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Phil Spencer saves the day: Microsoft employees to keep free access to Xbox Game Pass Ultimate

adamsapple

Or is it just one of Phil's balls in my throat?
Are you guys being intentionally obtuse here? The Xbox/Microsoft Gaming division was already fine. This issue impacted people outside of the Xbox/Microsoft Gaming division. You know, the divisions which Phil Spencer is not over in any way. This should have been obvious, so I'm not sure why you both responded to me with organizational stuff.


You'd think the guy whose in-charge of game pass as a whole will have a significant amount of sway in this matter. Why else would he say he's looking into it after the employees messaged him and then he's the one who came back with the reinstatement message.

And please don't say "the whole thing was a PR move". That makes 0% sense.

No thanksgiving here but thanks for your concern.

I'm glad to see you've all retained your benefits for another year at least though. Careful what you say though, wouldn't want them requesting you return those consoles.

Also not my fault if the plant wants to make things obvious via his twitter, but we've been through that already.

I just don't like seeing you turn into a legitimate conspiracy theorist man :messenger_sad_relieved:
 
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Puscifer

Member
Yeah, Phil Spencer didn't have the authority to overrule this. He is just the mouthpiece that console warriors froth over.
Generally speaking heads of departments usually go to bat for employees so he at least fought for it regardless of the outcome based off the internal postings
 

StreetsofBeige

Gold Member
Good to see Spencer step in and reverse it but as I said in the initial thread employees are always entitled dip shits wanting free shit forever. Just because they've received GP Ultimate since 2019 for free doesn't mean it's a free thing forever.

It's like all day business meetings. Most of the time lunch is ordered and you get some free pizza, or the cafeteria workers make some sandwich platters. Lets say the direction going forward is every employee has to buy or brown bag their own lunch. At the end of the day who cares. Figure out your own lunch.

Yet there would be people complaining to VPs why there's no pizza.

It makes zero difference whether it's an all day meeting or not because if someone had separate meetings before and after lunch, nobody would get free lunch in the situation.
 

ManaByte

Gold Member
Are you guys being intentionally obtuse here? The Xbox/Microsoft Gaming division was already fine. This issue impacted people outside of the Xbox/Microsoft Gaming division. You know, the divisions which Phil Spencer is not over in any way. This should have been obvious, so I'm not sure why you both responded to me with organizational stuff.
Xbox Game Pass Ultimate is a product of the gaming division, which Spencer is in charge of. We're not the ones being obtuse here.
 

StreetsofBeige

Gold Member
Yeah, Phil Spencer didn't have the authority to overrule this. He is just the mouthpiece that console warriors froth over.
LOL. You dont know that.

You must have never worked at a company that gives free shit to people because at my company we get free stuff all the time. Every time a new product launches (a lot of shit every year), the marketing managers order for everyone brand new products and the products havent even released to stores yet. All the marketing managers do is get their assistants to order up 30 cases of each thing and everyone gets one of everything.

Trust me, no VP or CEO is going to waste their time approving this.
 

MarkMe2525

Member
Phil Spencer is my hero. No one can swoop in to fix an issue they created like Ole Phil.

Edit: on the real though, he took the time to have a short convo with me once while I was waiting in line for Fan Fest tickets back in 2015. He didn't have to do that, so he will always be kinda cool in my book (even if he is a dweeb.)
 
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Sorcerer

Member
I wonder if this kind of stunt/shit get's pulled so Spencer can swoop in and save the day and be a superhero (in this case for the working person). I wonder if his PR is in the toilet lately and he needed a boost?

2 things.
He say's your safe for 2024.
Also I wonder if new employees are probably not entitled to the benefit?
 
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SenkiDala

Member
It doesn’t even cost anything to MS in the first place, give free access to a few employees doesn’t raise the cost of Gamepass for ms in the slightest. Also, who says the employee would even subscribe if it needs to pay. If it would not nothing lost in the first place.
Exactly
 

ReBurn

Gold Member
I wonder if this kind of stunt/shit get's pulled so Spencer can swoop in and save the day and be a superhero (in this case for the working person). I wonder if his pr is in the toilet lately and he needed a boost?

2 things.
He say's your safe for 2024
Also new employees probably are probably not entitled to the benefit.
This wasn't a stunt that got pulled. This was someone so butthurt by the prospect of not getting game pass for free that they ran to the press about it to get it reversed. The drama was manufactured by people who unironically believe Microsoft is trying to "make back" 70 billion dollars by telling employees to buy game pass at a discount.
 

The Fuzz damn you!

Gold Member
Oh no this isn't a gotcha, it's a reflection on how you've made warring and "XDEF" hunting your identity,

Cool, some nice propaganda to dissect. Here, you try to conflate attacking shills with console warring - which is a clear, conscious manipulation of the facts. I don’t console war, but no, I don’t like corporate sponsorship creeping into public forums. Go figure.

even in your last post you said "last time I tagged you and the rest" and this isn't remotely the first time you've made posts tagging multiple members thinking you're being really clever or something :messenger_grinning_sweat:

…and here, you deliberately misquote me in order justify your own defensive rampage. I didn’t say “last time I tagged you,” I said “last time I pointed out…” - because I do like to make people aware of these tactics so that they can see and recognise them - WHOEVER uses them, and for WHATEVER “side”.

There's no cause to mention or tag people, you chose to do it and it's bizarre. Relax :messenger_grinning_sweat:

…and this is why you made that misquote. You’ve decided to latch onto the fact that I tag the people I’m criticising - giving them an opportunity to openly respond, which I consider courteous rather than “bizarre” - to try to paint me as… honestly, I’m not even sure what. Which makes sense, because there is absolutely nothing to your criticism of mere here other than “you seem to be targeting corporate shills on this platform and I don’t like that.”

Which, naturally, is quite telling.


You know it's really funny all the people who are considered the 'xdef' force members, I don't think I've ever seen anyone in that group make a post in any topic tagging 4, 5 'ponybois'

Yeah. Funny. I guess maybe that’s not what defines a shill? Could it be… the constant defence of, in this case, Microsoft / Xbox? Yeah, see, that makes more sense.
 

ReBurn

Gold Member
The claim that his was an elaborate scheme to make Spencer look like the good guy is frankly imbecilic.

Most Microsoft Employees don't even get free Microsoft 365 licenses. They have to go get it from the internal store, at significant discounts, admittedly.
But remember, that one guy said people at the pen company get all the pens they want for free and that this is literally the same thing.
 

IFireflyl

Gold Member
You'd think the guy whose in-charge of game pass as a whole will have a significant amount of sway in this matter. Why else would he say he's looking into it after the employees messaged him and then he's the one who came back with the reinstatement message.

And please don't say "the whole thing was a PR move". That makes 0% sense.



I just don't like seeing you turn into a legitimate conspiracy theorist man :messenger_sad_relieved:

It isn't a conspiracy theory. This is textbook P.R. Microsoft had backlash over a decision that they made. Then the reversed course. Microsoft has a history of doing this.

Generally speaking heads of departments usually go to bat for employees so he at least fought for it regardless of the outcome based off the internal postings

He would have known about this prior to the announcement.

Xbox Game Pass Ultimate is a product of the gaming division, which Spencer is in charge of. We're not the ones being obtuse here.

And the people impacted were outside of the Xbox/Microsoft Gaming division. You think that Phil Spencer gets to unilaterally announce changes to employee benefits for employees who aren't under him?

LOL. You dont know that.

You must have never worked at a company that gives free shit to people because at my company we get free stuff all the time. Every time a new product launches (a lot of shit every year), the marketing managers order for everyone brand new products and the products havent even released to stores yet. All the marketing managers do is get their assistants to order up 30 cases of each thing and everyone gets one of everything.

Trust me, no VP or CEO is going to waste their time approving this.

I have addressed this enough. Read my responses to everyone else. Phil Spencer is a glorified mouthpiece for Xbox/Microsoft Gaming.
 
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adamsapple

Or is it just one of Phil's balls in my throat?
Everyone who doesn't hate Microsoft is a paid shill.


Q2149eA.jpg




But remember, that one guy said people at the pen company get all the pens they want for free and that this is literally the same thing.


And when someone pointed out if they work in a car factory and they don't get cars, the reply was a "oh that's different.gif"

Good times were had by all.
 
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Sorcerer

Member
How did they not run this by Phil?
Isn't that like the US deciding to casually launch nuclear missiles and not informing the President? I know Phil is not that powerful but he is the head of the games division at least. LOL!!!

Phil: Why wasn't I informed of this?
I believe you were in the restroom sir,and we had to get this policy enacted straight away.

Being it's Friday, can't even use the excuse that Phil was away on a weekend fishing trip, with his phone shut off.
 
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ReBurn

Gold Member
Q2149eA.jpg







And when someone pointed out if they work in a car factory and they don't get cars, the reply was a "oh that's different.gif"

Good times were had by all.
It's always a good time watching people twist themselves into knots over every tiny thing related to Microsoft and Phil Spencer. Everything is a conspiracy.
 

Ozriel

M$FT
How did they not run this by Phil?
Isn't that like the US deciding to casually launch nuclear missiles and not informing the President? I know Phil is not that powerful but he is the head of the games division at least. LOL!!!

Phil: Why wasn't I informed of this?
I believe you were in the restroom sir,and we had to get this policy enacted straight away.

Why's everyone quick with the absurd analogies these days?

Extending GP to every Microsoft employee is probably not Phil's prerogative. There's likely someone at the employees remuneration team or HR that determines what perks go to employees.


he's an EVP at MS so intervening and reversing this decision wouldn't have been difficult.
 

Sorcerer

Member
So in summary Phil decides to delete free Gamepass subscriptions for all Microsoft employees
Phil realises he is also a Microsoft employee
Reverses his own decision so he can keep free Gamepass and now gets congratulated

lyapZTs.png
It was probably Phil's decison and then he realized it would impact total Gamepass numbers (remember Phil said if they did not meet a certain number of Gamepass subs, Xbox over and out) and said "Oh Shit"!!! LOL!!! Also, the loss of all the Starfield subbers coming up soon.
 
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adamsapple

Or is it just one of Phil's balls in my throat?
It's always a good time watching people twist themselves into knots over every tiny thing related to Microsoft and Phil Spencer. Everything is a conspiracy.

Remember, Game Pass, including Core, is at roughly 42 million but these roughly 200k free subs are the difference maker between the Xbox division existing or not.

It's friday. The night is cold and the takes are wild. 🤡
 
I’m still confused about why we give a fuck in the first place about small internal perks given to Microsoft employees? The fact that this was ever considered “news” is the strangest part of the whole ordeal.
 
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adamsapple

Or is it just one of Phil's balls in my throat?
Don't know what this pen comparison is about.

I'm not bothered to scan through the entire old topic to find the specific post but ReBurn ReBurn summarized it succinctly.

But remember, that one guy said people at the pen company get all the pens they want for free and that this is literally the same thing

It's two bad analogies.
 
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Sorcerer

Member
It's always a good time watching people twist themselves into knots over every tiny thing related to Microsoft and Phil Spencer. Everything is a conspiracy.
Paranormal Activity
Government Denies Knowledge
The Truth Is Out There

tsR3Zuu.jpg
 
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StreetsofBeige

Gold Member
I'm not bothered to scan through the entire old topic to find the specific post but ReBurn ReBurn summarized it succinctly.



It's two bad analogies.
My company is fine if people use their company laptops on company time to surf the net. Even in our annual code of conduct certifications we have to complete there are questions if it's ok if you use company devices for personal use like you need to use your company phone for personal calls or need to use the net to check your kid's soccer schedule. It's ok, within reason.

So if the company has a new policy saying you are only allowed to use company devices for work only, would that be scrooge?
 
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adamsapple

Or is it just one of Phil's balls in my throat?
My company is fine if people use their company laptops on company time to surf the net. Even in our annual code of conduct certifications we have to complete there are questions if it's ok if you use company devices for personal use like you need to use your company phone for personal calls or need to use the net to check your kid's soccer schedule. It's ok, within reason.

So if the company has a new policy saying you are only allowed to use company devices for work only, would that be scrooge?

My company has a very strict "don't use these devices for anything else" policy for office given laptops. Personally, it's not a bother to me cause I have, and I just counted, 4 different Windows laptops in arms reach. Freebies and perks are nice, but not having them is not the end of the world, nor does a change in policy only happen for penny pinching reasons. Who knows where the original 'order' came from at this point re: this topic's news.
 
Remember, Game Pass, including Core, is at roughly 42 million but these roughly 200k free subs are the difference maker between the Xbox division existing or not.

It's friday. The night is cold and the takes are wild. 🤡
Ooh I got a fun take. Ah ahem.

This policy change was in preparation of the 17,000 ABK employees (and employees of future acquisitions) about to get free Game Pass. The value of 17,000 GPU for a year is nearly $3.5 million, an unsustainable number for a mom-and-pop company like MS. After spending $69 billion on the ABK money printers, pennies must be pinched and starting in 2024 new MS employees will not have free Game Pass subs as an ongoing benefit.
 
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Fredrik

Member
Everything they do is reversed after some noise.

What if people would complain about something worth being noisy about instead of how someone flipping papers in the Office building don’t get free Gamepass.

Nobody close to the suits in charge currently knows what people outside of their bubble might actually think about price increases because nobody close is paying for it anyway.

Maybe I could find a second job as a janitor at some MS server park so I can keep ignoring the price increases too and keep calling it the best deal in gaming… My prepaid cheap sub ends in 2024, tick tock
 
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Gavon West

Spread's Cheeks for Intrusive Ads
Yeah, Phil Spencer didn't have the authority to overrule this. He is just the mouthpiece that console warriors froth over.
Bro.....real shit: do you guys no understand how shook and unraveled you guys seem whenever something Xbox or Phil Spencer comes up? It wild to witness. Whenever something positive of Xbox or Phil come up, I guarantee you, Other members of the forum know E X A C T L Y what to expect without even opening the thread. I'm not pointing you out specifically broski, just in general like...

For the top performing platform with the biggest fanbase out of the Big 3 with allegedly the best games, a lot of you kats sure seem, iono.......miffed?''

Just an observation....

ON TOPIC: I could give a shit if Microsoft employees get GP for free. Like...why do I care again?
 

IFireflyl

Gold Member
Bro.....real shit: do you guys no understand how shook and unraveled you guys seem whenever something Xbox or Phil Spencer comes up? It wild to witness. Whenever something positive of Xbox or Phil come up, I guarantee you, Other members of the forum know E X A C T L Y what to expect without even opening the thread. I'm not pointing you out specifically broski, just in general like...

For the top performing platform with the biggest fanbase out of the Big 3 with allegedly the best games, a lot of you kats sure seem, iono.......miffed?''

Just an observation....

ON TOPIC: I could give a shit if Microsoft employees get GP for free. Like...why do I care again?

Don't lump me in with console warriors. I would say the same thing about Jim Ryan if the shoe were on the other foot. It's absolutely ridiculous that fanboys treat Phil Spencer as if he's a god. He's getting credited for reversing what was a stupid decision in the first place.
 

pasterpl

Member
Microsoft is on the list of companies with the perks and benefits in USA every year and this is not because of the gamepass. Please stop this fake outrage. people here love to shit on MS.
 

DavidGzz

Member
I worked for Arby's as a kid, I didn't get free Arby's. I got a pathetic discount. Why are they entitled to this and why are people freaking out about it? Oh yeah, MS hate lol
 
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