Xbox’s First COO Departing After Only a Few Months in Role

In a significant shakeup at Xbox, Helen Chiang, who recently took on the role of Chief Operating Officer (COO), has departed from Microsoft after only a few months in her position. An internal memo from Asha Sharma, the Xbox CEO, revealed the news this morning, stating that Chiang’s last day at the company is today. Chiang has had a lengthy tenure at Microsoft, spanning 21 years, and was previously the head of Minecraft.

Sharma expressed gratitude for Chiang’s contributions in the brief memo, saying, “Helen Chiang is leaving Microsoft today. I’m grateful for her years of service and wish her well.” In the interim, her responsibilities will be redistributed among other Xbox executives, with Sharma noting that further updates on COO leadership will be shared as plans develop.

While it appears that the COO role is not being abolished so soon after its inception, the reasons behind Chiang’s swift departure remain unclear. At the time of her promotion in July, Sharma characterized the COO position as a groundbreaking role for Xbox, tasked with overseeing profit and loss (P&L) across content, hardware, platforms, and services. This move was seen as part of Xbox’s ambitious “reset” strategy.

Chiang, who reported directly to Sharma, was appointed to unify the various business aspects of Xbox under a single operating model. Her mandate included making strategic investment decisions, learning from the team’s successes and challenges, and ensuring accountability for results.

Chiang’s exit comes amidst speculation about impending layoffs at Xbox, with forecasts indicating further reductions during this month, as well as in November and January. The brevity of Sharma’s memo, along with the immediate reassignment of Chiang’s duties, raises questions about whether this was a voluntary departure or a forced exit.

A request for comment from Microsoft regarding the circumstances of Chiang’s exit went unanswered, with Kari Perez, Xbox’s VP of Communications, stating, “We don’t discuss individual personnel matters. We’re grateful for Helen’s years of service and wish her well.”