Asha Sharma, head of Microsoft’s Xbox, was named to the Federal Reserve’s advisory task force on Productivity and Jobs, according to reporting by Fox News Digital. The announcement came days after Xbox disclosed roughly 1,600 layoffs, a development that has intensified public and political scrutiny of the company’s recent hiring and visa approvals.
Asha Sharma, head of Xbox, was appointed to the Federal Reserve task force.
What happened
The Federal Reserve announced a set of appointments to advisory groups this week that will review tools and approaches related to employment and productivity. Asha Sharma, who leads Xbox at Microsoft, was named to the Productivity and Jobs task force alongside business and academic figures identified by the Fed and in news reporting.
Fox News Digital reported the timing of the appointment came just after Microsoft disclosed a company-wide reduction of about 4,800 roles, including roughly 1,600 at Xbox. The same reporting cited U.S. Citizenship and Immigration Services (USCIS) records showing approvals for 2,273 H-1B petitions for Microsoft earlier this year.
Asha Sharma: role and background
Asha Sharma is the executive in charge of Xbox within Microsoft and has held senior leadership roles in product and technology areas. Born in Wisconsin and of Indian heritage, Sharma rose through engineering and management positions before taking the top role at Xbox, where she has led hardware, software and services initiatives for the gaming brand.
The Federal Reserve characterized the advisers appointed to the task force as bringing a range of industry and academic perspectives to help the central bank evaluate how to support maximum employment and productivity. Listed alongside Sharma in reporting were tech investor Marc Andreessen and Stanford economist Charles I. Jones, among others identified as contributors to the panel’s work.
Layoffs, H-1B data and company response
Microsoft confirmed a company-wide headcount reduction of about 4,800 roles; Xbox said roughly 1,600 positions were affected. USCIS approval figures cited in public reporting show Microsoft had approvals for 2,273 H-1B petitions earlier in the year, a separate data point that reporters have used to contextualize hiring activity.
Microsoft provided a statement saying workforce decisions were “based on business need, not visa status,” and that H-1B employees were among those impacted by reductions in the U.S. The company framed the cuts as part of a broader restructuring rather than an effort tied to visa-related hiring choices.
Reactions and criticism
The appointment drew immediate criticism online and from some public figures who said the timing appeared tone-deaf given the recent layoffs. Critics on social media alleged, without independent verification, that American workers were being replaced by H-1B hires; those claims remain unverified in the reporting and are presented here as allegations rather than established fact.
Political responses included calls for oversight and additional scrutiny of visa and hiring practices. Sen. J.D. Vance has publicized investigations and urged probes into alleged abuses related to H-1B usage; reporting has noted the Department of Labor has issued subpoenas and opened inquiries that may involve major technology employers.
What comes next
The Fed’s Productivity and Jobs task force will convene experts from industry and academia to evaluate whether the central bank’s analytical tools and policy approaches can better account for labor market dynamics. The group’s work is advisory; it will issue findings and recommendations to Fed leadership but does not directly set monetary policy.
Separately, Department of Labor subpoenas and other inquiries into H-1B hiring practices will proceed on their own timelines and could involve document requests, witness testimony and extended investigations. Any material findings from those probes could affect public perception and congressional oversight, and they may prompt further scrutiny of corporate hiring choices and advisory appointments.
Balance of facts and response
The core facts established by reporting are the Fed appointments, Microsoft’s disclosure of roughly 4,800 company-wide role reductions and Xbox’s statement that about 1,600 positions were affected, together with USCIS records cited for 2,273 approved H-1B petitions. Microsoft’s public response framed the actions as business-driven and noted that visa status was not the basis for decisions.
Allegations that Microsoft intentionally replaced American workers with H-1B hires are claims advanced by critics and remain unverified in the reporting cited here. Similarly, references to investigations reflect announced inquiries and subpoenas rather than adjudicated findings of wrongdoing.
Source attribution and next steps
This article is based primarily on reporting by Fox News Digital and on public statements from the Federal Reserve and Microsoft. Fox News Digital was the initial reporter of the timelines and figures cited here; the original report is available online (see source link below). Microsoft provided the quoted statement used in this article; the Fed described the advisory task force’s purpose in its announcement.
Readers should expect further developments as the Fed task force begins its advisory work and as labor-related probes continue. Investigations and the advisory group’s deliberations could both evolve over months and may yield additional reporting and official updates.
FAQ
What role will Asha Sharma play on the Fed task force?
Sharma is a member of the Federal Reserve’s advisory task force on Productivity and Jobs. The group will review analytical tools and approaches and provide recommendations to Fed leadership; it is advisory and does not directly set policy.
Did Microsoft replace American workers with H-1B hires?
Reporting notes recent layoffs and USCIS approvals for H-1B petitions, but assertions that American workers were intentionally replaced by visa holders are allegations from critics and have not been independently verified in the cited reporting.
Will the Department of Labor probe affect the Fed appointment?
The Department of Labor’s subpoenas and inquiries operate independently. They could influence public and congressional scrutiny of the appointment, but the task force role itself remains advisory unless new, substantiated evidence prompts a different response from Fed leadership.
Source: Fox News Digital — Original reporting. Requests for comment to Xbox and the Federal Reserve were noted in the source reporting.
