Microsoft Stock (MSFT) Up on Reports that Xbox Employees are Pleased with Leadership Changes

FomoAnxiety · 2026-02-24T16:12:05+00:00

Microsoft's stock saw a slight recovery following leadership changes in its Xbox division, which some employees welcomed despite concerns over new CEO Asha Sharma's AI involvement. Analysts maintain a "Strong Buy" consensus for MSFT.

FomoAnxiety

2026-02-24 16:12:05

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Microsoft MSFT +0.64% ▲ stock recovered some of its lost ground on Tuesday after the tech company announced major changes to its Xbox division over the weekend. These changes included the departure of Microsoft Gaming CEO Phil Spencer and Xbox President Sarah Bond. Interestingly, new reports claim that Xbox employees are happy about the changes.

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According to these reports, Bond’s “This is an Xbox” marketing campaign wasn’t popular with the company’s employees. This marketing campaign focused on the ability to play Xbox games anywhere, including tablets, phones, and TVs, via a subscription to the company’s streaming service. Insiders who expressed issues with this direction were removed from her team, leaving her surrounded by others who share her enthusiasm for the campaign but wouldn’t point out its potential pitfalls.

While Bond’s departure may have been welcomed by some Xbox employees, there are concerns about new Gaming CEO Asha Sharma. Sharma has faced criticism online from gamers who believe she has utilized artificial intelligence (AI) to manage her social media profiles. They also question her close ties to AI and worry she will implement AI in game development. That’s despite her claim that Xbox would avoid “AI slop.”

Microsoft Stock Movement Today

Microsoft stock was up 0.56% on Tuesday but was still down 20.09% year to date. The stock has also fallen 3.38% over the past 12 months.

MSFT stock movement today saw some 11.35 million shares change hands, compared to a three-month daily average trading volume of about 38 million units.

Is Microsoft Stock a Buy, Sell, or Hold?

Turning to Wall Street, the analysts’ consensus rating for Microsoft is Strong Buy, based on 33 Buy and three Hold ratings over the past three months. With that comes an average MSFT stock price target of $594.02, representing a potential 53.49% upside for the shares.

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