Sarah Bond, who was the first Black woman to be president at Xbox, is stepping down from her executive role at Xbox.
At Xbox, Bond served as president for nearly two-and-a-half years. Throughout her time at the company, she led teams through unprecedented times, from the pandemic to technological transformation. Practically, this included charting strategic direction and operational execution for the Microsoft-owned gaming platform. A big part of Bond’s strategy was evolving Xbox past the traditional gaming platform. She also oversaw cross-functional teams across engineering, product development, marketing, and more, according to her LinkedIn.
“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 said in her February 20 LinkedIn announcement post. During her time at the company, she also helped finalize Microsoft’s $68.7 billion Activision Blizzard acquisition.
In her LinkedIn post, Bond continued, “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.”
Bond’s departure marks another shakeup at Xbox. The Harvard Business School graduate was with the company nearly 9 years, working her way up from a corporate vice president to president, period. Many expected her to succeed Phil Spencer, the longtime CEO of Xbox and Microsoft Gaming, but internally, according to reporting by The Verge, some employees thought it was inevitable she would be looked over. Instead, Spencer retired from Xbox at the same time as Bond’s resignation announcement, after he spent 38 years at the company. Now, Asha Sharma, a senior Microsoft AI executive, is taking the helm as CEO.
“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.”
Bond — who champions a brilliant resume, which includes her Yale undergraduate and Harvard business school degree, in addition to roles at McKinsey, T-Mobile, and more — will stay on at Xbox as a special advisor to ensure Sharma’s smooth transition.
“As I prepare to sign off, I’ve been reflecting on three simple questions I’ve tried to use to guide my days: Did I bring my best? Did I help someone else succeed? Did I do my best work? I hope the answer has been yes for many of you,” Bond penned, closing her farewell post.