Inside Xbox's executive shakeup

Decoder with Nilay Patel

Vox Media Podcast Network

Business, Technology

4.2 • 3.4K Ratings

🗓️ 26 February 2026

⏱️ 49 minutes

🔗️ Recording | iTunes | RSS

🧾️ Download transcript

Summary

Today, we’re talking about the future of Xbox. Phil Spencer, a two-time Decoder guest who’s led Xbox for more than a decade, is stepping down. But in a shocking twist, his deputy long-assumed successor Sarah Bond is also out too, and the Xbox division is now in the hands of an Asha Sharma, one of Microsoft’s AI executives with no prior game industry experience. There is no better person to talk to about all of this than Tom Warren, senior editor here at The Verge and author of the excellent Notepad newsletter. Tom is actually on parental leave right now, but Microsoft has a longstanding habit of disrupting his well-earned time off. So, Tom was gracious enough to come on the show after publishing a major scoop about what went down at Xbox this past week. Read the full interview transcript on The Verge. Links: Inside Microsoft’s big Xbox leadership shake-up | The Verge Billions of dollars later and still nobody knows what an Xbox is | The Verge Xbox chief Phil Spencer is leaving Microsoft | The Verge Read Xbox chief Phil Spencer’s memo about leaving Microsoft | The Verge Here’s what Xbox is working on for 2026 | The Verge AMD hints Microsoft could launch its next-gen Xbox in 2027 | The Verge The next Xbox is going to be very different | The Verge Xbox co-founder believes it’s being ‘sunsetted’ in favor of AI | VGC Subscribe to The Verge to access the ad-free version of Decoder! Credits: Decoder is a production of The Verge and part of the Vox Media Podcast Network. Decoder is produced by Kate Cox and Nick Statt and edited by Ursa Wright. Our editorial director is Kevin McShane. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

Transcript

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0:00.0	Support for this show comes from Odu.
0:03.0	Running a business is hard enough, so why make it harder with a dozen different apps that don't talk to each other?
0:09.7	Introducing Odu, it's the only business software you'll ever need.
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0:27.8	That's why over thousands of businesses have made the switch.
0:31.1	So why not you?
0:32.4	Try O-D-O-4-free at O-D-O-O-O-O.com. That's ODOO.com.
0:42.6	Hello and welcome to Decoder.
0:44.0	I'm Eli Patel, editor-in-chief of The Verge,
0:45.6	and Decoder is my show about big ideas and other problems.
0:48.7	Today, let's talk about the future of Xbox.
0:51.2	Phil Spencer, the CEO of Microsoft Gaming,
0:53.5	and a two-time decoder guest,
0:55.5	whose led Xbox for more than a decade, just resigned. But in a shocking twist, his deputy,
1:00.3	and long-assumed successor, Sarah Bond, is also out too. And Microsoft Gaming is now
1:05.7	in the hands of Asha Sharma, one of Microsoft's AI executives with no prior game industry experience. It's a major
1:12.6	leadership transition that suggests Microsoft wants to make serious changes to its gaming division,
1:17.4	which owns franchises like Halo, Call of Duty, and Minecraft. There's literally no better person
1:22.3	to talk about all of this with than Tom Warren, a senior editor here at The Verge and author
1:26.6	of the excellent newsletter,
	...

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