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Windows Central: Microsoft CVP and key Xbox innovator Kareem Choudhry is leaving after 26 years at the firm. Major changes coming to brand

Draugoth

Draugoth

Gold Member
gNZ2jynhkfU79n3ZFAMeBj-970-80.png.webp
  • Xbox CVP Kareem Choudhry is leaving Microsoft as of today.
  • Choudhry worked on some of Microsoft's most cutting-edge gaming tech, from Xbox Cloud Gaming to its recent AI efforts.
  • Choudhry's exit is part of a wider Xbox leadership re-org, with new team members promoted, and new staff incoming.
  • The leadership shake-up is designed to streamline processes and help Microsoft accelerate plans for growth for Xbox Game Pass, Xbox hardware, and beyond.
Microsoft's gaming org has grown to be one of the biggest contributors to Microsoft's overall revenue pie, with Xbox now outstripping Windows itself as one of the biggest drivers of income. That's in no small part thanks to the acquisition of Activision-Blizzard, which counts Candy Crush Saga, World of Warcraft, and Call of Duty among various billion-dollar verticals for the gaming org.

To that end, Microsoft has been rapidly evolving how it thinks of gaming today, and for Xbox's future. That also means some leadership changes.


After 26 years of Microsoft tenure, our sources indicate that Kareem Choudhry is exiting the company. Choudhry might be known best to Xbox fans for the quote "it eats monsters for breakfast," in reference to the Xbox Series X, and "it's a monster" in reference to the Xbox One X. Indeed, Kareem was responsible for working on some of Microsoft's most cutting-edge projects, including developing the Xbox backwards compatibility layer, Xbox Cloud Gaming, and Microsoft's new gaming AI division, known internally as XEmTech or Xbox's Emerging Tech team. Today is Choudhry's last day at Microsoft, according to sources familiar with the matter.
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Source
 
Cert.in.Death

Cert.in.Death

Member
Out with the old guard, in with the new. It's clear as day that Spencer's days are numbered, the entire division is pivoting its market strategy hard.

But whose vision is being implemented at MS? Seems rudderless at the moment.
 
O

Ozriel

M$FT
ShaiKhulud1989 said:
Oh, he was just another nobody for you, green folks.
Click to expand...

Comprehension is hard, eh?
Quote in the OP says he built an emerging tech team.
Three said:
Phil makes $10M a year doing a questionable job. His days should have been numbered years ago but I doubt they are.
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Looks like his days are numbered, tbh. They’re putting Bond front and center a whole lot these days. Clear transition in the works.

The sooner the better, imho, but i don’t expect him to last the gen.
 
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Punished Miku

Punished Miku

Gold Member
Anyone responsible for BC, cloud integration, and all the system level features is great in my book. That's the best stuff.

Hard to know what this really means until we see the direction of their next console. If its some kind of PC hybrid model it would be an improvement, even if this guy did great work on the consoles according to this summary. Just have to see what's happening over the next couple years. Might be Xbox is being moved under the umbrella of the PC / AI side more closely.

Most MS employees are lifers, and 26 years is a long time. Even Bonnie Ross stayed and wasn't let go. Might be he is choosing to move on.
 
Daneel Elijah

Daneel Elijah

Gold Member
The article is less damning than the resume. Jason Ronald, the guy with the big beard is still there according to Corden. And at the end he said that the reason for this departure is "circumstantial" instead of planned. We all know that 343i leader Bonnie Ross left for "family reasons" but maybe this time it's true.
 
Loomy

Loomy

Thinks Microaggressions are Real
ShaiKhulud1989 said:
So dedicated R&D in Xbox is basically dead.

Tells you a lot.
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R&D isn't dead, but it's sounding like they're no longer going to have an Xbox specific team. They're going to be folded into the Microsoft hardware team.

Edit: Which, upon re-reading your post, is what you meant. And you're right. It does tell you a lot.
 
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O

Ozriel

M$FT
ShaiKhulud1989 said:
He was head of Emerging Tech and created a lot of truly awesome stuff that defined Xbox, BC included.
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He’d also spent over 2.5 decades at Microsoft and his departure is reported as an amicable split. Everyone has to move on sometime.

ShaiKhulud1989 said:
Now everything is smashed into HW division because you don't need people like Kareem if you're not sure about your future.
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Loomy said:
R&D isn't dead, but it's sounding like they're no longer going to have an Xbox specific team. They're going to be folded into the Microsoft hardware team.
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The article certainly doesn’t say the Xbox specific team isn’t going to exist. It’s just being moved into a different reporting lineup (the general Hardware org). Most likely the team remains the same, just reporting to a different sub organization.
 
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D

Darsxx82

Member
Topher said:
Feels like the wrong people are leaving and the wrong people are staying
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It's funny because the people who have been promoted/signed are precisely the ones who identify most with the possibility (I think desired by you) of an XBOX handlead and XBOX OS.....🤗

That which. We are always criticizing when there are people who do not meet expectations or fail at their job and still remain in office.... and then we criticize and point out as bad when they are fired.

In the end it's like everything. How good or bad you are at your job will be dictated by how well or badly those who replace you do.
 
D

Darsxx82

Member
Punished Miku said:
Anyone responsible for BC, cloud integration, and all the system level features is great in my book. That's the best stuff.

Hard to know what this really means until we see the direction of their next console. If its some kind of PC hybrid model it would be an improvement, even if this guy did great work on the consoles according to this summary. Just have to see what's happening over the next couple years. Might be Xbox is being moved under the umbrella of the PC / AI side more closely.

Most MS employees are lifers, and 26 years is a long time. Even Bonnie Ross stayed and wasn't let go. Might be he is choosing to move on.
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Simply this. First we have to know what their strategy/thoughts are with the XBOX hardware and then check if it was/were the right ones.
 
Punished Miku

Punished Miku

Gold Member
Darkness_Arises said:
No kidding, I have no idea how Greenberg or Booty still have a job.
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Greenberg is a marketing juggernaut. They even had Xbox Oreos, Xbox Legos, Starfield/Forza Doritos, Xbox controllers made of chocolate, Xbox at Taco Bell, Xbox Refrigerators. That shit is everywhere. The guy is signing deals left and right, most of them probably cheaper than TV commercials. And they have a large presence on social media that generates attention practically anytime they tweet anything. People still are obsessing about his tweets from 2020.
 
Topher

Topher

Gold Member
Darsxx82 said:
It's funny because the people who have been promoted/signed are precisely the ones who identify most with the possibility (I think desired by you) of an XBOX handlead and XBOX OS.....🤗

That which. We are always criticizing when there are people who do not meet expectations or fail at their job and still remain in office.... and then we criticize and point out as bad when they are fired.

In the end it's like everything. How good or bad you are at your job will be dictated by how well or badly those who replace you do.
Click to expand...

I'm not saying Xbox needs changes in leadership across the board. I think they are worse off with folks like Ybarra and Choudhry leaving and Matt Booty staying (as well as Greenberg, but he's more of annoyance than anything else). I wouldn't think Booty would be the guy to have much of anything to do with an Xbox handheld or OS. God......I hope not.
 
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THE DUCK

THE DUCK

voted poster of the decade by bots
Welcome to GAF, where it's impossible to win!

Scenario 1:
GAF: Xbox needs leadership changes, fire them all, make changes! Sinking ship!

MS: Hold fast, the team is great! Bring out some new stuff!

GAF: See, told you it was failing! Green rats are dying! Losers!


Scenario 2:
GAF: Xbox needs leadership changes, fire them all, make changes! Sinking ship!

MS: Making changes!

GAF: See, told you it was failing! Green rats are dying! Losers!
 
rm082e

rm082e

Member
THE DUCK said:
Welcome to GAF, where it's impossible to win!

Scenario 1:
GAF: Xbox needs leadership changes, fire them all, make changes! Sinking ship!

MS: Hold fast, the team is great! Bring out some new stuff!

GAF: See, told you it was failing! Green rats are dying! Losers!


Scenario 2:
GAF: Xbox needs leadership changes, fire them all, make changes! Sinking ship!

MS: Making changes!

GAF: See, told you it was failing! Green rats are dying! Losers!
Click to expand...

QqkA9W8xEjKPC.webp
 
D

Darsxx82

Member
Topher said:
I'm not saying Xbox needs changes in leadership across the board. I think they are worse off with folks like Ybarra and Choudhry leaving and Matt Booty staying. I wouldn't think Booty would be the guy to have much of anything to do with an Xbox handheld or OS. God......I hope not.
Click to expand...


Well, I definitely understand perfectly who, given the situation of confusion and lack of clarity on XBOX, any movement of these characteristics makes them skeptical. I only specified this specific movement and how incongruous the reactions are when movements of this type occur.

The thing is that each one is dedicated to a different job. Botty has not been responsible for hardware, R&D, marketing, etc... even though I personally also think he should have had the same ending as Choudhry.

Ybarra is curious and an example of what I were saying. A majority opinion was that he was Blizard's main problem and that under him everything was worse and with continuous controversy with employees. He, was suddenly, considered a fundamental piece and his departure was a mistake.🤔

Regarding Choudhry, as I say, time will tell if his departure and new substitute is the correct decission or not but Xbox needed changes in that section.

Speaking of the possibility of a Xbox Handlhed/XBOX OS and a XBOX hardware more open..... So I think that, for that possibility, the feeling should be that with Roanne Soane it is closer. Then how it is executed or if it is successful, time will tell.
 
mckmas8808

mckmas8808

Mckmaster uses MasterCard to buy Slave drives
digoutyoursoul said:
Can’t wait for Sarah Bond to take over, seeing any scrutiny or criticism brushed off as misogyny and racism. It will be as bad as the Spencer era .
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There maybe some of that. And I'm sure she'll get sexist and racist things said about her. But I doubt the majority will say that about Sarah or people that don't like Sarah.
 
digoutyoursoul

digoutyoursoul

Member
mckmas8808 said:
There maybe some of that. And I'm sure she'll get sexist and racist things said about her. But I doubt the majority will say that about Sarah or people that don't like Sarah.
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There will always be a few bigoted dickheads . People twist things tho and you just know some of the more outspoken in the Xbox community particularly the awful influencers will try it, a comment by an idiot or two will be used against any criticism to shame a larger group of people

To a far lesser extent is an example of how sly they can be is when people compare Xbox to PlayStation , these influencers and ambassador tyoes label it as “console war” in derogatory tones to put people off because deep down they know they don’t compare too well to the competition.

A lot of slimeballs out there dude
 
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