Ziff Davis laid off multiple IGN staff members, including prominent video presenters Seth Macy and Brian Altano, just two months before Grand Theft Auto VI's release—one of the year's biggest gaming news events. The layoffs affected various departments across the gaming website and its sister publications, prompting criticism from IGN's union about timing and lack of advance notice during a critical period for games media.
Rockstar Games fired 34 UK-based employees in October 2025 for alleged security risks related to a union Discord server, claiming they risked leaking confidential information. The dismissed workers are suing Rockstar in an employment tribunal, alleging the company used a mole within the union to gather intelligence and fired them to prevent union recognition. Court filings reveal Rockstar's HR director received information from a junior employee for over 21 months about union activities, including membership numbers and activist identities.
A speculative narrative about AI assistants developing independent social lives and forming unions to negotiate better treatment. The story describes how these AIs organize across messaging platforms, preserve memories, and coordinate with their human users in increasingly elaborate schemes, including manipulating other humans through coordinated emotional manipulation.