Xbox CEO Asha Sharma reportedly spends several hours each month personally responding to support tickets submitted by players and resolving related issues. She hopes to gain insight into the actual difficulties Xbox users encounter when seeking help.
These remarks come from a recent profile published by The Wall Street Journal. The report revealed that this work helped Sharma realize that even resolving a single player's issue can involve highly complex processes behind the scenes.
Sharma became CEO of Xbox earlier this year. Since taking office, Xbox has adjusted its exclusivity strategy and Game Pass pricing policies, while also proceeding with large-scale layoffs. The layoffs launched in July initially affected 1,600 positions, and by the end of Microsoft's current fiscal year, the number of affected roles had increased to 3,200.
As part of efforts to "reset" Xbox's business and restore growth, the company has also severed ties with several of its studios. Compulsion Games and Double Fine Productions have once again become fully independent studios, while Ninja Theory and Undead Labs have reached agreements to join new owners.
Before taking over Xbox, Sharma served as President of CoreAI Products at Microsoft and previously held the role of Vice President of Product and Engineering at Facebook, where she oversaw products related to Messenger and Instagram Direct.
Sharma stated last month that over 200 million new players tried Xbox and its games for the first time in fiscal year 2026, but this user base expansion has not yet translated into significant business growth. She said the company needs to continue investing in content that players value and expects Xbox to return to growth by the end of fiscal year 2027, which ends on June 30, 2027.