Discussion

• @mr_rebs_ @mr_rebs_ on x

  Phil Spencer's email to staff says he decided to retire and pursue a new chapter last fall and will remain in an advisory role through the summer: “Last fall, I shared with Satya that I was thinking about stepping back and starting the next chapter of my life. From that moment,

• @hoeglaw Richard Hoeg on x

  So...that's a culling.

• @zephyr_z9 @zephyr_z9 on x

  They got fired

• @stephentotilo Stephen Totilo on x

  BREAKING: Phil Spencer stepping down, Microsoft AI exec Asha Sharma stepping in Sharma commits to gaming in memo to staff. Notes: “we will not chase short-term efficiency or flood our ecosystem with soulless AI slop.” https://www.gamefile.news/...

• @benalterman.com Ben Alterman on bluesky

  She's never worked in gaming before lol.  Just kill off the brand at this point.  [embedded post]

• @stevekovach Steve Kovach on bluesky

  Microsoft Gaming isn't growing, even after the $69 billion Activision deal  —  Huge leadership shakeup in the House of Xbox to turn things around  —  www.cnbc.com/2026/02/20/m...

• @stealth40k @stealth40k on bluesky

  Big news from Team Xbox:  — Phil Spencer is retiring  — Sarah Bond resigned  — Matt Booty is becoming chief content officer  — Asha Sharma from Microsoft CoreAI is named new boss of Xbox  —  ign.com/articles/phi...  [image]

• @xboxp3 Phil Spencer on x

  It's rare in life to know when a chapter is closing, but after 38 years at Microsoft, that moment has arrived for me. I've made the decision to retire and begin the next chapter of my life. It's a milestone that's given me a chance to reflect on the incredible journey I've been

• @mightykeef @mightykeef on x

  End of an era. Phil Spencer was one of the few in charge of these big game companies, that was an actual gamer. Sad to see him go.

• @chrisavellone Chris Avellone on x

  While Phil Spencer is retiring, unfortunately copilot is not

• @thecarteldel @thecarteldel on x

  Xbox losing Phil Spencer & Sarah Bond is incredibly scary and ominous. Especially when we've heard reports of Xbox needing to be profitable enough for Microsoft to bother staying in the videogames industry

• @timsweeneyepic Tim Sweeney on x

  Thanks to Phil Spencer for 38 years of great work, innovation, and partnership at Microsoft, from intern in 1988 to head of Xbox and then EVP.

• @asha_shar Asha on x

  Today I begin my role as CEO of @Xbox. Here are my three commitments: 1/ GREAT games 2/ Return of @Xbox 3/ Future of play https://blogs.microsoft.com/ ...

• @paultassi Paul Tassi on x

  This is “say all the right things” corpospeak, which is not a surprise, but I am very, very curious to see how all this pans out and what is actually changing. It doesn't really sound any different than what Spencer and Bond have said for years [image]

• @reggie Reggie Fils-Aimé on x

  Congrats @XboxP3 on a fantastic career. The games industry is better because of your contributions. I look forward to celebrating this milestone with you.

• @theo @theo on x

  Phil loved gaming more than any other major gaming executive. If he couldn't save Xbox, I don't think it can be saved at all.

• @aarongreenberg Aaron Greenberg on x

  A lot of big news to take in today. First, I want to thank Phil Spencer for all he has done over the years to advocate and support for gaming inside Microsoft. I'm incredibly grateful for the significant positive impact he has had on my life. Through highs and lows Phil was

• @firstadopter Tae Kim on x

  New CEO of Xbox: “As monetization and AI evolve and influence this future, we will not chase short-term efficiency or flood our ecosystem with soulless AI slop. Games are and always will be art, crafted by humans, and created with the most innovative technology provided by us.” […

• @bellulargaming Michael on x

  Well that's fucking lovely. - Phil Spencer is out. Sarah Bond is out. - The new Xbox CEO ran Microsoft's AI division. - Before that, COO at Instacart and VP at Meta. Zero gaming background.

• @geoffkeighley Geoff Keighley on x

  What I hope isn't lost in today's news about Xbox is Phil Spencer's incredible career in gaming. Phil is a passionate competitor and a big gamer. You may not have always agreed with the calls, but this industry is better thanks to his involvement. [image]

• @markrein Mark Rein on x

  Wow!! End of an era for sure!! Always loved @XboxP3 - he did amazing things over the years for @Xbox and was a great partner to us at @EpicGames. Have a great retirement Phil, you've earned it!! Happy for @mattbooty too who is another great one.

• @xbox @xbox on x

  Once Team Xbox, always Team Xbox. Thank you for everything Phil. 💚

• @xboxp3 Phil Spencer on x

  From here, I'll keep doing what's always mattered so much to me: cheering on the teams pushing this industry forward and playing alongside this incredible community. I'll see you online. [image]

• @xboxp3 Phil Spencer on x

  Thank you to everyone who's been part of this chapter. This community has meant more to me than I can say.

• @xboxp3 Phil Spencer on x

  Thinking back to my start as an intern in 1988, I never could have imagined the path ahead. I've been lucky to work with so many passionate creators, partners, colleagues, and players across the industry; people who challenged me, taught me, and made this work full of joy and

• @xboxp3 Phil Spencer on x

  I'm excited for @asha_shar as she steps into the CEO role. She's joining an incredible group of people; teams full of talent, heart, and a deep commitment to the players they serve. Watching her lean in with curiosity and a real desire to strengthen the foundation we've built

• @okami13_ Kami on x

  The new head of Xbox is an AI executive with no background in gaming. https://www.ign.com/... [image]

• @mischiefsyt @mischiefsyt on x

  Everyone hates Phil Spencer but him leaving along with Sarah Bond officially marks the death of Xbox. Their replacements being a corporate bootlicker like Matt Booty and the head of Ai at Microsoft should paint a pretty obvious picture as to why they're being kicked out.

• @lukestephens Luke Stephens on x

  Bruh he's being replaced by their head of “CoreAI Product”. They're cooked

• @arron_tk Arron Automata on x

  “AI Executive named new Xbox boss.” Pack it up, gang. It's over.

• @videotechuk_ Ben on x

  Massive RIP to Phil Spencer leaving. A lot of bad decisions in recent years, but he ended up saving Xbox in 2013 and built the brand back up and did the impossible to gain the rep back. It's all going to go downhill from here with Matt Booty.

• @rgt_85 @rgt_85 on x

  RIP Xbox. It was a hell of a run.

• @firstadopter Tae Kim on x

  1. Re: Spencer leaving - about time, took Microsoft long enough 2. head of CoreAI taking over Xbox. WAT? “Taking over for Spencer for head of gaming at Microsoft will be Asha Sharma, the current head of CoreAI at Microsoft” Hey @ballmatthew , they should have just hired you

• Pure Xbox Ben Kerry on x

  Phil Spencer Announces That He's Retiring From Xbox

• @klobrille @klobrille on x

  Phil, congrats on your career at Xbox and thanks for everything!💚 On a personal level, thanks for our talks over the years. As a fan, we weren't always of the same opinion, but your dedication to Xbox and its community remains at the core of what needs to define Xbox.

• @mightykeef @mightykeef on x

  The new person in charge of Xbox has no gaming background and is the current president of CoreAi. [image]

• @dansgaming @dansgaming on x

  My theory is that Phil and Sarah did not want to shove AI into everything at XBOX so they were forced to retire and resign. Microsoft is replacing them with someone with a strong background in AI and no experience in gaming. This is just getting insane.

• @thetruebowser Doug Bowser on x

  Congratulations @XboxP3 on an incredible run! You've had a lasting impact on gaming and I appreciated our partnership and friendship over the years. You know what this means now ... we can ski/ride and golf on weekdays 😉!

• @ordinarygamers @ordinarygamers on x

  I don't doubt a gaming crash is on the way. Thankfully tons of indie stuff worth your time gets released so you might as well enjoy that.

• @welfare_jbp John Welfare on x

  I genuinely don't understand why the latest statements of Xbox heads include versions of “the return to Xbox starting with the console” You guys going to actually try and market XBS to the mass market in 2026 or something?

• @aakashgupta Aakash Gupta on x

  Asha Sharma has zero gaming industry experience. Her career started in marketing at Microsoft, then she ran operations at Porch Group, a home services startup. From there she went to Meta, where she ran product for Facebook Messenger and scaled it to billions of users. Then COO

• @nick_marseil Nicola on x

  The ability of Xbox to overshadow Playstation's fuck ups needs to be studied, it's barely been 24hrs.

• @ethangach @ethangach on x

  “renewed commitment to Xbox starting with console.” “Gaming now lives across devices, not within the limits of any single piece of hardware” Did Copilot write this? https://kotaku.com/... [image]

• @youtheremehere Mihir Sheth on x

  I interned at MS in the summer of 2011. I stayed in the office the entire night working on our group's prototype before our final presentation to Phil. I'll always remember how he cancelled his planned meetings to allow us enough time to fully explain our work even as interns.

• @detectiveseeds @detectiveseeds on x

  Microsoft Gaming saw that Playstation closed a studio, and they basically said “fuck it, lets drop some big news too guys.”

• @destiny_thememe @destiny_thememe on x

  We're approaching levels of Microslop previously unknown to mankind

• @vara_dark @vara_dark on x

  Phil retiring and Sarah Bond resigning must have been pressure from Satya Nadella. Xbox has been struggling for YEARS so it's no surprise to see he's at his wits end. Especially with the reveals of Xbox Magnus. They must want to go into the new generation with a different team.

• @detectiveseeds @detectiveseeds on x

  Sarah Bond just posted on Linkedin 4 hours ago about Xbox accessibility features from a Repost. Seems odd if she knew she was resigning from Xbox that she would do a repost like this on LinkedIn.... right? [image]

• @firstadopter Tae Kim on x

  Booty should be fired too. Xbox has been a complete disaster the last six years. Absolute clown show debacle. “Matt Booty will become Executive Vice President and Chief Content Officer”

• @cypheroftyr Tanya D. on bluesky

  Well that was a hell of a shock to come back to after some errands.  Time to see what the folks are gonna speculate about the changes at XBox; announced here:  —  www.ign.com/articles/phi...