- Xbox CEO Asha Sharma has been appointed as an advisor for productivity and jobs to the US Federal Reserve.
- This comes after the recent mass layoffs at Xbox, which led to 3,200 workers losing their jobs.
- Sharma's new appointment has been met with mixed reactions from the public.
The United States Federal Reserve has announced new task forces to study modern trends in the economy. Among the names tapped by the Reserve for leadership is Xbox CEO Asha Sharma, who will be leading the “Productivity and Jobs” task force focused on tech like AI. With the recent shakeup over at Xbox, this decision has raised some eyebrows.
Xbox CEO Asha Sharma’s New Role as Federal Reserve Advisor Attracts Criticism Amidst Layoffs
The new Federal Reserve task force led by the recently appointed Xbox CEO will focus on assessing how technologies like AI are impacting the economy and the workforce. The team’s job will be to understand how AI and other tech are changing how businesses function and to analyze their long-term impact on the US job market. This won’t be Sharma’s first stint with AI, as she previously served as the president of Microsoft’s CoreAI product, and she also put an end to Copilot on Xbox earlier this year.
Understandably, this has attracted a lot of attention from the public, especially after Sharma’s recent “reset” plans led to 3,200 workers being laid off at Xbox. In a letter sent out to all Xbox employees, Sharma cited factors like the slow growth of Xbox Game Pass and acquisitions not paying off for the restructuring.
The layoffs have impacted multiple studios like Bethesda and id Software. This has led to the decision to have her on as an advisor, specifically for “jobs,” feel a bit odd to many. Reacting to the situation, one user stated: “Jobs task force? She just laid off 20% of her workforce,” while another user echoed: “Lay people off = employment advisor… okay.” One user even joked about rising console game prices, exclaiming: “Xbox CEO explaining to the Federal Reserve why people need to pay $70 for the same map”
However, others also argued against the backlash to Sharma’s new position after Xbox’s restructuring, stating: “I think it’s crazy people blame Asha for the layoffs after watching Phil Spencer run Xbox into the ground for 2 generations.” Meanwhile, another user agreed, stating: “She’s making the hard decisions that need to be made and trying to clean up Xbox to provide value again to Microsoft and customers.”
While the Federal Reserve hopes to navigate a changing economy with leaders like Asha Sharma, it looks like, at least for a while, her appointment will remain a major point of discussion.
What do you think about the Xbox CEO’s new role at the US Federal Reserve? Tell us in the comments below!
