Xbox engineering VP leaves Microsoft to join Cognition AI lab

Q: Who is Jared Palmer and what role did he hold at Xbox before leaving Microsoft?

Jared Palmer is a former Xbox engineering vice president who was directly appointed by new Xbox CEO Asha Sharma. Before leaving Microsoft, he served as engineering VP at Xbox, working on removing friction, increasing productivity, and working directly with Sharma on the division's most complex product and engineering problems.

Q: When and how did Jared Palmer announce his move to Cognition?

He announced his move via social posts on Twitter and LinkedIn, writing, "Personal update: I've joined Cognition to lead engineering. I'm grateful to Asha Sharma and everyone at Xbox for an amazing year." The article does not provide a specific date for the announcement.

Q: What responsibilities did Palmer have while working under Xbox CEO Asha Sharma?

While working under Xbox CEO Asha Sharma, Jared Palmer was involved with "removing friction and increasing productivity." According to a memo from Sharma, he was also working directly with her on Xbox's "most complex product and engineering problems."

Q: What is Project Helix and how is AI described as being integrated into the console?

Project Helix is Microsoft’s codename for its next-generation Xbox console, a hybrid device in development as the company builds out a new toolset for it. AI is described as being directly embedded into the console at a chip level, meaning the hardware will include on-chip AI and will likely require enhanced tools such as DirectX optimizations to fully utilize that AI-capable hardware.

Former Xbox engineering VP Jared Palmer has left Microsoft years ahead of Project Helix's release and is now serving a similar role at AI lab Cognition.

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Derek Strickland

Senior Gaming Editor

Published Jul 21, 2026 5:35 PM CDT

1-minute read time

TL;DR: Jared Palmer, an Xbox engineering VP appointed by CEO Asha Sharma, left Microsoft to lead engineering at AI lab Cognition. Palmer had worked with Sharma previously at CoreAI and helped tackle Xbox's complex product and engineering challenges as Microsoft builds Project Helix, a next-gen console with AI embedded at chip level.

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A key executive has left Microsoft years ahead of the next-gen Project Helix console, opting for a similar role at an AI company instead.

Xbox engineering VP leaves Microsoft to join Cognition AI lab 2

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Jared Palmer, the engineering VP that was directly appointed by new Xbox CEO Asha Sharma, is now leaving Microsoft. "Personal update: I've joined Cognition to lead engineering. I'm grateful to Asha Sharma and everyone at Xbox for an amazing year," Palmer announced on Twitter and LinkedIn.

Both Sharma and Palmer previously worked together in a similar arrangement at another Microsoft division, CoreAI, with Sharma serving as president and Palmer as VP. At Xbox, Palmer was involved with "removing friction and increasing productivity," and according to a memo from Sharma, Palmer was also working directly with her on Xbox's "most complex product and engineering problems."

Read more: Former Instacart, CoreAI exec to lead Xbox's subscription and cloud business

Microsoft is currently building out its toolset for its next-generation Xbox console, codenamed Project Helix. This device will be a complex system with AI directly embedded into it on a chip level, and likely requires new enhanced tools (like the DirectX optimizations) in order to fully utilize the power of the hardware. Disruptions in the process of AI-related or -adjacent engineering could affect the rate at which new games and tools are made for Helix.

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Question #1

Who is Jared Palmer and what role did he hold at Xbox before leaving Microsoft?

Question #2

When and how did Jared Palmer announce his move to Cognition?

Question #3

What responsibilities did Palmer have while working under Xbox CEO Asha Sharma?

Question #4

What is Project Helix and how is AI described as being integrated into the console?

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Meanwhile, AI is thoroughly dead at Xbox on a consumer-facing level. Yet Microsoft has yet to discuss further plans for its use of AI in games--could they be working with OpenAI on some sort of real-time AI chatbot that can generate in-game assets, similar to EA's experimental tech? Or what about Microsoft's MUSE AI generator, or its partnership with gen AI company InWorld?