The non-gamer CEO racing to save Microsoft’s Xbox
Source: Fortune ·
Asha Sharma has cut thousands of jobs, consolidated studios, and rewritten the playbook. Insiders wonder if she’s saving the brand or preparing it for a non-Microsoft future.
From the source
Asha Sharma returns from one of her walking meetings around Microsoft’s sprawling campus in Redmond, Wash., to her relatively new office in the Xbox building, reached via a 1,100-foot-long bridge from the main offices. It’s a brisk early September afternoon, and Sharma is wading through the next series of changes she’ll make at the legacy gaming business. There are more layoffs to complete and more studios to consolidate. Much is still new for Sharma, the 38-year-old executive whom Microsoft CEO Satya Nadella in February put in charge of turning around one of entertainment’s biggest brands. Her office, adorned with Xbox controllers, framed Halo game discs, and a Tony Hawk’s Pro Skater skateboard, at first seems like an odd fit for an executive who famously had zero past video game experience. Yet the Xbox CEO who’s replaced gaming legend Phil Spencer is moving fast. Xbox’s finances have been in shambles while its market share has tanked from its peak years ago. Sharma must fix its…