Sarah Bond's Departure Delighted Many: Her Console-Free Games Strategy Irritated the Team
The departures of Phil Spencer and Sarah Bond from Xbox leadership were planned in advance. According to Tom Warren from The Verge, Microsoft planned to announce Spencer's resignation later, but due to an information leak, the timing had to be accelerated.
Windows Central sources confirm that Spencer had been discussing his decision with leadership for several months. The situation with Bond is different: her name was barely mentioned in the press release, and she allegedly learned about her departure from the announcement itself.
Some Xbox employees received the news with relief, calling her "difficult to work with," although some acknowledged her merits in forging partnerships with publishers.
The "This is an Xbox" marketing campaign, which promoted the idea of gaming without a console, caused irritation within the team—employees perceived it as a signal of the decreasing priority of the console business.
The new head, Asha Sharma, announced the "return of Xbox" and an adjustment to the strategy with a focus on consoles. Bond's course is effectively being rolled back.