Tech billionaire Elon Musk has questioned Microsoft CEO Satya Nadella about a controversial claim regarding the company's hiring practices after an unverified post on X accused Microsoft’s gaming division of excluding white candidates from its hiring process.
The post also alleged that the tech giant was actively hiring “unqualified queer and black people” to fill roles in their video game projects and had an executive mandate against “crusty old white dudes.”
This post appeared to react to a tweet reposted by Josh Sawyer, director of the popular video game Fallout, in which he encouraged Black artists to reach out for portfolio reviews and job advice while stating that there were "too many crusty white dudes in this field.” The post was brought to Musk's attention by podcaster and influencer Ian Miles Cheong.
Musk reacted by tagging Nadella in his post, saying, "Um, Satya Nadella, this is illegal...."
Um, @satyanadella, this is illegal https://t.co/54GC5VW5ZJ
Elon Musk (@elonmusk) November 27, 2024
Meanwhile, Cheong also highlighted a post by the Kelly Lombardi, the global head of Microsoft’s Xbox marketing team, in which she wrote, "Raise your hand if you're not a white man and you buy video games. (No hate to white dudes. It's just another day in the gaming industry that minorities have to fight to prove they exist).
Responding to it, Cheong wrote, "The Global Head of Marketing at Xbox/Microsoft wants you to know that if you're a white male dude, the company doesn't want you or care about you."
Microsoft is yet to respond to the allegations.
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