Xbox's 1st-ever COO, Helen Chiang, quits after just 3 months
What's the story
Helen Chiang, Microsoft's first Chief Operating Officer (COO) for Xbox, is leaving the company after just three months in her new role. The news was confirmed by an internal memo from Xbox CEO Asha Sharma. "Helen Chiang is leaving Microsoft today. I'm grateful for her years of service and wish her well," said Sharma in the brief announcement.
Career trajectory
Chiang's 21-year journey at Microsoft
Chiang has been with Microsoft for 21 years, where she was the head of Minecraft before being promoted to Xbox COO in July.
The new role was created as part of Xbox's big "reset" within the company, giving her end-to-end P&L responsibility across content, hardware, platform, and services.
She reported directly to Sharma and was tasked with unifying their businesses under one operating model.
Speculations
Speculations around layoffs and Chiang's exit
Chiang's exit comes as rumors swirl about more layoffs at Xbox this month, November, and January.
The brevity of Sharma's memo and the redistribution of Chiang's responsibilities among other Xbox leaders suggest her departure may not have been voluntary.
However, Microsoft has declined to comment on the specifics of her exit.
"We don't discuss individual personnel matters," said Kari Perez, Xbox VP of Communications.