Two Senior Xbox Executives Depart, One Heading to Netflix Gaming

Microsoft has lost two more long-serving members of its senior Xbox team: Lori Wright, Corporate Vice President of Partnerships, Business Development and Marketing, and Haiyan Zhang, General Manager of Gaming AI. Both announced their departures on LinkedIn.

Zhang is heading to Netflix's gaming team. Wright, by contrast, didn't specify her exact departure date or where she'll be working next. Wright wrote on LinkedIn: "What an incredible decade it has been. Thank you Microsoft and #Xbox for all the memories! As I prepare to depart in the coming weeks, I wanted to say a special thanks to the many colleagues, partners, and friends who shaped my journey. I leave with overwhelming gratitude for the adventure of a lifetime. As for what comes next, I'm hoping for a lot of beautiful sunrises and sunsets, and discovering what lies in the space in between."

Wright has worked at Microsoft since 2017 and began her role as VP of Xbox business development in October 2019. Zhang's run at Microsoft spans 13 years, having joined in 2013. After taking the reins of Xbox's AI efforts in 2022, Zhang described leaving as "the hardest decision of my life."

Zhang didn't soften the moment online, either. When The Verge's Tom Warren announced her departure on X, she replied, "It's just a new job, dude. Apparently [people] do that :)", and when another commenter likened her resignation to "the rats leaving a ship", she responded: "sometimes it's just all about ME and nobody else." On LinkedIn, the tone was more reflective: "At Microsoft, I felt I had truly found my people: a place where I could belong," she wrote, adding, "I hope I carry forward some small piece of the culture we built together: one of curiosity, acceptance, and inclusion."

These departures come a month after Microsoft Gaming CEO Phil Spencer retired from the company, alongside Xbox president Sarah Bond's resignation. Spencer joined Microsoft in 1988 and served as CEO of Xbox for 12 years, with his exit signaling a massive shift in the brand's identity. When Spencer retired in late February, he saw the end of his 38-year tenure at Xbox as a chapter closing.

Sarah Bond, Xbox's president, had been expected to replace Spencer upon his departure. Instead, the role went to former Meta vice president Asha Sharma, who has pledged to return Xbox to its former glory. Sharma has attempted to calm fears about the infusion of AI into Xbox's future, given her own professional background with the divisive technology, and has utilized social media to remain in direct communication with fans, even broadcasting her own Xbox gamertag.

Earlier this month, Xbox shared a key update about its next-generation console, codenamed Project Helix. It will be able to play PC games as well as Xbox ones and will "lead in performance" according to Sharma. In a recent interview with Windows Central, Sharma also said "the plan's the plan until it's not the plan," a comment that will do little to quiet speculation about where the platform is headed without two of its most senior architects in place.