Normally saying dumb stuff on Twitter isn’t a terrible thing, but Microsoft employee Adam Orth crossed the line with his tirade on “always-on” devices. The rumor-mill has been churning out plenty supposed details on the next-gen Xbox, and one of them is the system will require an internet connection at all times. Orth then decided to take on twitter to rant on said subject.
The first problem is he shouldn’t have even tweeted his initial comment saying:
Sorry, I don’t get the drama around having an “always on” console. Every device now is “always on”. That’s the world we live in. #dealwithit
I won’t even mention how asinine that hashtag is (because it’s obvious), but he shouldn’t even be commenting on rumors like this. He doesn’t explicitly make mention of the next Xbox, but clearly that’s what he was discussing. That was his first strike.
His second strike was the way he treated Xbox fans. He might as well just say “you guys are stupid for buying the products that support me.” It was a slap in the face to anyone who actually likes Xbox products.
Lastly he never apologized, the damage was already done, but at the very least, he could have done so. Microsoft did issue one saying:
“”We apologize for the inappropriate comments made by an employee on Twitter yesterday. This person is not a spokesperson for Microsoft, and his personal views do not reflect the customer centric approach we take to our products or how we would communicate directly with our loyal consumers. We are very sorry if this offended anyone, however we have not made any announcements about our product roadmap, and have no further comment on this matter.””
But that wasn’t even close to being enough. Also not confirmed in that apology is the “always on” speculation, which is totally normal. Apparently there’s an event on May 21st where the next-gen Xbox will be revealed, nothing is confirmed though. Anyways, the good news at the end of the day is Game Informer reported that Orth is no longer employed with the company. Twitter is not a place where you can do whatever you want, especially when you’re employed with a company that you’re actively speaking about. Chalk this up as another example of what not to do on Twitter while working.
TWAT of the Year goes too……..
Well the next time he opens his mouth will be to change feet.
8 years later, I still come back and read this when I need my daily dose of “smug tech bro fucked around and found out” satisfaction. For the record, Adam Orth never did get rehired by Microsoft. 505 Games inexplicably picked him up to make a game about how traumatized he was by all the online bullying, 2016’s ADRIFT, but even with the Kotaku circlejerk fellating it sales were abysmal and Orth was never allowed to make a game again. Like all true bugmen, he found his home circling the Twitter drain and now spends his days raging about President Trump.