Asha Sharma, Executive Vice President and CEO of Xbox, has announced a series of organizational and product changes aimed at accelerating the division’s momentum. In a statement shared on social media, Sharma confirmed that Xbox will begin retiring features that no longer align with its direction, with Microsoft’s Copilot integration among the first to be cut.
Xbox needs to move faster, deepen our connection with the community, and address friction for both players and developers.
Today, we promoted leaders who helped build Xbox, while also bringing in new voices to help push us forward. This balance is important as we get the business…— Asha (@asha_shar) May 5, 2026
Specifically, Sharma stated that Xbox will wind down Copilot on mobile and halt development of Copilot on console entirely. Those two platforms represented the full extent of Copilot’s presence within the Xbox ecosystem, meaning this move effectively ends the AI assistant’s role across Xbox’s consumer-facing products.
“We will begin winding down Copilot on mobile and will stop development of Copilot on console.” — Asha Sharma, EVP and CEO of Xbox
I was firmly against adding Copilot to Xbox from the start, and I know everyone I spoke to was in the same position. No one wanted this, and I am glad to see someone, especially a leader who came from Microsoft’s AI division, is finally putting this idea to bed.
However, what is odd about this is that Microsoft’s Satya Madella is all for adding AI to just about everything and has been a firm advocator for AI. He gets upset when people all AI, AI Slop. And yet, having Copilot being removed from Xbox and mobile could be seen as a reversal of that. So, what does he think about this recent turn of events?
Sharma framed the decision as part of a broader strategic shift. She outlined three key priorities moving forward: increasing speed across the organization, strengthening connections with the gaming community, and reducing friction for both players and developers. The removal of Copilot was positioned as a step toward those goals rather than a standalone decision.
The announcement also included leadership changes within Xbox. Sharma noted that several existing leaders have been promoted while new voices have been brought into the fold. According to her, that balance between experience and fresh perspective is critical as Xbox works to get the business back on track.
Sharma has been in the role for less than three months, and these changes signal a willingness to move quickly. The Copilot rollback follows another recent shift, which saw Xbox reduce the pricing of Xbox Game Pass. Together, these moves represent a clear departure from some of the division’s previous product and commercial strategies.
At this time, Microsoft has not provided a timeline for when Copilot on mobile will be fully retired, nor have they shared additional details about the halted console development.
