Unveiling Asha Sharma: The Unexpected Leader of Microsoft’s Xbox Division – A Deep Dive into Her Rise to the Top

“And the thing about games is, if you get good at one game, you can be good at any game. … They’re all hand-eye coordination and observing patterns.”

That’s a line from Tomorrow, and Tomorrow, and Tomorrow, Gabrielle Zevin’s 2022 novel about two friends who build a video game company from nothing — struggling with the tension between art and commerce, and ultimately with the challenges of operating a business at scale.

This describes almost perfectly what Asha Sharma will be attempting to do in her new role leading Microsoft’s Xbox and video-game business: She’ll need to take all the patterns she’s observed as an executive with Facebook, Instacart, Seattle startup Porch, and Microsoft’s AI platform, and apply them to a world she hasn’t played in before.

And get this: it’s one of her favorite books.

Speaking last fall on Lenny Rachitsky’s podcast, Sharma mentioned she had read the novel every year for the past three years. “I love it so much,” she said, calling it a “beautiful story.”

She didn’t mention on the podcast speed round that it’s a story about video games. It wasn’t really relevant at the time. But it is now, given the news Friday that Sharma will succeed 38-year Microsoft veteran Phil Spencer as CEO of Microsoft Gaming, in a shakeup that also saw Xbox President Sarah Bond — previously seen as Spencer’s likely successor — decide to leave.

Sharma was a surprise pick, in part because she has no prior video-game industry leadership experience, and limited background as a gamer, which is creating skepticism in gaming circles already. However, she has experience running large tech platforms, the clear trust of Microsoft CEO Satya Nadella, and a belief in the potential of AI to reshape every business.

On that last point, she quickly offered some reassurance to Microsoft employees and the broader universe of Xbox gamers in her introductory memo last week.

“As monetization and AI evolve and influence this future, we will not chase short-term efficiency or flood our ecosystem with soulless AI slop,” she wrote. “Games are and always will be art, crafted by humans, and created with the most innovative technology provided by us.”

Sharma laid out three priorities in the memo: great games above all else, a recommitment to Xbox’s core console fans, and what she called the “future of play” — new business models and a shared platform where developers and players can create together.

She vowed not to treat the company’s iconic franchises as “static IP to milk and monetize,” and said she wants to return to “the renegade spirit that built Xbox in the first place.”

Her first act was promoting longtime studio chief Matt Booty to executive vice president and chief content officer, pairing her platform background with his decades of gaming credibility.

“My first job is simple,” she wrote. “Understand what makes this work and protect it.”

The challenge ahead

There’s a lot to protect, and plenty of work to do.

Microsoft has been in gaming for decades, from early PC titles like Flight Simulator to the launch of the original Xbox console in 2001.

Under Spencer, the company made massive bets on expansion, acquiring ZeniMax Media and its family of studios — including Bethesda — for $7.5 billion in 2021, and then closing the $69 billion acquisition of Activision Blizzard in 2023, the largest gaming deal in history. That brought Call of Duty, World of Warcraft, Candy Crush, Diablo, and Overwatch under Microsoft’s roof, making it the third-largest gaming company in the world by revenue.

Spencer also expanded Xbox’s reach across PC, mobile, and cloud gaming, and built Game Pass into a major subscription service, transforming the division’s business model.

But the financial picture has been rough. Microsoft’s gaming revenue fell 9% in the most recent quarter, with hardware revenue down 32%. The division represents about 7% of the company’s total revenue, and has faced pressure in recent years to meet aggressive profit targets.

Xbox’s challenge has not been a lack of talent or popular franchises. GeekWire gaming contributor Thomas Wilde observed that the biggest problem has been instability: waves of layoffs and studio closures that left even successful teams uncertain about their future.

In his memo about the transition, Nadella said Sharma brings “deep experience building and growing platforms, aligning business models to long-term value, and operating at global scale.”

The implication in the selection is clear: Xbox spans console, PC, mobile, and cloud platforms, requiring an operator who knows how to make all the pieces work together.

That’s the job Sharma has done everywhere she’s been.

From Wisconsin to Redmond

Sharma’s career and biographical details have been widely scrutinized over the past few days, as the video game and business press have scrambled to figure out who this person is, who arrived seemingly out of the blue to lead one of Microsoft’s biggest consumer brands.

Now 37, she grew up in Wisconsin and started working at 17, with an early role at SC Johnson, according to a 2014 MarTech profile. She earned a bachelor’s degree in business from the University of Minnesota’s Carlson School of Management, and by the time she left college had worked at Cargill, Deloitte, and Microsoft, and lived abroad in Hungary.

As of last fall, she was a second-degree black belt in Taekwondo, explaining to Rachitsky on his podcast that the discipline is “more mental than it is physical.”

She has been at Microsoft for two years, running the CoreAI product organization, the team behind Azure AI Studio, the company’s AI model catalog, and the developer tools for Microsoft Copilot. She was previously COO of Instacart, and before that VP of product at Meta, where she ran Messenger and Instagram Direct.

The Remarkable Career of a Tech Executive

She holds positions on the boards of both Home Depot and Coupang, showcasing her expertise and influence in the tech industry.

However, her journey began at Microsoft, where she started as an intern and later transitioned into a marketing role straight out of college. She eventually left Microsoft to play a crucial role in building Porch, a prominent home services company based in Seattle, where she served as COO during its formative years.

In a 2024 interview with GeekWire at Microsoft’s Build developer conference, she reflected on her decision to return to the company. Having worked in various organizational settings, she highlighted the significance of collaborating with talented individuals on impactful projects.

She expressed gratitude for the opportunity to work on cutting-edge technology during a pivotal period, emphasizing the value of a growth mindset among colleagues.

Embracing the Gaming Community

Known for his deep connection to the gaming world, Spencer endeared himself to Xbox fans through his genuine passion for gaming and approachable demeanor. Sharma recognizes the challenge of following in his footsteps but is actively engaging with the gaming community to bridge the gap.

Recently, she began interacting with Xbox enthusiasts on social media, sharing her gamertag (AMRAHSAHSA) and revealing her favorite games, including “Halo,” “Valheim,” and “Goldeneye.” These interactions demonstrate her willingness to connect with gamers on a personal level.

Public support from key figures within Xbox, such as Aaron Greenberg, further validates Sharma’s leadership potential. Greenberg praised her intelligence, receptiveness to feedback, and lack of ego, signaling a promising future under her guidance.

Analysis of Sharma’s gaming activity reveals her preference for narrative-driven indie games like “Firewatch,” “Gone Home,” and “What Remains of Edith Finch.” This choice reflects her appreciation for games as an art form, showcasing a deeper understanding of the medium beyond mere entertainment.

Her gaming journey culminated in unlocking her first achievement, “Your Journey Begins,” in the “Halo: Master Chief Collection” shortly before assuming her new role. This milestone symbolizes her entry into the gaming realm as a leader with a genuine interest in the industry.