By Tom Warren
Publication Date: 2026-11-02 18:43:00
Xbox’s former chief operating officer, Helen Chiang, suddenly left Microsoft less than two weeks ago after being promoted into the role in July. I wrote in my Notepad newsletter last week that it seemed very weird for Chiang to suddenly depart Microsoft after 21 years with a surprisingly short memo from Xbox CEO Asha Sharma. Now, Chiang says she has “serious concerns” about how she was treated.
In a lengthy LinkedIn post — entitled “clarity is kindness,” a reference to Sharma’s WSJ profile — Chiang doesn’t dispute that she was fired, but she doesn’t say why she was let go. Eurogamer reported last month that Chiang had been “terminated for policy violations,” but she says this is “not accurate.”
Chiang denies unfounded rumors that speculated she was leaking confidential information, or that she left to join a competitor. It’s clear the decision to leave Xbox was out of her hands. “You don’t spend two decades somewhere without developing a deep loyalty…
