Microsoft has announced a leadership change within its gaming division, naming Asha Sharma as Executive Vice President and CEO of Microsoft Gaming, effective February 23, 2026. She succeeds Phil Spencer in the role and will report directly to Satya Nadella, Chairman and CEO of Microsoft.

The announcement was shared internally by Nadella on February 20, 2026, highlighting Sharma’s background in scaling global consumer platforms. Prior to returning to Microsoft in 2024, Sharma served as Chief Operating Officer at Instacart and held a Vice President position at Meta, where she oversaw product and engineering for Messenger and Instagram Direct.

Sharma, who was born in Racine, Wisconsin in 1989, earned a Bachelor of Science in business from the University of Minnesota’s Carlson School of Management in 2011. Her early career included roles at S.C. Johnson and Porch, where she served as COO until 2017 before joining Facebook (now Meta). At Instacart, she helped guide the company through its initial public offering in September 2023, during which her equity stake was valued at approximately $19 million.

Alongside Sharma’s appointment, Microsoft confirmed that Matt Booty will assume the role of Executive Vice President and Chief Content Officer, reporting to Sharma. Booty’s leadership has overseen the expansion of Microsoft Gaming to include nearly 40 studios across Xbox, Bethesda, Activision Blizzard, and King, managing franchises such as Halo, The Elder Scrolls, Call of Duty, World of Warcraft, Diablo, Candy Crush, and Fallout.

Nadella emphasized that the leadership transition comes as Xbox celebrates its 25th anniversary, noting the platform now reaches over 500 million monthly active users and remains a top publisher across all platforms. He expressed confidence that Sharma and Booty together combine consumer product expertise with deep gaming industry knowledge to drive the next phase of innovation in hardware, content, and community engagement.

The change reflects Microsoft’s ongoing effort to align its gaming business with broader consumer ambitions while continuing to invest in first-party content and platform development. Sharma’s return to Microsoft marks her second tenure at the company, having previously worked there from 2011 to 2013 in a marketing role before departing for Porch.

Victor Glover, NASA astronaut and pilot of the Artemis II mission, shared personal reflections on the physical and emotional experience of returning from space during a recent interview. Speaking from his home in California, Glover described the sensation of re-entry as feeling “like being thrown backward off a skyscraper,” capturing the intense forces astronauts endure during descent. He spoke candidly about the challenges of readjusting to Earth’s gravity, noting that the body undergoes significant changes after extended time in microgravity. “There’s something I’m not ready to talk about yet,” Glover said, hinting at deeper, personal impacts of spaceflight that remain private for now. His comments came shortly after the Artemis II mission concluded in April 2026, during which he became the first person of color to travel to the vicinity of the Moon. Glover, a veteran of the SpaceX Crew-1 mission to the International Space Station in 2020, emphasized the physical toll of space travel, including muscle atrophy, fluid shifts, and balance issues that persist upon return. He too reflected on the emotional weight of the journey, recalling a moment when he saw a cross outside upon landing—an experience that moved him to tears, though he did not elaborate further on its significance. As part of NASA’s Artemis program, Glover’s role on Artemis II marked a historic milestone in lunar exploration. The mission, which circled the Moon without landing, tested critical systems for future crewed landings and deep space habitation. His background as a naval aviator and test pilot, with over 3,000 flight hours across 40 aircraft types, contributed to his readiness for the high-stakes mission. While technical evaluations of the Artemis II heat shield are ongoing, early data indicates strong performance during atmospheric re-entry. Engineers continue to analyze telemetry to validate the spacecraft’s thermal protection system, a key component for ensuring astronaut safety on future missions to the lunar surface and beyond. Glover’s openness about the human side of spaceflight offers a rare glimpse into the realities astronauts face beyond the headlines—highlighting not just technological achievement, but the profound physical and psychological journey of leaving and returning to Earth.