Xbox’s first COO Helen Chiang reportedly leaving Microsoft months after promotion

Helen Chiang, Xbox’s first chief operating officer, is leaving Microsoft on Oct. 23, 2026, just months after taking the job, The Verge reports. Tom Warren writes that Xbox CEO Asha Sharma announced the departure in an internal memo seen by the outlet.

Chiang spent 21 years at Microsoft and led Minecraft before her promotion to Xbox COO in July. When the role was created, Sharma described it as Xbox’s first COO position, with “end-to-end P&L responsibility across content, hardware, platform, and services,” according to The Verge.

The Verge quotes Sharma as writing, “Helen Chiang is leaving Microsoft today. I’m grateful for her years of service and wish her well.” Chiang’s immediate responsibilities are being divided among other Xbox leaders for now, . “We’ll share more on COO leadership as plans are finalized,” Sharma added, as quoted by The Verge. The report does not give a reason for Chiang’s departure or name a successor.