Xbox's first COO, Helen Chiang, leaves Microsoft after a few months

Helen Chiang, the first person to hold the job of chief operating officer at Xbox, is leaving Microsoft. The Verge said it saw an internal memo from Xbox CEO Asha Sharma announcing the exit.

Chiang moved into the post in July, after 21 years at Microsoft that included leading Minecraft, The Verge reported. Her departure comes only a few months into the new role, and Microsoft has not said why she is leaving.

Key facts

• The Verge reported that Sharma told staff in a memo that Chiang is leaving Microsoft.
• Chiang spent 21 years at Microsoft and ran Minecraft before her July promotion to COO, per The Verge.
• The Verge said her current duties are being divided among other Xbox leaders for now.
• Microsoft would not talk about the reasons for her exit, The Verge reported.
• Sharma created the COO post in a July restructuring memo, with the role reporting directly to her, The Verge reported.

What the memo said

Sharma's note to staff was short. According to The Verge, Sharma wrote that Chiang was leaving that day, thanked her for her years of service and wished her well.

The Verge reported that Sharma said Xbox would share more about COO leadership once its plans are settled. Until then, The Verge said, Chiang's immediate responsibilities will be spread across other Xbox leaders.

Microsoft did not explain the move. Xbox communications vice president Kari Perez told The Verge, "We don't discuss individual personnel matters". The Verge said the brief memo and the quick handoff of her duties suggest the exit was not a resignation. Microsoft has given no reason, so why Chiang is leaving remains unknown.

Background

The COO job was new. The Verge reported that Sharma's July memo set up the role with full profit-and-loss duty across content, hardware, platform and services. According to The Verge, Sharma said the job would pull Xbox's businesses into a single operating model, with Chiang reporting directly to her.

The Verge reported that the promotion was meant to help Xbox make clear investment calls, learn from wins and misses, and answer for its results. The Verge covered Chiang's move into the COO role in July.

Chiang had deep roots at the company. The Verge said Sharma's July memo credited her with nearly two decades at Xbox, where she helped build Xbox Live and led Mojang and Minecraft.

Her promotion was part of a larger shake-up that Sharma called a reset. The Verge reported that the July memo said Xbox's margins were 3 to 10 times lower than those of similar platform and publishing businesses. The same memo described about 1,600 job cuts on the first day and four studios leaving Xbox for new management, according to The Verge. It also said Xbox would cut about 3,200 roles over the course of fiscal year 2027, The Verge reported.

Of those four studios, The Verge reported that Double Fine and Compulsion Games became independent again, while Ninja Theory and Undead Labs went to new owners. Sharma has run Xbox since February and has made broad changes to try to revive the business, The Verge said.

Who is affected

The most direct effect falls on the leaders who now pick up Chiang's work. According to The Verge, Sharma's memo said her immediate duties are being split among other Xbox leaders for the time being.

The July changes also reshaped who answers to the CEO. The Verge reported that Minecraft maker Mojang and Candy Crush developer King now report straight to Sharma. Earlier, in May, Sharma reorganized the Xbox platform team and brought in leaders from Microsoft's CoreAI division, including Jared Palmer as VP of engineering, The Verge reported.

What it means for you

For players, nothing about Xbox games or services has been announced as changing because of Chiang's exit. The memo described a shift in who handles her work, not a change in products.

For people who follow the business, the exit leaves a gap at the top of a role meant to tie Xbox's divisions together. Sharma's promise of more news on COO leadership suggests the position is not being eliminated, though Xbox has not said so. Who will hold the job next, and when, is not known.

What happens next

Sharma has set out goals for the business. The Verge reported that in a later memo, Sharma told staff Xbox will grow players and revenue again before fiscal 2027 ends next June. She also said Xbox aims to be halfway to its long-term daily-player target by fiscal year 2030, according to The Verge.

Xbox has said it will share more on COO leadership once plans are final. No timeline has been given.

FAQ

Who is Helen Chiang? She spent 21 years at Microsoft, led Minecraft and became Xbox's first COO in July, The Verge reported.

Why did Helen Chiang leave Xbox? Microsoft declined to discuss the circumstances, according to The Verge.

Will Xbox replace its COO? The Verge reported that Sharma said Xbox will share more on COO leadership as plans are finalized.

What was the COO job meant to do? According to The Verge, it was meant to unite Xbox's businesses under one operating model.

How many Xbox jobs are being cut? The Verge reported that Sharma's July memo said Xbox would cut about 3,200 roles throughout fiscal year 2027.