Asha Sharma, the new CEO of Microsoft Gaming, is already being questioned by gamers.

To put it mildly, the change in Xbox leadership does not appear to be going smoothly.

The 36-year-old executive has no previous experience in the gaming industry. She joined Microsoft in 2011, working in the marketing department for two years before leaving to become the managing director of the Porch Group, a home insurance platform. She then returned to the technology industry, joining Meta as a product manager for Messenger and Instagram Direct, as well as the managing director of calls, videos, and experiences for kids. In 2021, she worked as a managing director at Instacart, a leading food technology company. After three years, she returned to Microsoft as president of CoreAI, where she led a portfolio of AI models, applications, agents, responsible AI, and developer tools for customers.

Her previous work at Microsoft’s AI division has gamers concerned. Sharma was likely aware of this, writing that they would not chase short-term efficiency nor flood their ecosystem with soulless AI slop. However, he did not get off to a great start. Over the weekend, he responded to several gamers on Twitter, telling them to contact the Xbox community. Fans were quick to point out, though, that her responses could have been written by an AI bot. Here’s an example: “Great list. I listed my top three in another reply: Halo, Valheim, and 007. It’s been a long time since I played Chrono Trigger. Have you seen every ending? Thanks for all the detail! I really appreciate it.”

Great list. I did my top 3 in another reply. Halo, Valheim, 007. It’s been a long time since I played Chrono Trigger. Have you done every ending? Thanks for all the detail. I appreciate it a ton.

— Asha (@asha_shar) February 21, 2026

The new Xbox boss revealed her gamertag, and fans quickly noticed a few things: It was created last month, and it already has quite a bit of playtime. She later tweeted that she is not Phil Spencer, referencing the former CEO’s well-known gaming habits. It’s not mandatory for a gaming industry executive to be a gamer. However, due to her lack of industry experience and her aforementioned skepticism of AI, Sharma will have a hard time winning over disheartened Xbox fans. The new Xbox CEO responded to the accusations with a tweet:

I agree. Faking would be a terrible idea and wouldn’t work. I also didn’t expect my gamertag to blowup and the reality is more boring. I created it recently to learn and understand this world. I’ve played with my family, and it’s a shared home account across devices (which you…

— Asha (@asha_shar) February 24, 2026

“Faking it would be a terrible idea and wouldn’t work. I didn’t expect my gamertag to blow up, and the reality is more boring. I created it recently to learn and understand this world. I’ve played with my family, and it’s a shared home account across devices, as you can see from the range of games and achievements. I fixed that this weekend, and now everyone is only playing on their own GTs. But I understand where this is coming from. I don’t claim to be the best gamer, and even though I play, that’s not my goal. My focus is on making Xbox the best place to play, returning to our roots, shipping great things, and becoming stronger for the future. And yes, I’m writing my own posts,” Sharma wrote.

Xbox founder and creator Seamus Blackley also shared his opinion on Sharma’s real mission. He believes that the goal is to gradually dismantle the Xbox division while Microsoft focuses entirely on AI.

Source: WCCFTech