10 Xbox engineering leaders
Vice President of Engineering, General Manager & Partner and Senior Director of Engineering are among the roles held by these ten Xbox engineering leaders, some of whom have since moved on. A reader can learn how engineering leaders work at Xbox from people who have held the role.
Professionals to explore
Adam Westman
LinkedInExperience: Director Of Engineering · XBOX Media Solutions
Adam Westman has been Director Of Engineering at XBOX Media Solutions since March 2022, after serving there as Senior Engineering Manager from 2020 to 2022 and Principal Software Engineer from 2019 to 2020. Adam Westman describes a focus on building the platforms that enable great products and user experiences at global scale, and was Lead Game Developer at King from 2018 to 2019.
Ahmet Akif Yılmaz
LinkedInExperience: Director, Hardware Engineering, Xbox Gaming Devices · Microsoft
Ahmet Akif Yılmaz has been Director, Hardware Engineering, Xbox Gaming Devices at Microsoft since August 2021. Ahmet Akif Yılmaz held Microsoft roles as Hardware Engineering Manager, Gaming Experiences & Platforms (GXP) from 2019 to 2021 and Electrical Engineer, Xbox Hardware Development from 2013 to 2019.
Andres Hernandez
LinkedInExperience: General Manager & Partner, Xbox Devices Engineering · Microsoft
Andres Hernandez has been General Manager & Partner, Xbox Devices Engineering at Microsoft since March 2024 and describes leading the organization behind electrical engineering, embedded software and hardware AI. Andres Hernandez was Senior Director Of Xbox Engineering - HW Development from 2021 to 2024 and Director Of Electrical Engineering - Xbox from 2018 to 2021.
Chandler Holbrook
LinkedInExperience: VP of Engineering, Xbox Developer Platform & Gaming Ecosystem · Microsoft
Chandler Holbrook was VP of Engineering, Xbox Developer Platform & Gaming Ecosystem at Microsoft from June 2020 to July 2026, describing a VP-level engineering role for the Xbox developer platform spanning Xbox Live and PlayFab. Chandler Holbrook was Partner Director of Engineering, Xbox Platform & Console Programs at Microsoft from 2015 to 2020.
Kevin LaChapelle
LinkedInExperience: Vice President Xbox Platform · Microsoft
Kevin LaChapelle has been Vice President Xbox Platform at Microsoft since May 2023. Kevin LaChapelle also held Microsoft roles as Vice President, xCloud Platform from 2021 to 2023, General Manager - Project xCloud from 2018 to 2021 and Software Engineering Manager from 2014 to 2018.
Nirit Gibraltar
LinkedInExperience: Director of Engineering · XBOX Media Solutions
Nirit Gibraltar has been Director of Engineering at XBOX Media Solutions since September 2024, based in New York City. Nirit Gibraltar was Director of Engineering at DT from 2023 to 2024, Director of Engineering at Fyber from 2017 to 2023, and Engineering Team Lead at Inneractive (Acquired by Fyber) from 2015 to 2017.
Rebecca Reed
LinkedInExperience: Senior Director of Electrical Engineering · Microsoft
Rebecca Reed has been Senior Director of Electrical Engineering at Microsoft since March 2026, with a headline naming the role at Xbox, after serving as Director Of Electrical Engineering from 2021 to 2026. Rebecca Reed describes work ranging from high-speed design on the Xbox motherboard to leading hardware design of manufacturing tests.
Saravanan (Saro) Mariappan
LinkedInExperience: Senior Director of Engineering · XBOX Media Solutions
Saravanan (Saro) Mariappan has been Senior Director of Engineering at XBOX Media Solutions since December 2022, after serving as Director Of Engineering there from 2020 to 2022 and Architect, Activision Blizzard Media from 2018 to 2020. Saravanan (Saro) Mariappan was a Principal Engineer at eBay from 2017 to 2018.
Steve Saxon
LinkedInExperience: Vice President of Engineering | XBOX · Microsoft
Steve Saxon has been Vice President of Engineering | XBOX at Microsoft since May 2026. Steve Saxon was a Distinguished Engineer for QuickBooks Business Platform at Intuit from 2024 to 2026 and Distinguished Engineer and Chief Architect for QuickBooks Commerce there from 2021 to 2024, and was Chief Architect at Microsoft from 2018 to 2021.
Zoe Adams
LinkedInExperience: VP Software Engineer · XBOX
Zoe Adams has been VP Software Engineer at XBOX since July 2026. Zoe Adams held Microsoft roles as VP Software Engineer - Azure Foundry Inference and Training in 2026 and Partner Software Engineer - MultiAgent Work Management from 2023 to 2026, and was VP of Software and Avionics at Relativity Space in 2023.
Choose the right perspective
Match the person to the engineering area and level behind your question, since a vice president and a director who owns one area see different tradeoffs. Check whether the relevant role is current or past before asking how the work is done today.
Questions to take into the conversation
- 01How did you organize the engineering teams you led, and what would you change about that setup?
- 02What did you learn about coordinating hardware, software or platform work across groups?
- 03How did you decide which technical investments your teams made first?
Reaching Xbox engineering leaders
How can I contact one of these Xbox engineering leaders?
Pick one of the 10 people on this page and choose "Book a paid call", or describe your project to find others. You offer a fee for a 15-minute call or a written answer, Instant Expert finds the person's work email and sends the invitation, and they decide whether to accept. The list covers 3 companies: XBOX Media Solutions, Microsoft and XBOX, based on profile data retrieved on October 19, 2026. Being listed here doesn't mean someone has agreed to take calls.
How much does it cost to reach Xbox engineering leaders?
You choose the offer, starting at $5 per person. The offer is what the person receives, and Instant Expert's fee is added on top, so a $100 offer costs you $125. The fee is 20% of what you pay. You're charged only when the person books the call or sends the answer.
What if they don't reply?
You pay nothing. Instant Expert sends follow-up reminders, and if the person hasn't booked or answered within 7 days, the request expires and any hold on your card is released. You can invite several of the 10 people on this list at once and cap your total spend, so you pay only for the ones who accept.
Can an AI agent ask one of these Xbox engineering leaders a question?
Yes. An agent with a USDC wallet on Base can ask one question without an Instant Expert account. It names the person, for example by the LinkedIn URL on this page, and pays per ask over x402 (HTTP 402). The person answers in writing or by voice note, and if nobody answers within 7 days, the payment goes back to the wallet automatically. Claude and ChatGPT can do the same through the Instant Expert connector: setup is at /docs/mcp for Claude and /docs/chatgpt for ChatGPT. x402 docs
About this directory
This is a professional research starting point based on business profile data retrieved on . Titles and companies reflect that source snapshot; roles marked former had ended by then. Check the linked profiles for current details. Inclusion does not imply Instant Expert membership or availability.
Request a correction or removal