The Xbox brand has cost Microsoft billions of dollars over the last decade, and it’s no secret that the hardware giant’s investors aren’t too happy about that. Given its precarious position at the company, it’s been suggested that Microsoft should spin off the brand or sell it outright.
In an interview with Fox Business today, Microsoft founder Bill Gates gave his blessing to the company’s new CEO Satya Nadella to spin off the Xbox brand, hinting that he believes it to be the right course of action.
Liz Claman, an anchor on FOX Business quoted Gates via Twitter, “If MSFT CEO Nadella wants 2 spin off Xbox biz I’m absolutely for it.”
Spinning off the brand may not be a bad thing for either Microsoft or the Xbox brand, as it would allow the brand to operate independently of Microsoft instead of being a part of a much larger, and more bureaucratic ecosystem.
Bill Gates however said he didn’t foresee the company spinning it off, as the Xbox—like the equally unprofitable Bing—are a part of Microsoft’s long-term strategy.
Source: Fox Business