Former Xbox President Sarah Bond breaks silence after surprise exit

Former Xbox president Sarah Bond has broken her silence following last week’s stunning leadership shakeup at Microsoft Gaming.

In a heartfelt LinkedIn post, Bond published the note she sent to her team, writing that she is "incredibly proud of what we’ve built together over the past eight-plus years." The post followed the news that both Bond and longtime Xbox chief Phil Spencer were stepping down.

She pointed to Xbox’s growth in PC and cloud gaming, development of its next console, and efforts to create "a more open gaming platform that spans devices."

"With that, I’ve decided this is the right time for me to take my next step, both personally and professionally," Bond wrote, adding that she will remain on as a special advisor to incoming Xbox head Asha Sharma during the transition.

The post marked Bond’s first public comments since the "huge shakeup" at Xbox, which saw Spencer retire and Asha Sharma elevated to Executive Vice President and CEO of Microsoft Gaming. At the time, Bond was widely viewed as Spencer’s heir apparent and had recently spoken publicly about the next generation of Xbox hardware.

Bond joined Xbox in 2017 after stints at McKinsey and T-Mobile and went on to play a key role in Microsoft’s $69 billion acquisition of Activision Blizzard. She also positioned herself as a visible 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.

Xbox now enters a new chapter under Sharma, a CoreAI executive with limited gaming experience. For Bond, meanwhile, the next move remains unclear — though her note said she would "remain on as a Special Advisor to Asha" during the transition.