Last week, Xbox’s current management led by Asha Sharma saw its first significant shake-up when Helen Chiang left the role of Xbox Chief Operating Officer (COO) after only three months. Following the confirmation of this rather surprising change, Chiang shared a letter of clarification which paints a rather worrying picture for Xbox on the eve of the reveal and launch of the Xbox Project Helix.
“There has been some speculation about my abrupt departure from Microsoft, including claims that I was ‘fired for a policy violation’. That’s not accurate and while I won’t turn this into a play-by-play, silence should not be mistaken for agreement,” the former Xbox COO said in a post titled “Clarity is Kindness”. “What has been said about my departure, and what has been left unsaid, has created a picture of me that I hardly recognize. It’s important to me to set the record straight.”
The letter clarifies that Chiang did not leak confidential company information to the press, did not leave Xbox to join another company, and did not engage in “discrimination, bullying, harassment, insider trading, embezzlement, or other fraudulent activity.”
Chiang also did not leave for a bigger role. “I haven’t actively sought out bigger roles or increased responsibilities, and the last time I interviewed for a job was in 2011. My reputation and results paved the way for the opportunities that followed. I went where the company believed I was needed and where I could have the greatest impact. I did not ask for my most recent role, either. I was promoted into it in July.”
While the clarification was necessary due to rampant rumors, it’s the next part of the letter that paints a worrying picture. “I believe in fairness, accountability, and holding ourselves to the standards we expect of others. Those standards only mean something when they’re applied consistently. I have serious concerns about how they were applied in my case, and I believe those concerns deserve to be taken seriously,”Chiang said. Although no specifics have obviously been provided, it’s clear that there’s a lot behind Chiang’s removal from the Xbox COO role, and none of it is good.
Painting a clearer picture is a comment left on the post by Shannon Loftis, a 29-year Microsoft veteran who already shared criticism of the current leadership. “Team Helen all the way. The ‘leak’ itself (of false information, for what purpose -? Let’s all speculate on who made THAT decision) shows the loss of moral character and ‘clarity’ in leadership at Xbox. A real leadership team would have relentlessly pursued the ‘leaker’ and taken appropriate action because ‘confidential personnel matters’ actually are bases for defamation lawsuits,” the Xbox veteran said.
“It’s a clownshow up in there and I feel terrible for anyone that still has to deal with it,”Loftis concluded, leaving little doubt about the current climate at Xbox.
Watching what has been unfolding at Xbox following Phil Spencer‘s stepping down and Asha Sharma taking the lead, there was little doubt that very few within the company are happy with the new management. With project cancellations, studios getting closed, sold, or seeing significant layoffs like id Software, and a slew of controversial decisions with little economic benefit, such as confirming Gears of War: E-Day an Xbox exclusive only a few weeks before launch, the outlook is definitely worrying for the company ahead of the launch of the Xbox Project Helix, whose high price would have made it a hard sell even without all the drama unfolding before our eyes.
And with more layoffs looming on the horizon as part of Sharma’s reset, the morale at the company could reach an all-time low at a time when the exact opposite would be required for a successful next-generation launch.
About the author: Francesco De Meo has been covering video games and technology since 2012, starting his career at small outlets like Gamersyndrome and GeekSnack.
After joining Wccftech gaming section in 2015, he quickly expanded his video gaming coverage with in-depth reporting, interviews with iconic industry figures such as Grasshopper Manufacture founder and No More Heroes creator Goichi “Suda51” Suda, Resident Evil series creator Shinji Mikami, Team NINJA’s president and Nioh series director Fumihiko Yasuda, and Silent Hill creator Keiichiro Toyama, reviews and on-the-ground coverage of major industry events such as Gamescom and E3.
When he’s not reporting or reviewing, Francesco can be found playing the genres he loves most, spending time with his six cats, reading, writing music, playing guitar and drumming for his progressive rock band.
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