From Nadella Village to Microsoft's Seattle Headquarters: Satya Narayana Nadella
Life, at its core, is a tapestry
woven from the threads of our decisions. As Satya Narayana Nadella, the
chairman and CEO of Microsoft, wisely puts it, "Life is a matter of
choices, and every choice that you make….makes you.” Born in Hyderabad on 19
August 1967, Nadella hails from a Hindu family. His mother Prabhavati was a
Sanskrit lecturer and his father Yugandhar was an IAS officer. The family's
roots are traced back to Nadella village in Andhra Pradesh's Guntur district
(now Palnadu) from where Sayta’s grandfather had migrated to Bukkapuram.
Nadella attended Hyderabad Public
School in Begumpet. Interestingly, he failed to secure an IIT seat and did his
BE in electrical engineering from the Manipal Institute of Technology in
Karnataka instead. He went on to earn an MS in computer science from the
University of Wisconsin–Milwaukee and an MBA from the University of Chicago. Nadella
still serves on the board of trustees to the University of Chicago.
Before joining Microsoft in 1992,
Nadella worked with Sun Microsystems. After joining Microsoft, he led
development of one of the largest cloud infrastructures in the world. He has
held various roles in Microsoft including senior VP (research and development)
for the Online Services Division and VP of the Microsoft Business Division. He later
became the president of Microsoft's $19 billion Server and Tools Business.
There he led a transformation of the company's business and technology culture
from client services to cloud infrastructure and services. He is credited for
bringing Microsoft's database, Windows Server and developer tools to its Azure
cloud.
On 4 February 2014, Nadella took
the reins as the new CEO of Microsoft. Microsoft was founded in 1975 and
Nadella became its third CEO after Bill Gates and Steve Ballmer. In 2024,
Nadella's compensation from Microsoft totalled $79.1 million. He is considered
to be one of the highest paid CEOs in USA. His net worth is nearly $350
million. He has received numerous accolades, including the Padma Bhushan from
the Indian government. His family went through a personal tragedy when their son
Zain died from cerebral palsy in March 2022.
He is a big fan of cricket and
also the co-owner of the Seattle Orcas cricket team which is a part of 2023
Major League Cricket season. He is a partial owner of Seattle Sounders Soccer
Club along with his wife. Nadella's autobiography 'Hit Refresh' explores his
life and delves into his personal journey; offering insights into his thoughts
on technology and leadership.
Ravindra Zinjurke