Sarah Bond Departs Microsoft Amid Leadership Changes

Sarah Bond, who served as President of Xbox, has announced her departure from Microsoft. In a LinkedIn post, Bond expressed pride in the team's accomplishments over the past eight years, highlighting Xbox's growth in PC and cloud gaming, the development of its next console, and efforts to create a more open gaming platform across devices. She stated, "With that, I've decided this is the right time for me to take my next step, both personally and professionally." Bond will remain as a special advisor to incoming Xbox head Asha Sharma during the transition. This announcement follows a significant leadership reshuffle at Microsoft Gaming, including the retirement of longtime Xbox chief Phil Spencer and the appointment of Asha Sharma as Executive Vice President and CEO of Microsoft Gaming. Bond joined Xbox in 2017 and played a key role in Microsoft's $69 billion acquisition of Activision Blizzard. She has been an advocate for accessibility and platform openness in gaming. In her farewell note, Bond thanked Spencer for his "mentorship and friendship" and Microsoft CEO Satya Nadella for his support. The gaming division now enters a new chapter under Sharma, a CoreAI executive with limited gaming experience. Bond's next move remains unclear, though she will continue as a special advisor during the transition.