreds more in June. AI usage now mandatory for performance reviews at Microsoft Julia Liuson, president of Microsoft's Developer Division, recently instructed managers that artificial intelligence usage "should be part of your holistic reflections on an individual's performance and impact." In internal emails, Liuson declared that "using AI is no longer optional — it's core to every role and every level," Business Insider reported. Sponsored Links Sponsored Links Promoted Links Promoted Links You May Like An engineer reveals: One simple trick to get internet without a subscription Techno Mag Learn More Undo by Taboola by Taboola The company is considering adding formal AI usage metrics to performance reviews as it pushes for greater adoption of its Copilot AI services. Some teams are exploring including specific AI usage benchmarks in next fiscal year's employee evaluations, according to sources familiar with the plans. Microsoft's strategy overhaul targets traditional roles Microsoft's latest cuts primarily targeted traditional salespeople, who the company plans to replace with more technical "solutions engineers" capable of demonstrating AI tools directly to customers. Sales chief Judson Althoff outlined plans to become "the Frontier AI Firm" and "establish a Copilot on every device and across every role" in a memo sent the day before layoffs were announced. Despite massive investments of approximately $80 billion in AI infrastructure this fiscal year, the company is streamlining operations to balance costs while positioning itself for long-term AI dominance. AI Masterclass for Students. Upskill Young Ones Today!– Join Now
