Xbox CEO Asha Sharma
Xbox CEO Asha Sharma has taken an unexpected route to player feedback: customer support tickets. Wikimedia Commons/ Jasonglewis

Xbox CEO Asha Sharma is taking a hands-on approach to understanding the players at the centre of Microsoft's gaming business, even answering customer support tickets herself.

The revelation comes from a recent Wall Street Journal profile of Sharma, who took over Microsoft's gaming operation in February 2026 after Phil Spencer's retirement. Microsoft appointed her executive vice president and CEO of Microsoft Gaming on 20 February, with the division adopting the XBOX name in April.

From AI Executive to Xbox Chief

Sharma's path to the top of Xbox has been far from conventional. After graduating from university, she joined Microsoft in marketing before moving to startup Porch. She later joined Meta, where she became a vice president, before taking on the role of chief operating officer at Instacart. Sharma returned to Microsoft in 2024 and most recently led its CoreAI Product organisation before being chosen to head gaming.

Her lack of traditional games-industry experience initially drew questions from developers and players. However, Sharma seems to be turning that outsider perspective into an advantage, focusing on consumers, economics, and tighter operational discipline.

'Clarity Is Kindness' Is Driving Her Reset

Sharma has made one principle central to her leadership: 'Clarity is kindness.' The phrase reflects her preference for being direct about the business's challenges and realities. At a Minecraft town hall, Sharma said companies are quick to talk about their wins but need to be more transparent when the news is difficult. 'Great companies are incredibly comfortable sharing successes and sharing wins,' she said. 'Every company needs to be better at sharing hard things and clear realities.'

That philosophy has already been put to the test. Xbox announced in July that it planned to cut approximately 3,200 roles throughout fiscal 2027, including about 1,600 role eliminations at the time of the announcement. The restructuring also saw four studios leave Xbox's first-party portfolio, with Compulsion Games and Double Fine Productions becoming independent and Ninja Theory and Undead Labs moving toward new ownership.

Sharma called it the 'most significant restructure' in Xbox's history. She was equally direct about the business's challenges, saying Xbox was operating at margins three to 10 times lower than comparable platforms and publishing businesses.

Xbox Boss Gets Hands-On With Players

Rather than relying solely on internal feedback, Sharma is reportedly going straight to the source: Xbox players themselves. The WSJ reported: 'To better understand players, she spends a few hours each month responding to customer support tickets, during which she's learned how complex it can be to fix a single player's problem.'

In other words, Sharma is personally responding to some Xbox support tickets, giving her a firsthand look at the problems players encounter.

Fixing One Xbox Complaint at a Time

Sharma's player-focused approach has already coincided with several changes aimed at addressing user concerns. The move has also generated positive reactions from some Xbox players, particularly around the company's new disc-to-digital programme.

She is also reshaping Xbox's broader strategy around major franchises and user-generated content. The company is also putting more weight behind established franchises while expanding Minecraft's user-generated content ecosystem, a move that could position the game more directly against platforms such as Roblox.

For a company facing declining revenue, thin margins, and a major restructuring, Sharma's decision to spend time handling support tickets may seem like a small detail. However, it offers a window into her approach to the business: staying close to player concerns, being candid about the numbers, and making difficult decisions as Xbox works through a period of change.

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