Satya Nadella Reveals How He Reacted To Being Asked To Become Microsoft CEO

$2.57 trillion. That's how much Satya Nadella-led Microsoft is valued at present. Leading a company as big as Microsoft is no cakewalk, and of course Satya Nadella knew that even a decade ago, when he got the opportunity to become its CEO.

When Did Satya Nadella Become Microsoft's CEO?

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56-year-old Hyderabad-born Satya Nadella is currently the chairman and CEO of Microsoft. Before being named as its CEO in February 2014, Nadella held leadership roles in both enterprise and consumer businesses across the company. He had joined Microsoft in 1992.

How Did He React To Being Asked To Become Microsoft CEO?

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Microsoft CEO Satya Nadella recently talked about his career journey, Microsoft's partnership with OpenAI, and leadership, among other topics, in a recent interview, as per the TOI report. Nadella also recalled and shared the story of his becoming the CEO of Microsoft.

"Having grown up at Microsoft, first during Bill Gate's tenure, and then Steve Ballmer's tenure, I don't think I ever got up in the morning and thought that someday Microsoft would have neither Bill nor Steve. And quite frankly, when Steve announced that he was going to leave, it was a real shock to me," he said, talking about his reaction when he learned about Ballmer's departure.

"I remember quite distinctly one of the board members asking me, "Do you want to be the CEO?" And I replied, "Only if you want me to be the CEO." I told this to Steve Ballmer, because the board members were like, "You know, if you want to be the CEO, you really need to want to be the CEO." I said, "God, I've not thought about it, I don't know." Steve Ballmer was very interesting. He said, "It's too late to change, so just be yourself and see what happens," as per the TOI report.

Nadella further added, "In retrospect, I think the board did what they had to do in the succession process. They looked broadly on the outside, and they looked deep on the inside, and then they made their decision."

Also Read: Why Did Tech Giants Microsoft & Apple Skip The Number 9?

Who Were Microsoft¡¯s Top 4 Candidates For CEO Post?

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Satya Nadella was among the four top candidates reportedly picked by the Microsoft board for the CEO's position. The other three were: Ford CEO Alan Mulally, former Nokia CEO Stephen Elop, and former Skype president Tony Bates.

What Did Bill Gates Say About Satya Nadella Becoming Microsoft CEO?

WSJ

¡°During this time of transformation, there is no better person to lead Microsoft than Satya Nadella,¡± Bill Gates said on the announcement back then. ¡°Satya is a proven leader with hard-core engineering skills, business vision, and the ability to bring people together. 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,¡± Gates statement added.

Also Read: Warren Buffett Regrets Not Investing In Amazon, Google & Microsoft

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