Microsoft Gaming’s new CEO Asha Sharma faces intense wave of online hate over ‘Indian nepotism’

Screenshots of Asha Sharma's LinkedIn profile also went viral as her critics highlighted that she had 'no gaming background' and had 'never held a position for more than four years'. (Image credit: LinkedIn, AFP)

Hours after Asha Sharma was declared the new CEO of Microsoft’s Gaming division on Saturday, she has been the target of a rapid and intense backlash online, with much of the criticism centred on her alleged lack of gaming experience — and on her Indian origin.

Sharma took charge of the Microsoft Gaming division following a leadership reshuffle within the company. She replaced Phil Spencer, the longtime face of Xbox, who decided to step down after 38 years at the company.

Critics question Asha Sharma's professional background

Several X users attacked Sharma’s qualifications, labelling the move as “Indian nepotism” and accusing Microsoft of prioritising ethnicity over competence. One widely circulated post claimed Microsoft had become “Indian nepotism now… that’s the whole company,” alleging Indian hiring managers favour Indian candidates.

Screenshots of Sharma's LinkedIn profile also went viral as her critics highlighted that despite having worked for Meta, Instacart, and Home Depot, she had “no gaming background” and had “never held a position for more than four years.” Some of them also used the job transitions to claim she was “climbing the corporate ladder” too quickly.

Asha Sharma, the new head of Xbox, is an AI executive with no background in gaming. pic.twitter.com/95nT5YZs5o

— Pirat_Nation (@Pirat_Nation) February 20, 2026

Multiple posts derisively framed her as “an Instacart employee” being placed in charge of a gaming division, and questioned how she rose from joining Microsoft in 2024 to leading its gaming vertical by early 2026.

Anti‑Indian hostility surges in online reactions

A significant portion of the backlash referenced her Indian identity directly. Some posts accused Indian recruiters of “trashing American resumes.” Another asked whether Microsoft’s Indian CEO, Satya Nadella, had appointed “an Indian who has zero experience” to the role.

"HR at every big tech company, bank, airline, hospital, etc., has been taken over by Indians," said an X user. "They then hire Indian recruiters who only forward Indian candidates. They are the ones causing this by trashing American resumes, so that only Indians get hired."

Another user added, "She had the only qualification that mattered in tech: she's Indian and the hiring manager is Indian."

Ngl the Asha Sharma thing and the whole Indian nepotism complaints against Silicon Valley having genuine credence layering multiple years of whistleblowers bothers me. Like this might the thing that pushes me over to Linux PC ecosystem fully. https://t.co/Waae5hYxERpic.twitter.com/i1FNQgWahX — Machiko (@Wachiko) February 21, 2026

Supporters push back against ethnic targeting

Sharma also received strong support online. Some users highlighted that the backlash began “barely six hours after her appointment,” calling it “hate‑mongering… purely because she’s Indian.”

Barely six hours after her appointment was announced, the hate mongering has already begun much of it purely because she's Indian. These retards wouldn't bat an eye at an obvious terrible leader from any other ethnic background. https://t.co/IvwUgHrRpt — Kendrick (@Kendrickkumaaru) February 21, 2026

Supporters criticised the disproportionate scrutiny, arguing that critics “wouldn’t bat an eye at an obviously terrible leader from any other ethnic background.” Others acknowledged economic hardship in the US but said blaming Indians for job losses was “too much.”

A number of posts defended Sharma’s record, emphasising that she held senior leadership roles at Instacart and Meta before Microsoft, and that her current role involves selling subscriptions, developing cloud, scaling ads, and mobile platforms, not playing video games.

How is a gaming background relevant for her job? Her actual job is to sell subscriptions, develop cloud, scale ads, and mobile platforms. Let's say she secretly was a world first WoW raider, top counter-strike pro, and can perfect every boss in Sekiro.... how is gonna help with… https://t.co/5CsJ2hq4Sc — LinaHua (@Linahuaa) February 21, 2026

"Asha Sharma was a top executive at Instacart and Meta before joining Microsoft. High-level leadership is about operational strategy, which applies across tech industries regardless of the specific product," commented an X user.

"Attributing corporate failures to 'nepotism' based on race ignores the rigorous hiring standards of a trillion-dollar company. It’s a cynical take that overlooks actual merit and global talent," added another.

A third user pointed out that the hate against Indians has been getting overwhelming. "I understand jobs situation is hard. Still hating Indians for the situation is too much."

Moreover, defending Sharma's rise up the corporate ladder, supporters called it evidence of high‑performance leadership across multiple major tech companies.

For the moment, Sharma has not publicly responded to the controversy. In her debut address to the workforce, however, the new Microsoft Gaming CEO said that she assumes the position with “humility and urgency".