Asha Sharma: The Microsoft Gaming's New CEO Who Will Lead Xbox

Microsoft has appointed Indian-origin Asha Sharma as its new executive vice president and CEO of the gaming division. She will take over from Phil Spencer, who is retiring after nearly four decades with Microsoft Gaming.

"I am long on gaming and its role at the center of our consumer ambition, and as we look ahead, I'm excited to share that Asha Sharma will become Executive Vice President and CEO of Microsoft Gaming, reporting to me," said CEO Satya Nadella while announcing the decision.

Who is Asha Sharma?

Asha Sharma is an alumnus of the University of Minnesota's Carlson School of Management. She has nearly 15 years of experience across technology, product, and operations leadership roles, according to her LinkedIn profile.

She began her career at Microsoft in 2011 in the marketing department. After a two-year stint, she joined Porch Group as Chief Operating Officer, where she played a key role in building the company. She led product, engineering, sales, marketing, and operations and was part of its $1B public debut. She also served as Chief Marketing Officer earlier and was a board member from 2015 to 2022.

In 2017, she joined Meta as Vice President of Product and Engineering. She served as Head of Product across Messenger and Instagram Direct and was General Manager of calling, video and kids experiences. She had earlier worked as Director of Social Impact Products.

Sharma later worked at Instacart for three years as Chief Operating Officer, helping lead the company to IPO and profitability. She was responsible for a $30 billion-plus GMV P&L, overseeing product, design, data science, research, marketing, operations, customer support and new businesses.

In 2024, she rejoined Microsoft as President, Core AI Product. She led the product portfolio for AI models, applications, agents, responsible AI and developer tools for customers worldwide. Previously, she served as Corporate Vice President and Head of Product for Microsoft's AI Platform.

She has now been promoted to lead Microsoft Gaming, including the Xbox business. Sharma also serves as a board member at Coupang and The Home Depot.

Microsoft's Xbox restructuring

Matt Booty will become Executive Vice President and Chief Content Officer, reporting to Asha Sharma. 

"Under his leadership, Microsoft Gaming has grown to span nearly 40 studios across Xbox, Bethesda, Activision Blizzard, and King, which are home to beloved franchises including Halo, The Elder Scrolls, Call of Duty, World of Warcraft, Diablo, Candy Crush, and Fallout," Microsoft wrote in its blog post.

Asha Sharma, in a message, said, "We will recommit to our core Xbox fans and players, those who have invested with us for the past 25 years. Gaming now lives across devices, not within the limits of any single piece of hardware."