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

What the report says

Eurogamer reports that Jared Palmer, a recently appointed Xbox vice president of engineering, has left Microsoft’s gaming division roughly three months after moving there from Microsoft’s CoreAI organization. According to the report, Palmer announced on X that he has joined Cognition, an artificial intelligence company, where he will lead engineering.

The article says Palmer was one of several colleagues brought over by Asha Sharma after she was assigned to lead Xbox in February, replacing what Eurogamer describes as the Phil Spencer regime. Palmer had joined Microsoft’s CoreAI team in October before shifting to Xbox in May. At the time of that move, Sharma said he would work across developer tools, engineering, product and infrastructure, with a focus on technology that helps creators work more efficiently.

Eurogamer notes that the reason for Palmer’s quick departure from Xbox is not known, and it cautions that the move may relate more to the opportunity at Cognition than to conditions inside Microsoft. The outlet frames the exit as notable because it comes soon after Sharma’s organizational changes and during a period of major upheaval for Xbox.

In that context, Eurogamer reports that Microsoft has announced or planned large job cuts across Xbox-owned studios, along with divestments and a proposed studio closure. The article says the broader impact on Xbox’s platform plans, including its next-generation console work referred to as Project Helix, remains unclear.