Xbox CEO Asha Sharma Appointed Co-Leader of Federal Reserve Task Force on Jobs
The Federal Reserve Board has appointed Xbox CEO Asha Sharma as co-leader of its new "Productivity and Jobs" task force. The appointment, announced on July 10, 2026, places Sharma alongside Stanford University economist Charles I. Jones and venture capitalist Marc Andreessen, co-founder of Andreessen Horowitz. The task force is tasked with analyzing how emerging general-purpose technologies, including artificial intelligence, affect the U.S. economy and employment, with the goal of informing Federal Reserve monetary policy. The appointment comes just days after Sharma outlined plans to cut approximately 3,200 positions in the Xbox division by the end of fiscal year 2027. That restructuring also involves spinning off studios Double Fine and Compulsion Games as independent entities, while Ninja Theory and Undead Labs are to be transferred to new owners. Overseas outlets including PC Gamer and Game Developer have noted the timing of the appointment relative to the layoff announcement.