Xbox COO Helen Chiang leaves Microsoft after three months

Xbox has lost its first chief operating officer only a few months after creating the job. Helen Chiang left Microsoft on Friday, 23 October, according to an internal memo from Xbox CEO Asha Sharma that The Verge has seen.

A very short memo

The memo is unusually brief for a senior departure. "Helen Chiang is leaving Microsoft today. I'm grateful for her years of service and wish her well," Sharma wrote, according to The Verge. Because Chiang left the same day, her immediate responsibilities are being divided among other Xbox leaders. Sharma added: "We'll share more on COO leadership as plans are finalized."

Microsoft declined to say why Chiang is leaving. Xbox vice president of communications Kari Perez told The Verge: "We don't discuss individual personnel matters. We're grateful for Helen's years of service and wish her well." The Verge notes that the abrupt timing and the split of her duties suggest this may not have been a resignation, but Microsoft has not said so.

Who Helen Chiang is

Chiang spent 21 years at Microsoft. She is best known for leading Minecraft and Mojang, and Sharma has credited her with helping build Xbox Live. In July, as part of Sharma's company-wide "reset" of Xbox, she was promoted to the newly created COO post. She reported directly to Sharma and had end-to-end profit-and-loss responsibility across content, hardware, platform and services.

At the time, Sharma said Chiang would bring the businesses together under one operating model, make clear investment decisions and hold teams accountable for results. That made the COO role central to the restructuring now underway.

Why it matters for players

For now, nothing changes for Game Pass subscribers or console owners. But the exit comes at a busy and uncertain moment for Xbox. The Verge reports rumours of more layoffs this month, in November and in January. Microsoft is also testing paid extra time for cloud gaming, as we covered in our look at Xbox cloud playtime pack prices. Reports also suggest next-generation hardware could be expensive, as in the Project Helix price report.

Who takes over the operating role, and whether the job is redefined, will show where Xbox's priorities lie next. If you're gaming on PC in the meantime, our PC game controller buying guide explains which pads work best with Windows.