Xbox Boss Asha Sharma Joins Federal Reserve AI Task Force — Just Days After Microsoft's Massive Layoffs
Xbox CEO Asha Sharma has been appointed to the U.S. Federal Reserve's Productivity and Jobs Task Force, where she will help advise policymakers on how artificial intelligence and other emerging technologies could reshape the labor market and the broader economy. The appointment places the Microsoft executive alongside renowned economist Charles I. Jones and venture capitalist Marc Andreessen, making her one of the technology leaders contributing to the Fed's review of future monetary policy.
The newly formed advisory group will study how AI affects productivity, employment, and long-term economic growth, providing recommendations that could influence how the Federal Reserve evaluates future economic trends. According to the Fed, the task force is one of five independent expert panels established as part of a broader modernization effort under Chairman Kevin Warsh, with findings expected to support future policy discussions rather than directly determine interest-rate decisions.
Sharma's appointment has attracted significant attention because it comes only days after Microsoft announced major layoffs across its Xbox division, affecting roughly 3,200 employees. The timing has sparked debate across the gaming industry and social media, with critics questioning the optics of selecting an executive overseeing large workforce reductions to advise on employment and AI. Others argue that Sharma's background leading Microsoft's AI initiatives and now Xbox makes her well suited to discuss how emerging technologies are changing modern workplaces.
Although the announcement is unrelated to Xbox's gaming strategy, it highlights Asha Sharma's growing influence beyond the video game industry. As AI becomes increasingly important to both technology companies and economic policy, Microsoft's gaming chief will now play a role in advising one of the world's most influential financial institutions on the future relationship between artificial intelligence, productivity, and jobs.
