Asha Sharma, executive vice president and chief executive officer of Xbox at Microsoft, has been named an external leader of a new Federal Reserve task force focused on productivity and jobs. The Federal Reserve announced the appointment on July 9, 2026, as part of a broader review of how the central bank evaluates economic change and conducts monetary policy.

Sharma will serve alongside Andreessen Horowitz co-founder Marc Andreessen and Stanford University economist Charles I. Jones. The group will examine how artificial intelligence and other general-purpose technologies are affecting productivity, employment, wages and long-term economic growth in the United States.

The appointment comes as policymakers and business leaders face growing questions about the economic impact of AI. Companies are investing heavily in automation, computing infrastructure and new software systems, while workers and employers are navigating changing job requirements and concerns about displacement. For the Federal Reserve, understanding these shifts is directly connected to its mandate of supporting maximum employment and stable prices.

Sharma brings experience from some of the largest consumer technology and digital platform companies in the country. Microsoft named her CEO of Xbox in February 2026. Before taking on the gaming role, she worked within Microsoft’s CoreAI organization and previously held senior leadership positions at Instacart, Meta and Porch.

At Instacart, Sharma served as chief operating officer and helped oversee a business that connected retailers, consumers, advertisers and technology partners. At Meta, she worked in product and engineering leadership roles tied to Messenger and Instagram Direct. Her career has centered on scaling digital services, managing complex platforms and supporting large networks of users, businesses and developers.

Her current position at Xbox adds experience across entertainment, cloud services, hardware, subscriptions and software development. The gaming division is also navigating a period of restructuring and workforce reductions, giving Sharma direct exposure to the difficult tradeoffs companies make around investment, efficiency and employment.

That perspective may be valuable to the Federal Reserve task force, although it also highlights the need for the group to consider a broad range of viewpoints. The economic consequences of AI and restructuring are experienced differently by executives, workers, small businesses and local communities. The task force’s impact will depend on whether its recommendations reflect that complexity.

The Federal Reserve created several task forces as part of its review, covering areas including communications, economic data, the balance sheet, productivity and employment, and the monetary policy framework. Their work could influence how the central bank interprets changes in the economy and communicates future policy decisions.

Sharma’s appointment is also significant for South Asian American representation. The Indian American technology executive has built a career across artificial intelligence, e-commerce, social platforms and gaming, and will now contribute to a federal-level discussion about the future of work and economic growth.

Her role reflects the growing presence of South Asian Americans not only in corporate leadership, but also in advisory positions that connect private-sector experience with public policy. The task force will be closely watched as it considers whether AI is producing measurable productivity gains, how those gains are distributed and what they may mean for American workers.

Key Takeaways About Asha Sharma

• Asha Sharma was named an external leader of the Federal Reserve’s Productivity and Jobs Task Force.
• The appointment was announced on July 9, 2026.
• Sharma is the executive vice president and chief executive officer of Xbox at Microsoft.
• The task force will examine how AI and emerging technologies affect productivity, employment and wages.
• Her appointment expands South Asian American representation in a federal economic advisory initiative.