Sarah Bond, the first Black woman to hold the position of president at Xbox, is stepping down from her executive role at the company. Bond was appointed president in 2023 to oversee the entire Xbox ecosystem, including Xbox’s hardware and software platforms, The Verge reported at the time.
She was also to take charge of leading the future of the brand, which could potentially “include a redesigned disc-less Xbox Series X next year and a next-gen hybrid console in 2028,” The Verge added.
“To manage the platform of today, and build the platform of tomorrow, we are bringing together the teams that will make this possible,” then-Microsoft Gaming CEO Phil Spencer explained in a memo obtained by The Verge.
“Sarah Bond will lead this team as President of Xbox — bringing together Devices, Player & Creator Experiences, Platform Engineering, Strategy, Business Planning, Data & Analytics and Business Development.”
Before that promotion, Bond was the Corporate Vice President, Game Creator Experience and Ecosystem at Microsoft. As part of her role, she led the Xbox division dedicated to building and commercializing products and services for game creators and partners, according to her LinkedIn profile. Bond was also instrumental in the growth of Xbox and foundational to the success of Xbox Game Pass as the then CVP of Global Gaming Partnerships and Development.
After nearly a decade at the company, Bond is now moving into her next chapter.
“I’m incredibly proud of what we’ve built together over the past eight-plus years. PC and cloud gaming are growing faster than ever, our next console is well underway, and together we’ve helped lay the foundation for a more open gaming platform that spans devices and reaches players around the world,” Bond, who was also credited for her behind-the-scenes role in the recent acquisition of Activision Blizzard, stated in her February 20 announcement post.
“I’ve decided this is the right time for me to take my next step, both personally and professionally. We’re living through a transformative technological era that will shape the next generation of our industry, and I’m energized by what’s ahead,” she added.
With a BA in Economics from Yale University and an MBA from Harvard Business School, Bond started her career at McKinsey, where she was an Associate Partner in the Seattle office.
Before joining Microsoft in 2017, she held various senior positions at T-Mobile. She led the Corporate Strategy and Development team; she was responsible for cross-functional strategic initiatives, major investments, partnerships, mergers, and acquisitions, and was a member of the team that led T-Mobile’s turnaround.
Bond is not the only executive leaving Xbox, as Spencer, CEO of Xbox and Microsoft Gaming, is also stepping down.
Spencer is leaving after nearly 40 years at Microsoft, and will be replaced by Asha Sharma, an executive who supervised some of the company’s AI initiatives in the past.
The recent development at the company has been met with mixed reactions, with some fans saying it “feels like the end of Xbox”. Even though others have questioned the gaming and industry experience of Sharma, Bond is optimistic that she will succeed.
“I’ve seen firsthand [Sharma’s] deep commitment to our players, developers, and brand,” Bond wrote. “She brings deep technology and commerce experience, along with a strong track record of building and scaling platforms that the world uses.”
Essence reports that Bond will remain at Xbox as a special advisor to ensure Sharma’s smooth transition.
