Microsoft-approved visas precede 1,600 Xbox layoffs, sparking backlash over job decisions

Multiple outlets report that Microsoft’s gaming division, Xbox, lays off 1,600 employees and that the timing follows Microsoft’s approval for a large number of H-1B work visas. Fox News and the New York Post both describe public backlash after the layoffs, with critics questioning whether the company’s access to foreign worker visas conflicts with decisions to reduce its U.S. workforce. Fox News cites Microsoft receiving approval for 2,273 H-1B visas in the current year and says the layoffs affect Xbox workers. The New York Post similarly links the layoffs to the company’s visa approval and frames the response as anger from observers who view the sequence as prioritizing foreign labor. Both accounts describe the layoffs as occurring after thousands of foreign worker visas were approved, but neither provides detailed figures on which roles are affected, the stated business rationale, or employee reactions beyond broad claims of “outrage” or “fury.” Overall, the reports focus on the juxtaposition of visa approvals and the subsequent workforce reductions.