Xbox’s first COO Helen Chiang has left the company after only three months in the role.
In an internal memo circulated on October 23 and obtained by The Verge, Xbox head Asha Sharma stated: “I’m grateful for her years of service and wish her well.”
Chiang’s role will be split between other Xbox execs until a successor is appointed. “We’ll share more on COO leadership as plans are finalised,” Sharma added.
According to our sister site Eurogamer, a source alleged that Chiang was “terminated for policy violations.” Eurogamer stated it has “not been able to independently verify this claim.”
In response, Xbox vice president of communications Kari Perez said: “We don’t discuss individual personal matters. We’re grateful for Helen’s years of service and wish her well.”
Chiang was appointed COO in July, coinciding with Xbox’s announcement to lay off 3,200 employees and divest five studios as part of a company restructuring.
Sharma previously said that Chiang’s role included “end-to-end P&L responsibility across content, hardware, and services.”
Earlier this week, Microsoft offered voluntary exit packages to up to 60,000 employees in the US, UK, Canada, and India, including Xbox staff.
Xbox employees have already experienced layoffs as part of ongoing restructuring, impacting 3,200 staff. The first round occurred in July, followed by a second in September.
Additional layoffs are reportedly planned for November and January.
“The Voluntary Exit Offer reflects an important part of how we’re evolving our approach to change: creating greater flexibility and, where possible, more ways for employees to shape their next chapter,” said Microsoft EVP chief people officer Amy Coleman.
“This builds on what we learned earlier this year through the Voluntary Retirement Program.” This program was limited to around 9,000 US employees whose age and years of service added up to at least 70.
