Memo: Helen Chiang, Xbox's first COO, is leaving Microsoft on October 23, just months after the role was created; she spent 21 years at the company (Tom Warren/The Verge)

Helen Chiang is leaving Microsoft on October 23 after 21 years with the company. According to The Verge, Chiang was the first chief operating officer for Xbox, a role that was created only a few months ago.

In a separate internal memo reported by The Verge, Xbox chief people officer Jacinda Chislum Pearson stated that employees in Puget Sound living within 50 commuting miles of Studio D will be required to work from the office at least four days a week starting February 1, 2027. The Verge reports this requirement will only apply to staff deemed to live close enough to the Redmond campus and suggests that current in-office practices at Xbox-owned studios will not change.

Rock Paper Shotgun reports that this mandate follows a requirement for three days in the office established last year. The change comes as the company seeks to cut more staff as part of ongoing efforts to eventually conduct mass layoffs involving 3,200 people.

Brief written by urgent.news from Techmeme, TechSpot, Rock Paper Shotgun — 3 reports on this story. Machine-written — may contain errors; check the original before relying on it.