What you need to know
- Mike Ybarra has been with Microsoft for 20 years.
- He was the Corporate Vice President of Gaming and worked closely with the Xbox Insider Program.
- Today, Ybarra announced he was leaving the company for a new adventure.
- It's unclear what Ybarra plans to do in the future at this time.
Updated October 23, 2019: Ybarra is joining Blizzard Entertainment as Executive Vice President and General Manager.
I'm very happy to announce I'm joining @Blizzard_Ent as Exec. Vice President and GM starting 11/4 (will be at #blizzcon!). We will work with all our energy to serve gamers with incredible content and experiences. I can't wait to be part of this team. #lucky #humble #gamers #serve pic.twitter.com/kZ8dRuF3pe
— Mike Ybarra (@Qwik) October 24, 2019
Mike Ybarra has been with Microsoft for the past 20 years, working on the Xbox, Xbox 360, and Xbox One software experience. He became the Corporate Vice President of Gaming not too long ago, and has been deeply involved with the Xbox Insider Program.
Today, Ybarra announced on Twitter that he was leaving Microsoft for a new adventure. It's unclear what this is, but we'll keep you posted as soon as we find out.
After 20 years at Microsoft, it’s time for my next adventure. It’s been a great ride at Xbox and the future is bright. Thanks to everyone at TeamXbox, I’m incredibly proud of what we’ve accomplished and I wish you the best. More soon on what’s next for me (super excited)! 1/2...
— Mike Ybarra (@Qwik) October 9, 2019
As soon as news broke, Phil Spencer, the Executive Vice President of Gaming, thanked Ybarra for this contribution towards the Xbox brand. Other Microsoft employees like Larry Hryb, the Xbox Live Director of Programming, also thanked Ybarra.
Ybarra streamed a lot on Mixer, and hopefully, he'll keep it up. We'll definitely miss him talking about Xbox and other games. We can't wait to know what he plans on doing next.
Best of the best

Xbox Game Pass Ultimate
It'll last you a couple of months
Xbox Game Pass gives you access to over 200 games for one monthly fee. Xbox Game Pass Ultimate also adds Xbox Live Gold to the package so you can play online with your friends.
We may earn a commission for purchases using our links. Learn more.

Microsoft says people don't want Xbox VR — but Jez definitely does
So nobody is buying VR, but is that because they don't want it, or because the experience isn't good enough yet?

Will Teams or Slack ultimately win the messaging app wars?
Microsoft Teams recently hit 20 million daily active users, far outpacing rival messaging app Slack. But the questions are whether it can sustain that growth and what the surge means for Slack.

Fast and Slow ring Insiders pick up Windows 10 build 19041.1
Windows Insiders on the Fast and Slow rings can check out a fresh new build today. Rolling out now is Windows 10 20H1 preview build 19041.1, which brings new languages for quick searches and more fixes.

Where to find 2019's top Xbox One games at their cheapest yet
We’ve tracked down the cheapest price tags on 2019’s top Xbox One games this Black Friday.