Xbox has undergone a major leadership change, with Phil Spencer retiring after 12 years as CEO, ending a 38-year career at the gaming giant. Xbox division president Sarah Bond also resigned at the same time. In this context, full control of the gaming division will be shared by Matt Booty and the newly appointed Asha Sharma.
Phil Spencer's performance has long failed to live up to expectations, but fans are more skeptical of the new man in charge, largely based on her resume. Although she has a strong background in the field of AI, she has no experience in gaming.
Asha Sharma joined Microsoft in 2024 from Instacart. Since then, she has served as product president for the company’s core AI business. Therefore, she has extensive experience in the AI field but has no connection to the gaming industry.
Asha Sharma has been working with Phil Spencer for months
On social media, the well-known uncle "Ghost of Hope" broke the news that Spencer originally planned to step down as CEO after the release of the next generation Xbox. But due to poor performance in the gaming department last year, he is now forced to leave early.
As for why these senior executives resigned, the reason is that 2025 is the lowest point of Microsoft's gaming department. None of their first-party games have lived up to expectations, and hardware sales have fallen to record lows. The only surviving mainstay - Game Pass - has also suffered a cliff fall.
