Mixer co-founder Matt Salsamendi departs Microsoft

Matt Salsamendi, who co-founded the streaming platform that would eventually become Microsoft’s Mixer, has left both Mixer and Microsoft in favor of a career change.

Salsamendi, alongside fellow co-founder James Boehm, started the streaming service known as Beam in 2016. Later that year, Microsoft orchestrated an acquisition of the fledgling platform for an undisclosed sum. Soon after, it was integrated into Windows 10 and introduced as one of the Xbox One’s built-in sharing options. The next year saw Beam rebranded as Mixer with a renewed focus on social streaming features.

“’The Next Generation of Live Streaming,’ our first tagline,” recalled Salsamendi in a Tweet about his career shift. “It was aspirational, but when I reflect on the last few years it’s something I’m really proud of. During my time at Mixer, we made leaps in technology and community that changed the way people thing about competition in the game streaming space.”

As for next steps, Salsamendi says he plans to chase another passion project outside of games.

“Mixer and the startups I founded prior to it have defined my teenage and adult life and I’m ready to try something a little different—lasers! For as long as I can remember I’ve been fascinated with the idea of using light to represent music. Growing up I dreamed of running lighting for EDM festivals and tours, and I want to pursue that passion in a bigger way.”