Microsoft’s search to find a successor for the retiring Steve Ballmer is over. After a last minute rumour that suggested that Google’s Sundar Pichai would take on the role of CEO, The company today announced that Satya Nadella had been appointed Chief Executive Officer and member of the Board of Directors effective immediately.
“During this time of transformation, there is no better person to lead Microsoft than Satya Nadella,” said Bill Gates, Microsoft’s Founder and Member of the Board of Directors. “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.”
Nadella has been with Microsoft since 1992 and was Executive Vice President of Microsoft’s Cloud and Enterprise group before today’s promotion to the top job.
In his first open letter to employees, Nadella gives them the first hints as to what will come next:
To paraphrase a quote from Oscar Wilde — we need to believe in the impossible and remove the improbable.
This starts with clarity of purpose and sense of mission that will lead us to imagine the impossible and deliver it. We need to prioritize innovation that is centered on our core value of empowering users and organizations to “do more.” We have picked a set of high-value activities as part of our One Microsoft strategy. And with every service and device launch going forward we need to bring more innovation to bear around these scenarios.
Microsoft also announced that Bill Gates will step down as Chairman of the Board of Directors in favour of John Thompson. Gates will take on a new role on the Board as Founder and Technology Advisor and will help Nadella “in shaping technology and product direction.”
Source : Microsoft