RPGs

Asha Sharma-appointed Xbox VP of engineering leaves just three months after moving over from Microsoft's CoreAI team

Jared Palmer, brought onto the Xbox team by division leader Asha Sharma in May, has departed Microsoft after three months to lead engineering at Cognition.

IRLMSQ Editorial Desk1 min read
Asha Sharma-appointed Xbox VP of engineering leaves just three months after moving over from Microsoft's CoreAI team

Jared Palmer, the Xbox Vice President of Engineering, has left the company after just three months in the position. He has departed Microsoft to lead engineering at AI startup Cognition, according to Eurogamer.

Addressing his departure on X, Palmer wrote: "Personal update: I've joined Cognition to lead engineering. I'm grateful to Asha Sharma and everyone at Xbox for an amazing year."

Brief Xbox Tenure

Palmer joined Microsoft's CoreAI team in October before moving over to the Xbox division in May. He was brought into the gaming department by Asha Sharma, who became the leader of the Xbox division in February, taking over following the Phil Spencer regime. Palmer was one of several former colleagues Sharma brought from CoreAI to Xbox.

During his three-month stint at Xbox, Palmer was responsible for developer tools, engineering, product, and infrastructure. When announcing his hire, Sharma praised his track record, stating, "He's spent his career building developer tools that remove friction and increase productivity. That's exactly the mindset we want, using technology to support creators."

Organizational Changes at Xbox

Palmer's exit comes during a period of major structural changes across Microsoft's gaming business under Sharma's leadership. Current plans include laying off 1,600 employees across owned studios, with an additional 1,600 layoffs planned for fiscal year 2027. Microsoft is also divesting from four previously owned studios and proposing to close another.

While the exact reasons behind Palmer's quick exit remain unknown, reporting suggests his departure may be tied more directly to the opportunity at Cognition than his brief time at Microsoft. It is currently unclear how this leadership shift and ongoing restructuring will affect Xbox's future hardware plans, including the next-gen console known as Project Helix.

Editorial note: Generated with AI from the cited sources and published through IRLMSQ's automated news workflow. This article was not reviewed by a human before publication. Editorial standards

xbox

Comments

Sign in to join the discussion.

No comments yet. Be the first to join the discussion.

Related

Related Articles