Xbox layoffs hit accessibility leaders, raising doubts about Microsoft's commitment

Yesterday's 1,600 layoffs at Xbox — half of the 3,200 cuts Microsoft plans for its gaming division by the end of its 2027 fiscal year — appear to have hit the company's accessibility efforts. Since CEO Asha Sharma called Xbox's "reset," senior and lead accessibility specialists have confirmed they were affected by the reductions, casting doubt on Microsoft's continued commitment to accessibility work. In mid-June a contract accessibility program manager said on LinkedIn he was included in incoming layoffs. Last week an accessibility test lead for the Microsoft Gaming Accessibility Testing Service posted that he was seeking work after nearly three years organizing accessibility testing on more than 1,000 Xbox Store titles. The cuts have expanded to include leads such as Kaitlyn Jones, who helped lead the Xbox Adaptive Joystick and the company's public training on gaming accessibility fundamentals, and Elisabeth Whyte, who has posted that she is open for work.