In the midst of months of speculation regarding its next CEO, Microsoft has finally announced that Executive Vice President of Microsoft’s Cloud and Enterprise group Satya Nadella is now CEO and a member of the Board of Directors effectively immediately. Current CEO Steve Ballmer will retire from his current role and pave the way for Nadella to lead the company forward.
Founder Bill Gates stated that, “During this time of transformation, there is no better person to lead Microsoft than Satya Nadella. 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.”
Steve Ballmer stated that, “Having worked with him for more than 20 years, I know that Satya is the right leader at the right time for Microsoft. I’ve had the distinct privilege of working with the most talented employees and senior leadership team in the industry, and I know their passion and hunger for greatness will only grow stronger under Satya’s leadership.”
Nadella has been credited for Microsoft’s move to Cloud computing, especially when it comes to implementing Cloud infrastructures in services such as Bing, Xbox, Office and more. He stated that, ““Microsoft is one of those rare companies to have truly revolutionized the world through technology, and I couldn’t be more honored to have been chosen to lead the company. The opportunity ahead for Microsoft is vast, but to seize it, we must focus clearly, move faster and continue to transform. A big part of my job is to accelerate our ability to bring innovative products to our customers more quickly.”
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