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Asha Sharma

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Asha Sharma
Sharma in 2026
Born1989 (age 36–37)
Racine, Wisconsin, U.S.
Other nameAMRAHSAHSA (gamertag)
EducationUniversity of Minnesota (BS)
OccupationBusiness executive
EmployerMicrosoft (2011–2013, 2024–present)
TitleEVP & CEO of Xbox (2026–present)
TermFebruary 20, 2026 – present
PredecessorPhil Spencer
Board member of
Coupang (2024–present)
Home Depot (2025–present)

Asha Sharma (born 1989) is an American business executive who serves as executive vice president (EVP) and chief executive officer (CEO) of Xbox.[1] She succeeded Phil Spencer on February 20, 2026. Previously, Sharma served as President of Microsoft's CoreAI product.

Early life

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Sharma was born in Racine, Wisconsin, in 1989. She is of Indian descent.[2] Her parents were divorced, and her mother worked at a department store. As a teenager, Sharma worked on a golf course.[3] She earned a Bachelor of Science degree in business from the Carlson School of Management at the University of Minnesota, graduating in 2011.[4][5] While she was a student, Sharma launched and led a center for at-risk teenagers called the A-list in Brooklyn Park. When she departed that leadership role, the center closed.[6]

Career

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Sharma began her career at S.C. Johnson at the age of 17.[7] After graduating from the University of Minnesota, she joined the marketing department at Microsoft in 2011, before joining the startup home services company Porch in 2013. She remained at Porch into 2017 as its chief operating officer (COO).[6] After departing Porch, she joined Facebook as VP Product & Engineering for their Messenger and Instagram Direct products.

Instacart (2021–2024)

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In February 2021, Sharma's appointment as chief operating officer (COO) of Instacart was announced.[8] She formally joined Instacart in June 2021.[9][10] While Sharma was COO, Instacart underwent an initial public offering in September 2023 at $42 per share with Sharma's shares worth $19 million.[11]

Return to Microsoft

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Sharma returned to Microsoft in February 2024 to serve as President of the CoreAI division.[12] On February 20, 2026, Sharma was announced as executive vice president and CEO of Microsoft Gaming following the retirement of Phil Spencer.[13] Her selection came as a surprise, passing over Spencer's second-in-command Sarah Bond. Sharma received scrutiny for having no professional experience in the video game industry prior to her appointment to lead Xbox.[14] Sharma's history in user acquisition was a primary motivator for her selection, as Xbox has seen declining console sales over recent years.[15] In a statement following her appointment, Sharma promised to "recommit to our core Xbox fans and players" and "not chase short-term efficiency or flood our ecosystem with soulless AI slop".[16]

Under Sharma, Xbox lowered the price of Xbox Game Pass Ultimate and wound down the development of Copilot on Xbox consoles and on the Xbox app.[17][18][19] She received praise from IGN for the price cut and for discontinuing the "This is an Xbox" marketing campaign.[20]

In July 2026, Sharma announced what she described as "the most significant restructure in Xbox history", involving approximately 3,200 job cuts during fiscal year 2027, including 1,600 immediate role eliminations. In an email to employees, she said the business was "not healthy", was operating at margins "3–10x lower than comparable platform and publishing businesses", and that Microsoft "must reset Xbox". The restructuring also included Compulsion Games and Double Fine Productions becoming independent, Ninja Theory and Undead Labs entering agreements to move to new ownership, and Arkane entering consultation over a potential sale or spin-off.[21]

Federal Reserve Productivity and Jobs Task Force

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Sharma was appointed to the United States Federal Reserve's Productivity and Jobs Task Force in June 2026 to advise on the economic impact of artificial intelligence and other emerging technologies on employment and productivity.[22]

Board memberships

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As of 2026, Sharma was serving as a board member at Coupang, Home Depot and Paley Center for Media. She previously served as a board member at Porch, Seattle Foundation, and Virginia Mason Medical Center.[23][24][10][25]

Personal life

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Sharma is a second-degree black belt in taekwondo. She has a son.[26] She has cited Indian-American businesswoman Indra Nooyi as an inspiration.[27] Sharma posted in 2026 that she had recently begun playing video games under the gamertag AMRAHSAHSA to "learn and understand" the games industry.[28][29]

See also

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References

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  1. ↑ Warren, Tom (April 23, 2026). "Microsoft brings Xbox back, scraps Microsoft Gaming". The Verge. Retrieved April 23, 2026.
  2. ↑ Rajghatta, Chidanand (February 21, 2026). "Ctrl+Alt+Elite: Microsoft hands Xbox controller to Asha Sharma". The Times of India. ISSN 0971-8257. Retrieved July 18, 2026. In a sweeping reset during Xbox's 25th anniversary year, Satya Nadella-led Microsoft has named Asha Sharma as CEO of Microsoft Gaming, pitching another Indian-American into a leadership position at a time of intense xenophobia in MAGA circles. ... For many, it is another milestone in the continued ascent of Indian-origin executives in Silicon Valley who remain uninhibited in the face of MAGA paranoia. Still, the appointment has unfolded in a fraught political moment. Online, some MAGA-aligned voices have recycled claims of corporate nepotism and "favoring their own," casting Sharma as part of an "Indian tech-bro" archetype.
  3. ↑ Ray, Tiernan (March 1, 2018). "'We Must Be Heroes to Girls and Women,' Says Facebook Exec". Barron's. Retrieved April 22, 2026.
  4. ↑ Rupard, Wade (October 14, 2022). "Executive Spotlight: Instacart COO Asha Sharma". Carlson School of Management. University of Minnesota. Retrieved March 24, 2026.
  5. ↑ "Two U of M Alumni Named among Forbes 30 Under 30". Carlson School of Management. University of Minnesota. January 14, 2015. Retrieved March 24, 2026.
  6. 1 2 Kumar, Kavita (September 5, 2015). "Sunday conversation with Asha Sharma of Porch, an online home services portal". The Minnesota Star Tribune. Retrieved March 24, 2026.
  7. ↑ Gesenhues, Amy (July 2, 2014). "Get To Know: Porch.com CMO Asha Sharma". martech.
  8. ↑ "Joining Our Table: Meet Chief Operating Officer Asha Sharma". Instacart (Press release). February 2, 2021. Retrieved March 24, 2026.
  9. ↑ "Instacart Appoints Operations And Product Leader Asha Sharma As Chief Operating Officer". Instacart. June 22, 2021. Retrieved March 24, 2026.
  10. 1 2 Bishop, Todd (February 23, 2026). "Who is Asha Sharma? A closer look at Microsoft's surprise pick to lead the Xbox business". GeekWire. Retrieved March 24, 2026.
  11. ↑ Strokes, Samantha; Persaud, Vishal; Renbarger, Madeline (September 19, 2023). "Instacart's CEO, Sequoia's Michael Moritz and D1's Daniel Sundheim have broken open the locked IPO market. Here's how much money they made". Business Insider. Retrieved April 22, 2026.
  12. ↑ McCaffrey, Ryan (February 20, 2026). "Phil Spencer Retiring, Sarah Bond Out, Matt Booty Promoted as Microsoft AI Exec Asha Sharma Named New Xbox Boss – EXCLUSIVE". IGN. Retrieved March 24, 2026.
  13. ↑ Singh, Jaspreet. "Microsoft Gaming head Phil Spencer retires, insider Asha Sharma takes over". Reuters. Retrieved July 3, 2026.
  14. ↑ Orland, Kyle (February 23, 2026). "New Microsoft gaming chief has "no tolerance for bad AI"". Ars Technica. Retrieved March 24, 2026.
  15. ↑ Warren, Tom (February 23, 2026). "Inside Microsoft's big Xbox leadership shake-up". The Verge. Retrieved March 24, 2026.
  16. ↑ Kerry, Ben (February 20, 2026). "New Xbox Boss Makes Official Statement As She Takes Over From Phil Spencer". Pure Xbox. Retrieved March 24, 2026.
  17. ↑ Warren, Tom (April 21, 2026). "Xbox Game Pass Ultimate gets a price cut but loses new Call of Duty games". The Verge. Retrieved May 25, 2026.
  18. ↑ Turkeltaub, Payton; French, Kennedy; Jacob, Arushi (May 8, 2026). "Microsoft to Stop Developing Copilot for Xbox Console, 'Winding Down' on Mobile (Gaming News Roundup)". Variety. Retrieved May 25, 2026.
  19. ↑ Colantonio, Giovanni (May 5, 2026). "Xbox officially kills console's AI chatbot in another big shakeup". Polygon. Retrieved May 25, 2026.
  20. ↑ McCaffrey, Ryan (April 21, 2026). "Dropping Game Pass Ultimate's Price Is a Key First Step on Xbox's Road to Redemption". IGN. Retrieved May 25, 2026.
  21. ↑ Yin-Poole, Wesley (July 6, 2026). "Xbox Boss Asha Sharma Announces 3,200 Layoffs, Including 1,600 Today, With 4 Studios Leaving for New Management — Read the Email to Staff in Full". IGN. Retrieved July 10, 2026.
  22. ↑ Yin-Poole, Wesley (July 9, 2026). "Xbox CEO Asha Sharma Is Advising the Federal Reserve on the Economic Impact of AI as Part of a 'Productivity and Jobs' Taskforce". IGN. Retrieved July 10, 2026.
  23. ↑ Samwell, Bobby (June 25, 2024). "Coupang Appoints Asha Sharma to Board". Market Inference. Retrieved February 22, 2026.
  24. ↑ "Home Depot nominates Microsoft AI exec to board". HBS Dealer. Archived from the original on April 8, 2025. Retrieved February 22, 2026.
  25. ↑ Schneider, Michael (May 28, 2026). "Disney CEO Josh D'Amaro, Sony Boss Hiroki Totoki Among New Paley Center Board of Trustees Members; Brian Grazer Added to L.A. Board of Governors (EXCLUSIVE)". Variety. Retrieved July 3, 2026.
  26. ↑ Lenny Rachitsky (August 28, 2025). "How 80,000 companies build with AI: Products as organisms and the death of org charts - Asha Sharma" (Podcast).
  27. ↑ "40 Under 40: Asha Sharma, Instacart". San Francisco Business Times. April 21, 2023. Retrieved July 18, 2026.
  28. ↑ Asha Sharma [@asha_shar] (February 23, 2026). "I also didn't expect my gamertag to blowup and the reality is more boring. I created it recently to learn and understand this world. I've played with my family, and it's a shared home account across devices (which you can see in the range of games /achievements). Fixed that this weekend and everyone is only playing on their own GTs" (Tweet) – via X (formerly Twitter).
  29. ↑ Phillips, Tom (February 23, 2026). "'Beep Boop Beep Boop': New Xbox Boss Asha Sharma Hits Back at Claim Her Social Media Account Is Run by AI, and Posts Her Gamertag". IGN. Retrieved March 4, 2026.
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