Microsoft CEO Satya Nadella recently received the 2023 Axel Springer Award this year. He sat for an interview at Axel Springer’s Berlin headquarters. During the conversation, he talked about his career journey, Microsoft’s partnership with OpenAI, and leadership, among other topics. Nadella also shared the story of his becoming the CEO of Microsoft. Satya Nadella was named as Microsoft CEO in February 2014.
“Having grown up at Microsoft, first during Bill’s tenure, and then Steve’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 got to know 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, 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 was very interesting. He said, “It’s too late to change, so just be yourself and see what happens,” he said.
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.”
Microsoft’s top 4 candidates for CEO post
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.
“During this time of transformation, there is no better person to lead Microsoft than Satya Nadella,” said Bill Gates on the announcement 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.
“Having grown up at Microsoft, first during Bill’s tenure, and then Steve’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 got to know 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, 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 was very interesting. He said, “It’s too late to change, so just be yourself and see what happens,” he said.
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.”
Microsoft’s top 4 candidates for CEO post
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.
“During this time of transformation, there is no better person to lead Microsoft than Satya Nadella,” said Bill Gates on the announcement 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.