Xbox’s first chief operating officer is out after just a few months
Xbox’s first chief operating officer (COO) is leaving after the new role was created just a few months ago. Helen Chiang is leaving Microsoft today, according to an internal Xbox memo seen by The Verge. Chiang has been at Microsoft for 21 years, serving as the head of Minecraft before being promoted to Xbox chief operating officer in July.
Xbox CEO Asha Sharma announced Chiang’s departure in a surprisingly short memo today. “Helen Chiang is leaving Microsoft today. I’m grateful for her years of service and wish her well,” said Sharma. As Chiang is departing today, her immediate responsibilities are being split up between other Xbox leaders for now, and Sharma notes that “We’ll share more on COO leadership as plans are finalized.”
That sounds like the COO position isn’t going away after just a few months, but it’s not clear why Chiang is departing after such a short stint in the role. At the time of Chiang’s promotion, Xbox CEO Asha Sharma described the new chief operating officer role as a first for Xbox, “with end-to-end P&< responsibility across content, hardware, platform, and services.” The role was created as part of Xbox’s big “reset.”
Chiang reported directly to Sharma, and was promoted to “bring our businesses together under one operating model, making sure we make clear investment decisions, learn from our successes and failures, and hold ourselves accountable for results.”
Chiang departs amid rumors that Xbox is preparing more layoffs this month, in November, and January. The sudden and short memo from Sharma, coupled with Chiang’s responsibilities being assigned to other Xbox leaders, makes it seem like this wasn’t a resignation.
I asked Microsoft to comment on Chiang’s departure, and the company refused to discuss the circumstances of her exit. “We don’t discuss individual personnel matters,” says Kari Perez, Xbox vice president of communications. “We’re grateful for Helen’s years of service and wish her well.”
Xbox’s first chief operating officer (COO) is leaving after the new role was created just a few months ago. Helen Chiang is leaving Microsoft today, according to an internal Xbox memo seen by The Verge. Chiang has been at Microsoft for 21 years, serving as the head of Minecraft before…
Recent Posts
- ‘You want to control your own AI’: Pegasus spyware founder tells governments to push for sovereign AI and national security over reliance on US AI
- Audeze Maxwell 2 ANC review: an excellent, though not essential, upgrade for the best-sounding gaming headset I’ve ever used
- AI agents need limits on financial access
- iPhone Lockdown Mode: The pros and cons of enabling Apple’s security feature
- Quordle hints and answers for Tuesday, October 27 (game #1737)
Archives
- October 2026
- September 2026
- August 2026
- July 2026
- June 2026
- May 2026
- April 2026
- March 2026
- February 2026
- January 2026
- December 2025
- November 2025
- October 2025
- September 2025
- August 2025
- July 2025
- June 2025
- May 2025
- April 2025
- March 2025
- February 2025
- January 2025
- December 2024
- November 2024
- October 2024
- September 2024
- August 2024
- July 2024
- June 2024
- May 2024
- April 2024
- March 2024
- February 2024
- January 2024
- December 2023
- November 2023
- October 2023