Microsoft's Indian-Origin Gaming Chief Shakes Up Xbox with Layoffs and Restructuring

Asha Sharma, an Indian-origin technology executive, has taken charge of Microsoft's gaming business as its new CEO. She oversees Xbox, one of the world's biggest gaming businesses, and is leading a major restructuring marked by thousands of job cuts.

Sharma, 38, was born in Racine, Wisconsin, in 1989, and started her career at Microsoft in 2011. She later became COO at Porch Group and worked as vice-president of product and engineering at Meta.

Under Sharma's leadership, Xbox is cutting about 3,200 jobs, or 20% of staff, while reducing game output. This strategy aims to focus on franchises like 'Elder Scrolls' and 'Halo,' pushing Minecraft toward more user-generated content to rival Roblox.