Former Xbox COO Helen Chiang has broken her silence after abruptly departing the role three months after taking up the reins.
If you remember, she was brought in by CEO Asha Sharma to oversee the end-to-end streamlining of the brand’s business model. That’s no mean feat, but she has 21 years of experience, including working with the Xbox Live platform and as head of Minecraft developer Mojang.
Taking to LinkedIn to address rumors about less-than-ideal circumstances surrounding her departure, Chiang was tactful and a tad cryptic about what really happened. “I stand by my record: both the results I delivered and the way I have treated people throughout my career. I won’t let speculation define my character or erase that record.
“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.”
That’s definitely a tad taciturn, but her categorical denial of rumors suggesting a termination due to policy violations only adds to the mystery of what could have soured an otherwise fruitful working relationship with whatever Xbox is becoming in the next few months, even as it recently reported a decline in its growth and hardware sales. Well, let’s hope that changes (and fast), and that Chiang hits the ground running wherever she goes next.
In the meantime, the remaining Xbox leadership is reportedly handling Chiang’s responsibilities. There’s no official word on whether the division will find a replacement (or if it’s even looking for one), so stay tuned for further announcements in the coming months.
