Satya Narayana Nadella has been the Chief Executive Officer (CEO) of Microsoft by succeeding Steve Ballmer in 2014 and under him, the company had witnessed considerable growth. On 16th June 2021, Nadella was further appointed as the Executive Chairman of Microsoft, succeeding John W. Thompson.
Nadella is an Indian-American business executive. He is the former Executive Vice President of Microsoft’s Cloud and Enterprise group. His last position was conferred with the job of examining the computing platforms of the company.
Let’s check out the success story of Satya Nadella and look at his education, qualifications, personal life, professional life, history, achievements, controversies, and more.
Satya Nadella Biography
| Name | Satya Narayana Nadella |
|---|---|
| Birthplace | Hyderabad, Andhra Pradesh, India |
| Born | August 19, 1967 |
| Nationality | Indian |
| Citizenship | United States |
| Education | Manipal Institute of Technology, University of Wisconsin-Milwaukee, University of Chicago |
| Profession | Engineer, Computer Scientist |
| Position | Chairman and CEO, Microsoft |
| Father | Bukkapuram Nadella Yugandhar |
| Mother | Prabhavati |
| Spouse | Anupama Nadella |
| Children | 3 |
| Son | Zain Nadella |
| Daughters | Divya Nadella, Tara Nadella |
Satya Nadella – Personal Life
Satya Nadella – Education
Satya Nadella – Professional Life
Satya Nadella – Microsoft
Satya Nadella – Microsoft’s Acquisition
Satya Nadella – Boards & Committees
Satya Nadella – Awards
Satya Nadella – Controversies
Satya Nadella – Philanthropist
Satya Nadella – Personal Life
Satya Nadella was born in Hyderabad, India on August 19, 1967. His father, Bukkapuram Nadella Yugandhar was employed as an Indian Administrative Service officer of the 1962 batch. His mother, Prabhavati was a Sanskrit lecturer. His father shifted from Nadella village to Bukkapuram in Anantapuramu district, Andhra Pradesh, and later to Hyderabad.
Satya Nadella was married to Anupama in 1992. The couple has three children: two daughters and one son. His son, Zain is a legally blind quadriplegic with cerebral palsy. The family resides in Clyde Hill and Bellevue, Washington.
Satya Nadella – Education
Satya Nadella completed his primary education at Hyderabad Public School, Begumpet. He later pursued a Bachelor’s in Electrical Engineering from the Manipal Institute of Technology, Karnataka in 1988.
Later, he went abroad for higher studies. He completed his M.S. in computer science from the University of Wisconsin-Milwaukee in 1990. He also pursued an MBA from the University of Chicago Booth School of Business in 1997.
Satya Nadella – Professional Life
Satya Nadella started his career as a member of the technical staff of Sun Microsystems. In 1992, he joined Microsoft. Initially, he worked on the development of Windows NT. He later led major projects related to cloud computing at Microsoft. He held reputable leadership roles in business and enterprises across Microsoft.
He also wrote a book, HitRefresh: The Quest to Rediscover Microsoft’s Soul and Imagine a Better Future for Everyone, in 2017. The book consists of his experience and career at Microsoft. Moreover, he declared that the profits from the book would go to Microsoft Philanthropies via nonprofit organizations.
Satya Nadella – Microsoft
Satya Nadella joined Microsoft in 1992 as a young engineer. Nadella was promoted to corporate Vice President of Microsoft Business Solutions in the year 2001. He was later employed as the vice president of Research and Development (R&D) for the Online Services Division (2007-2011) and Microsoft Business Division.
He was then promoted to the President of the Server & Tools Division (2011-2014). He vividly helped the company to bring Microsoft’s database, Windows Server, and developer tools to its Azure cloud. The revenue from Cloud Services grossed $20.3 billion in June 2013 from $16.6 billion when he took over in 2011. Moreover, he received $84.5 million in pay in 2016.
Satya Nadella was appointed as the new CEO of Microsoft company in February 2014. He was sequentially the third CEO of Microsoft, following Bill Gates and Steve Ballmer. Under Nadella, the company’s stock tripled in September 2018, with a 27% annual growth rate.
After Nadella served Microsoft as its CEO for over 7 years, Nadella was appointed as the Chairman of the firm on June 16, 2021. He succeeded John W. Thompson to become the chairman.
Nadella proclaimed the amalgamation of Microsoft and Linux to rival other companies like Apple, Salesforce, and Dropbox. Microsoft officially joined the Linux Foundation as a Platinum member in 2016.
Moreover, he empowered a cultural shift at Microsoft by highlighting empathy, collaboration, and a growth mindset. He has successfully changed the corporate world of Microsoft into an environment that emphasizes continuous learning and growth.
Satya Nadella’s Strategic Vision
- Improve your abilities with compelling and successful Excel demonstrations
- Managing undefined responsibilities well for twenty years
- Demonstrating remarkable growth and strategic acumen by quickly achieving an amazing 4/10x increase in corporate value
- Acquiring the Pinnacle Startup at Zero Cost
Archana Karthikeyan
Satya Nadella – Microsoft’s Acquisition
Satya Nadella’s first acquisition with Microsoft was in 2014. The company acquired a Swedish video game developer, Mojang. Another company best known for the computer game, Minecraft was also acquired by him worth $2.5 billion.
He also purchased the software company, Xamarin. He then stepped up by purchasing the professional network, LinkedIn worth $26.2 billion in 2016. GitHub was officially acquired by Microsoft on 26 October 2018 for $7.5 billion.
As CEO, Satya Nadella made big changes at Microsoft:
- Released Windows 10, skipping Windows 9.
- Launched Microsoft Surface Book, the first Microsoft laptop.
- Made Microsoft Office available for Apple’s iPad.
- Released apps like Microsoft Outlook for iPhone and Android.
- Allowed Linux to run on the Azure cloud platform.
- Bought Mojang, the creator of Minecraft.
Sarika Anand
Satya Nadella – Boards & Committees
- Board of Directors, Starbucks
- Board of Trustees, Fred Hutchinson Cancer Research Center
- Board of Trustees, University of Chicago
Satya Nadella – Awards
- He was recognized as the Time 100 honoree in 2018.
- He was named Financial Times Person of the Year in 2019.
- He was the Fortune Magazine Businessperson of the Year in 2019.
- He was recognized as a Global Indian Business Icon at CNBC-TV18’s India Business Leader Awards in Mumbai in the year 2020.
- In 2022, Satya Nadella received the Padma Bhushan, India’s third-highest civilian award, from the Government of India.
- In January 2024, Satya Nadella received an honorary Ph.D. from the Georgia Institute of Technology.
Satya Nadella – Controversies
- On 27 November 2024, Elon Musk shared podcaster Ian Miles Cheong’s complaint with Microsoft CEO Satya Nadella and said, “This is illegal..”
Cheong, in posts on X (formerly Twitter), accused Microsoft’s gaming team of unfairly favoring non-Whites in hiring.
Um, @satyanadella, this is illegal … https://t.co/54GC5VW5ZJ
— Elon Musk (@elonmusk) November 27, 2024
- Satya Nadella was highly criticized when he asserted a statement that women should not ask for a raise and should trust the system. The statement was conferred by him while attending an event on Women in Computing.
He later wrote an apology letter to Microsoft through email, admitting that he was “Completely wrong”. Before the formal apology to the company, he apologized on Twitter as well.
Satya Nadella – Philanthropist
Satya Nadella is on the board of Fred Hutchinson Cancer Research Center and the University of Chicago’s board of trustees. All the money from his book Hit Refresh was donated to Microsoft Philanthropies.
Gorish Dua
Conclusion
Satya Nadella’s story is inspiring to all generations. Satya Nadella didn’t build an enterprise himself. He worked hard to achieve this success. He was selected to run an existing large enterprise depending on his past work and leadership skills.
Nobody cares what degrees you’ve got or from which college or university you’ve graduated from. The only thing that matters is what you can give to the company. The company only cares about your ability to do the job and in Satya Nadella’s case, Microsoft had 22 years to evaluate that. People admire Satya Nadella for his positive leadership skills and empathy towards the employees which have made him the best CEO to work with.
FAQ’s
What is Microsoft CEO name?
Satya Nadella is the current CEO and chairman of Microsoft.
When did Satya Nadella become Microsoft CEO?
Satya Nadella officially became CEO of the company on Feb 4, 2014.
Is Satya Nadella Indian?
Yes, Satya Nadella was born in Hyderabad, India on August 19, 1967.
What is Satya Nadella net worth?
Satya Nadella’s net worth is estimated to be INR 7500 crore as of July 2024.
What is Satya Nadella education?
Satya Nadella has an M.S. in computer science from the University of Wisconsin-Milwaukee and an MBA from the University of Chicago Booth School of Business. He has done B.E. in Electrical from the Manipal Institute of Technology, Karnataka, India.
How did Satya Nadella become CEO of Microsoft?
Satya Nadella became CEO of Microsoft in 2014 due to his successful leadership in cloud computing and enterprise services. His innovative vision and results-driven approach impressed Microsoft’s board, leading to his promotion.
What was Satya Nadella first job?
Satya Nadella’s first job was at Sun Microsystems, where he worked as a member of the technology staff before joining Microsoft in 1992.
Who is Satya Nadella wife?
Satya Nadella is married to Anupama Nadella.
