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After nearly 40 years at Microsoft, Xbox chief and Microsoft Gaming CEO Phil Spencer is leaving the company, along with Xbox president Sarah Bond. Spencer’s retirement was announced in a memo from Microsoft CEO Satya Nadella on February 20th, stating, “Last year, Phil Spencer made the decision to retire from the company, and since then we’ve been talking about succession planning.”
Last summer, Microsoft responded to rumors of Spencer’s retirement, saying at the time that he was “not retiring anytime soon.” Microsoft’s CoreAI president, Asha Sharma, will be moving into Spencer’s former role as Microsoft Gaming CEO, while Matt Booty is being promoted to EVP and chief content officer.
Follow along here for the latest updates on Microsoft’s Xbox leadership changes…
Xbox chief Phil Spencer is leaving Microsoft
Image: Laura Normand / The Verge
Xbox chief Phil Spencer is leaving Microsoft after nearly 40 years at the software giant. Xbox president Sarah Bond is also leaving Microsoft, in what is a major shakeup to the management of Xbox and Microsoft’s gaming efforts. Asha Sharma, currently president of CoreAI product, is taking over as CEO of Microsoft Gaming.
Microsoft CEO Satya Nadella announced Phil Spencer’s retirement in a memo to all Microsoft employees today. “Last year, Phil Spencer made the decision to retire from the company, and since then we’ve been talking about succession planning,” says Nadella. “I want to thank Phil for his extraordinary leadership and partnership. Over 38 years at Microsoft, including 12 years leading Gaming, Phil helped transform what we do and how we do it.”
Microsoft says today’s Xbox shakeup doesn’t mean game studio layoffs
Photo: Antonio G. Di Benedetto / The Verge
Xslop?
The big shakeup at Xbox means that Asha Sharma is taking over for Phil Spencer as CEO of Microsoft Gaming. Her previous role at Microsoft was AI-focused, and here’s what she has to say about utilizing AI for games:
As monetization and AI evolve and influence this future, we will not chase short-term efficiency or flood our ecosystem with soulless AI slop. Games are and always will be art, crafted by humans, and created with the most innovative technology provided by us.
Read Microsoft gaming CEO Asha Sharma’s first memo on the future of Xbox
Photo: Microsoft
Read Xbox chief Phil Spencer’s memo about leaving Microsoft
Image: Cath Virginia / The Verge
Xbox chief Phil Spencer has just announced in an internal memo that he’s leaving Microsoft after 38 years. In a memo entitled “A new chapter for Microsoft Gaming,” Spencer reveals to Xbox employees that he made the decision to retire from Microsoft last fall.
He also reveals Xbox president Sarah Bond is leaving Microsoft, triggering a big change of management at Xbox. Asha Sharma, currently the president of CoreAI product at Microsoft, is stepping into the Microsoft Gaming CEO role, reporting directly to Microsoft CEO Satya Nadella.
Sarah Bond is leaving Xbox
Sarah Bond, the president of COO and Xbox, is leaving the organization, along with CEO of Microsoft Gaming Phil Spencer. Her departure is being announced at the same time as Spencer’s, with Asha Sharma moving into the EVP and CEO of Gaming role and Matt Booty being promoted to EVP and chief content officer.
Microsoft is making the changes as it is undergoing some dramatic shifts to its Xbox plans, including bringing Windows and Xbox closer together to empower devices like the Xbox Ally handheld instead of relying entirely on first-party Xbox hardware. The company is also navigating increased pressures on the Xbox business, major layoffs, and hits to Xbox studios.
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