Wizard of Microsoft

A proven leader, this innovation lover is equipped with hard-core engineering skills, business vision and the ability to bring people together.

“I used to fly to Chicago Friday nights, attend classes Saturdays and come back to Redmond to work during the week.” Not many can work for Microsoft and earn their master’s degree simultaneously.

With a package worth $84 million, he is one of the highest paid CEOs in the world.

Childhood

Satya Nadella was born Nadella Satyanarayana Chowdary on January 6, 1967 in Hyderabad. Nadella finished his schooling at the Hyderabad Public School. Growing up, playing cricket was his passion, and he played it competitively as a member of his school’s team. 

He earned his Bachelor of Engineering degree in Electronics and Communication from the Manipal Institute of Technology.

Like many of the engineers at the time, he went abroad to earn his Master of Science degree in Computer Science from the University of Wisconsin-Milwaukee. Finally, he rounded off his education with a Master of Business Administration degree from the University of Chicago. 

Career

He started his career as a member of the technology staff at Sun Microsystems. In 1992, he joined Microsoft as a Program Manager. Nadella quickly rose up the ranks, becoming the Senior Vice President of Research & Development for the Online Services division, and notably, the President of the $19 billion Microsoft Server and Tools Business. 

During his meteoric rise, Nadella founded and led the ‘Microsoft bCentral’ small business online services group, was general manager for the company’s Commerce Platforms group.

Nadella’s work led him to steer the Cloud and Enterprise group as he became its executive vice president. He was credited for shaping Microsoft’s Cloud OS strategy, the backend system for its online services.

In 2014, Nadella was announced as the new CEO of Microsoft, the third chief executive in the company’s history.

Controversy

Nadella sparked controversy after saying women do not need to ask for a raise but should instead put their faith in “karma”. Nadella later apologized for his comments.

Personal Life

He married his high school sweetheart, Anupama Nadella. The couple is married for 22 years and has three children.

Nadella is an avid reader of American and Indian poetry. He often signs up for online courses in free time.