Helen Chiang leaves Microsoft months after becoming Xbox COO

Helen Chiang is leaving Microsoft roughly three months after becoming Xbox’s first chief operating officer, according to an internal memo reported by The Verge. Her departure leaves Xbox to divide her immediate duties among other leaders while it finalizes plans for COO leadership.

The Verge, which said it reviewed the memo, reported that Xbox CEO Asha Sharma told employees Chiang was leaving on Oct. 23. The memo did not give a reason for Chiang’s exit, and no permanent successor was named.

Why is Helen Chiang leaving Microsoft?

No explanation for Chiang’s departure was disclosed in the reported memo. Sharma thanked Chiang for her years at Microsoft and said Xbox would provide more information on COO leadership after its plans are finalized, according to The Verge.

Chiang had spent 21 years at Microsoft before the reported departure. She had led Mojang and the Minecraft franchise before moving into the Xbox COO job in July, The Verge reported.

What was Xbox’s COO role?

Xbox publicly announced on July 6 that it was establishing a chief operating officer position for the first time. The company said Chiang would report directly to Sharma and hold end-to-end profit-and-loss responsibility across Xbox content, hardware, platform and services.

In that announcement, Xbox said the role was intended to bring its businesses under one operating model, support investment decisions and strengthen accountability. The company also cited Chiang’s earlier work on Xbox Live as well as her leadership of Mojang and Minecraft.

The post was created as part of Xbox’s broader reset. In the same July announcement, Xbox said it planned to cut about 3,200 positions during fiscal 2027 and reorganize parts of the business.

Chiang’s exit comes before Xbox has said who will take over the COO post permanently. For now, the reported memo said, her responsibilities are split among other Xbox leaders.

This story draws on original reporting from The Verge.