Today Microsoft revealed their new CEO; Satya Nadella, 22-year veteran and head of Microsoft’s Cloud and Enterprise department, today takes the reigns from Steve Ballmer, who announced that he would be retiring withing 12 months last August.
In addition to the shuffle of the top-job, Bill Gates himself will be stepping back into an active role, breaking his five-year full-time focus on philanthropic pursuits. Whilst Gates will retain his position on the board of directors, he is sidestepping from ‘Chairman’ to ‘Founder and Technology Advisor’, which is a significant move, as he has held the Chairman position for the duration of Microsoft’s 33-year life. This will see him having a big hand in Microsoft product development once more and give him the chance to prove to everyone that he’s still got some pizazz when it comes to creating the latest and greatest in tech and software. Microsoft might have been uninspired over recent years, but let’s not forget how they shaped the modern digital world through their innovation and passion.
Satya Nadella’s name might not be one you’ve heard before, but his resume features technologies such as Bing (which isn’t anything to be proud of, really) and Microsoft’s Cloud OS service which, amongst other things, helps power Xbox Live. He also comes with glowing recommendations from Mr. Gates himself, who stated that Nadella is a “…proven leader with hard-core engineering skills, business vision and the ability to bring people together.” he goes on to say that “His vision for how technology will be used and experienced around the world is exactly what Microsoft needs as the company enters its next chapter of expanded product innovation and growth.”
Check out the video below to hear Nadella talk about the company, and see just how much growth Microsoft has gone through, with their cool Headquarters and casual walk-and-talk interview style.
[youtube http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=T8JwNZBJ_wI]
Sorry, I should have warned you that the video was neither hip, nor casual.
Awkwardness aside, Nadella seems to believe wholeheartedly in Microsoft saying, “Microsoft is one of those rare companies to have truly revolutionized the world through technology, and I couldn’t be more honoured to have been chosen to lead the company. The opportunity ahead for Microsoft is vast, but to seize it, we must focus clearly, move faster and continue to transform. A big part of my job is to accelerate our ability to bring innovative products to our customers more quickly.”
It seems that Microsoft has finally recognised their decline over the years as other competitors have been forced to innovate in order to catch the juggernaut. Now, the tables have turned and Microsoft wants to get back into the forefront of tech, after being overtaken by companies such as Samsung and Apple.
Only time will tell if the new Microsoft CEO will have the revitalizing effect on the company, similar to what Steve Jobs did for Apple. One thing is for sure though; the shuffle is very deliberate and Microsoft undoubtedly has a few tricks up their sleeve yet.
[via: Microsoft]