Sarah Bond, the first Black woman to become president at Xbox, announced her plans to step down from the position.
In a LinkedIn announcement, although she will no longer be president, Bond said that she is set to stay on at the gaming company as a special advisor to help Microsoft AI executive Asha Sharma transition into the role.
After graduating from Harvard Business School, she initially joined the company almost 9 years ago. Since joining the company, Bond has also held the position of corporate vice president. Her previous credentials include roles at T-Mobile and McKinsey.
“I’m incredibly proud of what we’ve built together over the past eight-plus years. PC and cloud gaming are growing faster than ever, our next console is well underway, and together we’ve helped lay the foundation for a more open gaming platform that spans devices and reaches players around the world,” said Bond in her LinkedIn post. “I’ve decided this is the right time for me to take my next step, both personally and professionally.”
“We’re living through a transformative technological era that will shape the next generation of our industry, and I’m energized by what’s ahead,” she continued.
Throughout her career at Xbox, Bond played a pivotal role in leading the video gaming company into its latest phase. In 2022, she helped oversee the acquisition of Activision Blizzard. Worth $68.7 million in value, the deal incorporated games such as “Call of Duty,” “Candy Crush,” “World of Warcraft,” “Diablo” and “Overwatch” into Xbox’s world.
Bond also led initiatives such as “Xbox Play Anywhere,” which lets users play supported digital games across different consoles, including phones and tablets, through cloud gaming. She has also helped spearhead initiatives to diversify the gaming industry.
In 2021, during an interview with Axios, Bond affirmed her goal to help BIPOC creators with entering the video game creation world. According to the advocacy group Black in Gaming, over the past 30 years, only 2% of the gaming industry has been composed of Black creators.
Throughout her tenure as president, Bond served as an executive sponsor for the Blacks @ Microsoft Employee Resource Group. She also supported the launch of multiple programs dedicated to helping BIPOC gaming creators start their careers in the tech world.
“As I prepare to sign off, I’ve been reflecting on three simple questions I’ve tried to use to guide my days: Did I bring my best? Did I help someone else succeed? Did I do my best work? I hope the answer has been yes for many of you,” said Bond in her sign-off post. “It’s been a privilege to work alongside this team.”
