As the dust settles on Microsoft’s dramatic changes at the top of its gaming team, fans are digesting the shock resignation of Xbox President Sarah Bond, after nearly a decade working on the console brand.
Yesterday, IGN exclusively reported that Bond had resigned from her post, despite long being considered to be outgoing Microsoft Gaming CEO Phil Spencer’s heir apparent. Instead, that job went to Asha Sharma, previously Microsoft’s CoreAI product president.
In the hours since, fans have been quick to read between the lines of what has been said — and not said — about Bond’s departure, including the belated posting of her own exit note to employees, which arrived some hours after formal statements from Microsoft boss Satya Nadella, Spencer, Sharma and the newly-promoted Matt Booty.
Indeed, Bond’s departure was left to be announced by Microsoft within Spencer’s own statement — several paragraphs below the big news that he was handing over the baton to Sharma. Here’s exactly what Spencer wrote:
“As part of this transition, Sarah Bond has decided to leave Microsoft to begin a new chapter. Sarah has been instrumental during a defining period for Xbox, shaping our platform strategy, expanding Game Pass and cloud gaming, supporting new hardware launches, and guiding some of the most significant moments in our history. I’m grateful for her partnership and the impact she’s had, and I wish her the very best in what comes next.”
No mention is made of Bond in statements from Nadella, Sharma or Booty, who do not reference her departure at all.
On social media, veteran Xbox exec Aaron Greenberg marked yesterday’s events with a flurry of lengthy posts, sharing his excitement for Sharma’s posting and a long message of thanks to Spencer on his retirement, following years as colleagues. But Greenberg makes no mention of Bond or her departure, either.
“I’ve decided this is the right time for me to take my next step, both personally and professionally”“
Hours later, Bond did publicly release her own farewell message — though this time via LinkedIn. Bond’s lengthy statement references the fact that it was she who “decided this is the right time for me to take my next step, both personally and professionally,” though there’s little more explanation as to why.
Bond joined Xbox in 2017 as Xbox’s corporate VP of bizdev and partnerships. She became corporate VP of game creator experience and ecosystem after that before being named President of Xbox in 2022.
Her full note on her departure is below:
Hi team,
I know there’s a lot of news to take in today.
I’m incredibly proud of what we’ve built together over the past eight-plus years. PC and cloud gaming are growing faster than ever, our next console is well underway, and together we’ve helped lay the foundation for a more open gaming platform that spans devices and reaches players around the world.
When we announced our intention to acquire Activision Blizzard in 2022, I committed to helping lead Xbox through what would be a critical period of change. Over the past four years, we’ve navigated that moment together and positioned the business for what comes next. We took on some of the biggest challenges this organization has ever faced and did it as one team.
With that, I’ve decided this is the right time for me to take my next step, both personally and professionally. We’re living through a transformative technological era that will shape the next generation of our industry, and I’m energized by what’s ahead. This moment also presents a unique opportunity for fresh eyes and new leadership to guide the team into its next chapter. I’ve had the privilege of spending time with Asha over the last few weeks as we’ve planned for this transition, and I’ve seen firsthand her deep commitment to our players, developers, and brand. She brings deep technology and commerce experience, along with a strong track record of building and scaling platforms that the world uses. Xbox deserves this. I’m excited to see her lead this next chapter for our team. I’ll remain on as a Special Advisor to Asha to help ensure a smooth transition and set the organization up for continued success.
I want to thank Phil for his mentorship and friendship over the years. He’s been a consistent champion of this business and the people who make it what it is, and I’ve learned a great deal from the way he leads through both opportunity and challenge. I’m grateful for his trust and support throughout my time on the team. I also want to thank Satya for his sponsorship and support throughout my time at Microsoft.
As I prepare to sign off, I’ve been reflecting on three simple questions I’ve tried to use to guide my days:
Did I bring my best?
Did I help someone else succeed?
Did I do my best work?
I hope the answer has been yes for many of you. It’s been a privilege to work alongside this team.
Always,
Sarah
IGN has much more on this story, including the many farewells from veteran developers to Phil Spencer, Spencer’s personal words to the Xbox community following his departure, and Sharma’s own responses to initial concerns around her recent AI work and lack of gaming industry job experience.
Image credit: Microsoft
Tom Phillips is IGN’s News Editor. You can reach Tom at tom_phillips@ign.com or find him on Bluesky @tomphillipseg.bsky.social
