Turn 10 and Playground seemed to develop well under him. 343i does seem to be a massive blunder though.
Turn 10 was stablished in 2001. Playground games is an offshoot of Turn 10. The culture of those studios was there way before Phill Spencer.
Also, I watched the first video linked in the OP regarding the Xbox not having new software for launch. I firmly believe that Microsoft has a culture that is at odds with the identity and expectations we have for console makers. Someone who’s been successful inside Microsoft is probably convinced that launching without new games is not a big deal as long as the service, Gamepass, continues being excellent.
Sony probably sees the PS5 as new hardware to empower designers in the never ending quest for AAA profits. Meanwhile, Microsoft sees the Xbox as just another channel for delivering Gamepass, the service that will ultimately allow them to capture the attention of billions of people, 10+ hours a day. Even in their PR, they show themselves more bullish about the XSS. If Microsoft didn’t need to sell you a new piece of hardware to keep Gamepass subscriptions going, they probably would just cancel the Xbox.