Asha Sharma Named CEO of Microsoft Gaming

- Asha Sharma succeeds Phil Spencer, who is retiring after a 38-year career at Microsoft, with the last 12 years leading the gaming division. Spencer will remain in an advisory role through the summer to ensure a smooth transition. - Before this appointment, Sharma was the President of Microsoft's CoreAI Product, where she was responsible for AI infrastructure, foundation models, and developer tools for building and deploying AI applications. - Her prior experience includes serving as COO at Instacart, where she managed a P&L of over $30 billion and was instrumental in the company's IPO and push to profitability. She also held a VP of Product & Engineering role at Meta, overseeing platforms like Messenger and Instagram Direct. - Sharma takes the helm of a division significantly expanded by major acquisitions, including the $75.4 billion purchase of Activision Blizzard in 2023 and the $8.1 billion acquisition of ZeniMax Media (parent of Bethesda Softworks) in 2020. - The leadership transition also involves Matt Booty, former head of Xbox Game Studios, being promoted to EVP and Chief Content Officer, reporting to Sharma. He will oversee the content from nearly 40 studios, including major franchises like *Call of Duty*, *Halo*, *World of Warcraft*, and *The Elder Scrolls*. - Xbox President Sarah Bond, who was with the gaming division for nearly nine years and widely seen as a potential successor to Spencer, is leaving the company as part of the leadership shuffle. - Sharma will lead the strategy for key subscription services like Game Pass and the expansion into cloud gaming, which are central to Microsoft's gaming strategy amid slowing hardware sales. The gaming division's revenue reached approximately $23.5 billion in 2025. - She holds a Bachelor of Science in Business from the University of Minnesota's Carlson School of Management and serves on the board of directors for The Home Depot and Coupang.