Although Asha Sharma's appointment as Xbox CEO led to some controversial decisions, such as the large-scale layoffs in July, a new Wall Street Journal report on Sharma points out that one of the key elements of her leadership is transparency. Bethesda's Todd Howard also spoke about this trait of Sharma's and praised her communication skills.
He said, "She is very good at getting straight to the point, communicating clearly, and pointing out 'where the problems lie and where the opportunities are.'"
Chris Plante, host and founder of the podcast Post Games, even pointed out that Sharma's communication and leadership style is vastly different from that of former Xbox president Phil Spencer. "Phil has always tried hard to be everyone's good friend. Now someone is playing the exact opposite role, which feels quite discordant," he noted, adding that Spencer would even play games during meetings.
Speaking on why she took the role of Xbox CEO, Sharma stated that the final decision stemmed from her firm belief that she could bring "unique value" to the entire division. "It wasn't a question of 'Do I want to do this?' but rather 'Do I believe I can bring unique value?'" She also mentioned that her life goals lean more towards exploring her own potential than pursuing a specific position. "I don't know who I want to become. I'm just more inclined to do what I can do."
As part of her long-term planning for Xbox, Sharma discussed her hope that various Xbox departments would share successes and failures more openly.
At an all-hands meeting held at the offices of Minecraft developer Mojang, Sharma said, "Great companies are very willing to share successes and victories," and that every company needs to better share tricky issues and real realities." This aligns with her philosophy that "clarity is kindness."
Reports from earlier this year show that Sharma tends to openly share any potential bad news. For example, a report in July indicated that she discussed the future of Xbox in an internal memo, pointing out that the company needs to focus on its "Four Core Pillars": Core, Content, Creation, and Connection.
According to reports, she stated in a memo: "In fiscal years 2028 and 2029, our 'Four Core Pillars' (4C) and development roadmap must shift towards businesses that create tangible value for players and accelerate revenue growth." Each of these four pillars is further divided into several stages, one of which is "scaling effective strategies." Sharma pointed out that by 2030, she hopes to "make progress towards half of our long-term daily player targets, while maintaining double-digit continuous growth in player count and user engagement, and possessing industry-leading profit margins."
Given that large-scale layoffs at Xbox resulted in approximately 1,600 job losses, Sharma issued a statement saying the company plans to lay off another 1,600 employees, bringing the total number of layoffs to around 3,200 by the end of this fiscal year. Following the layoffs, Sharma also discussed how the company had "spread its efforts too thin," failing to focus on core business and instead engaging in a series of "gambles" that ultimately ended in failure.