After just three months: Xbox COO Helen Chiang leaves Microsoft
The former Minecraft boss became Xbox’s first chief operating officer in July. Her duties will be split for now.
Archive image · Photo: Coolcaesar / Wikimedia Commons, CC BY-SA 4.0 (cropped and resized)
Helen Chiang, the first chief operating officer (COO) in Xbox history, has left Microsoft after around three months in the role. That is according to an internal memo from Xbox CEO Asha Sharma obtained by The Verge. “Helen Chiang is leaving Microsoft today. I’m grateful for her years of service and wish her well,” it reads. No reasons were given; Xbox said it does not discuss individual personnel matters.
Chiang’s responsibilities will be divided among other Xbox leaders until a successor is named. Sharma said more on COO leadership would be shared as plans are finalised. The position was created in July as part of the Xbox “reset” announced by Sharma.
Chiang spent 21 years at Microsoft: she moved to Xbox in 2007 and to the Minecraft team in 2014, and from 2020 led the Minecraft franchise as studio head and later corporate vice president. Her exit comes at a turbulent time: Xbox plans to cut around 3,200 jobs by the end of fiscal year 2027.