Former Xbox COO Releases Detailed Departure Statement ‘To Set The Record Straight

Image Source: Pure Xbox

This time last week, we noted how newly-promoted Xbox Chief Operating Officer Helen Chiang was abruptly departing Microsoft after 21 years, with speculation at the time that she may have been “terminated for policy violations.”

Chiang has now taken to LinkedIn to share a lengthy departure statement in which she denies she was fired for a policy violation, but nevertheless raises concerns about how certain aspects of her case were handled.

The statement speaks for itself, so we’ll share it in full below:

“Clarity is Kindness

There has been some speculation about my abrupt departure from Microsoft, including claims that I was “fired for a policy violation”. That’s not accurate and while I won’t turn this into a play-by-play, silence should not be mistaken for agreement. What has been said about my departure, and what has been left unsaid, has created a picture of me that I hardly recognize. It’s important to me to set the record straight.

First, I did not leak confidential company information to the press.

I have never communicated with any journalist outside the limited, company-authorized interviews I’ve done as part of my job. That includes every journalist who reached out this week seeking my side of the story.

Second, I did not leave Xbox to join a competitor.

You don’t spend two decades somewhere without developing a deep loyalty to the people, teams, and businesses you’ve helped build. Xbox was never just another stop in my career. My end game was always to keep building here.

Third, I did not engage in discrimination, bullying, harassment, insider trading, embezzlement, or other fraudulent activity.

I stand by my record: both the results I delivered and the way I have treated people throughout my career. I won’t let speculation define my character or erase that record.

Lastly, I did not leave because I was passed over for a bigger role.

Since having children, I’ve been intentional about how I define ambition and success. I haven’t actively sought out bigger roles or increased responsibilities, and the last time I interviewed for a job was in 2011. My reputation and results paved the way for the opportunities that followed. I went where the company believed I was needed and where I could have the greatest impact. I did not ask for my most recent role, either. I was promoted into it in July.

I believe in fairness, accountability, and holding ourselves to the standards we expect of others. Those standards only mean something when they’re applied consistently. I have serious concerns about how they were applied in my case, and I believe those concerns deserve to be taken seriously.

I share this because I don’t want my departure reduced to an inaccurate story about incompetence, ambition for the next big job, or a Nelson-level scandal. My story is about staying true to your core values, especially when it is hard. That’s the legacy I hope to leave behind.

To everyone who has reached out with hugs, love, and support: thank you. So many of you have reminded me of the wonderful times we’ve shared over the past 20 years and the impact we’ve had on one another. Some of you I haven’t been in touch with for several years, yet you still took the time to check on me. Others are people I’ve never even met, but you reached out anyway. That speaks volumes about the care and humanity in our industry and the connections that transcend where we work.

This is not how I ever imagined my story here would end. And it is not the whole story.”

As you can see, Chiang starts her statement here with the phrase “clarity is kindness”, which is a phrase that Xbox CEO Asha Sharma has used on numerous occasions since taking her role a few months ago.

Nothing specific is said about why Chiang was let go (or potentially decided to leave) as part of this statement though, and while she’s certainly assertive in getting her point across, there’s no evident malice directed at anyone.

Ultimately, she says she’s publishing this statement to avoid being linked to “incompetence, ambition for the next big job, or a Nelson-level scandal”, and that her story is about “staying true to your core values, especially when it is hard”.

On behalf of everyone at Pure Xbox, we wish Chiang all the best in her future endeavours.