As Asha Sharm, the CEO of Xbox, came under vicious trolling after the gaming division of Microsoft announced the elimination of 3,200 positions, Microsoft came to her rescue and clarified that it had nothing to do with replacing Americans with foreign workers. Frank X Shaw, the lead for the communications for Microsoft, also addressed the ‘Indian-origin’ angle of the immigration debate and called Asha an American born, educated CEO from Wisconsin.
What Frank X Shaw said on Xbox layoff ans Asha Sharma
- Recent workforce changes were made to restructure the XBOX business because it is not healthy. They were not made to replace employees with foreign workers.
- The H-1B figures being referenced are Microsoft-wide visa renewals and new hire applications. They are not specific to XBOX and represent a small percentage of Microsoft’s overall workforce. And the majority of roles impacted were not American roles.
- XBOX is the largest employer of American workers in the gaming industry and the largest American gaming company.
- And Asha is an American born, raised, and educated CEO, from Wisconsin.
The statement came as the MAGA narrative that foreigners are hijacking American jobs hijacked the Xbox layoff and one widely circulated post claimed, “Xbox Indian CEO Asha Sharma just announced firing 3,200 Americans. She filed for 5,000 H-1B visa hires this year.”Frank X Shaw’s clarification could not douse the fire either. “Zero experience in gaming, an Indian woman was appointed CEO in an area she had no experience in by an Indian at a higher level and decided to lay off thousands of Americans and she’s replacing them with H1b Indian scammers,” one wrote.“Nobody gives a sh*t where she was born. Indians follow the same pattern everywhere they go, fire American, hire Indian,” another wrote.
Asha Sharma gets new role amid major controversy
Amid the layoff controversy, Sharma got picked to lead a task force by the US Federal Reserve. US Federal Reserve Chairman Kevin Warsh announced the names of leaders of five task forces constituted to examine the central bank’s approach to monetary policy and propose transformational changes. Among the leaders named by Warsh, are three people of Indian origin, former RBI governor Raghuram Rajan, Harvard University economics Professor Raj Chetty and Asha Sharma.While announcing the leadership, Warsh said, ‘the goal is straightforward: To ensure the Fed is best positioned to achieve our objectives in this consequential time. Sharma will be running the task force on productivity and employment.
