When you are a video gaming brand like Xbox, you’d imagine that the best leader for your company would be someone who knows gaming and the industry like the back of their hand.
Inside the industry, he was known as the executive who reportedly still played games during his own meetings.
Xbox’s new CEO, Asha Sharma, is not that person.
Before becoming CEO of Xbox in February 2026, she had never worked a day in games.
And yet, within seven months, Asha Sharma has arguably done more for Xbox than Spencer did during his tenure.
When you are a video gaming brand like Xbox, you’d imagine that the best leader for your company would be someone who knows gaming and the industry like the back of their hand. This was Phil Spencer's résumé almost exactly. He joined Microsoft as an intern in 1988, climbed the ladder, and spent twelve years running its gaming division till his retirement earlier this year. Inside the industry, he was known as the executive who reportedly still played games during his own meetings. You know, that kind of fan who also happened to run the company.
Xbox’s new CEO, Asha Sharma, is not that person. Before becoming CEO of Xbox in February 2026, she had never worked a day in games. She spent four years as a product and engineering VP at Meta, two years in Microsoft's marketing organisation, and was Instacart’s chief operating officer during its 2023 IPO. She’s a marketing exec through and through.
And yet, within seven months, Asha Sharma has arguably done more for Xbox than Spencer did during his tenure. Under her, Xbox is becoming cool again.
