Xbox CEO Asha Sharma has announced a major reorganization of the gaming division's leadership. The changes promote longtime Xbox veterans and bring in new executives with expertise in AI, design, and growth. Sharma aims to build capabilities for a more affordable, personal, and open platform.
In an internal memo first reported by CNBC and obtained by Kotaku (after editing for redundancy due to a miscommunication with Xbox PR), Sharma wrote that Xbox needs to evolve its organization to ship impact quickly and focus more on the community. 'We are promoting leaders who built Xbox and bringing in new leaders with consumer and technical expertise we do not yet have,' she stated. The memo aligns teams behind four priorities and addresses gaps in key areas like product development and infrastructure.
This shakeup, three months after Sharma's February 2026 appointment as CEO amid Xbox's sales challenges and brand issues, includes recent strategic moves like reevaluating exclusives, refocusing on consoles, lowering Game Pass costs, and delaying Call of Duty launches on the service.
New hires: Jared Palmer from CoreAI for product, engineering, and developer tools with focus on 'taste'; Tim Allen to lead design; Jonathan McKay as head of growth; Evan Chaki to simplify development; David Schloss as head of subscriptions and cloud.
Promotions: Jason Ronald to oversee Project Helix and the platform; Jason Beaumont to lead product and interim engineering; Fatima Kardar to head a new Personalization org while retaining gaming AI role; Jenn Creegan to lead the media business.
Departures: Kevin Gammill (corporate VP of gaming ecosystem) and Roanne Sones (taking leave after summer to become advisor), both Microsoft veterans.
