10 interesting facts about Satya Nadella

New Delhi: Recently, Redmond-based Microsoft announced that Satya Nadella would succeed Steve Ballmer as CEO. Hyderabad-born Nadella is 46 years old and has worked at the company since 1992, taking on a number of roles that have influenced its Office, Xbox and Bing products. During his tenrure, Nadella led Microsoft's efforts in the cloud and enterprise space, two areas that have always been of great importance to the company.“While we have seen great success, we are hungry to do more. Our industry does not respect tradition — it only respects innovation. This is a critical time for the industry and for Microsoft. Make no mistake, we are headed for greater places — as technology evolves and we evolve with and ahead of it. Our job is to ensure that Microsoft thrives in a mobile and cloud-first world,” he said in a memo to employees. Following Nadella's elevation, Microsoft announced that Bill Gates will be taking on a bigger role at the company. He stepped down from his position as chairman takes up the role of technology advisor to Microsoft's new CEO, Satya Nadella.“During this time of transformation, there is no better person to lead Microsoft than Satya Nadella,” Gates said. “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.”"I want every one of us to find more meaning at work. We spend far too much time at work for it not to have deep meaning," Nadella has said.Nadella's appointment as CEO makes him the most powerful Indian-born tech executive in the world.Read on to find out some interesting facts about Satya Nadella:1. Nadella, a native of Hyderabad, joined Microsoft in 1992, as executive vice president of Microsoft's Cloud and Enterprise group, responsible for building and running the company's computing platforms, developer tools and cloud services. 2. Nadella's selection would make him the most powerful Indian-born tech executive in the world and put him alongside PepsiCo Inc's chief Indra Nooyi as the leader of a well-known, large-cap U.S. corporation.3. Prior to handling major role in Microsoft's cloud computing business, Nadella was looking after the company's server and tools unit, following on from high-level roles in Microsoft's Office and Bing search engine teams.4. Nadella attended Hyderabad Public School in Begumpet before getting a Bachelor of Engineering in Electronics and Communication from the Manipal University.5. After moving to the US, Nadella earned Master of Science degree in Computer Science from the University of Wisconsin, Milwaukee. He also completed Master of Business Administration from the University of Chicago.6. Nadella also helped Microsoft bring a cloud version of Microsoft Office to the cloud, Office 365. Microsoft says Office 365 one of its fastest growing products ever.7. Nadella's role in Microsoft's cloud and enterprise business is paying off to the company. In its second-quarter results the company reported that its commercial cloud services grew revenue by 107 per cent from a year ago.8. What has probably worked in Nadella's favor is that he is “a company guy” and knows the company's culture well. In total, Nadella has been with Microsoft for nearly 23 years. “At this moment, those who have watched the process think that insider Satya Nadella, who is currently leading its enterprise effort, is the likeliest internal candidate to prevail. That's due to a number of reasons, including his familiarity with the company, where he has spent much of his career, as well as a strong technical background and a varied work history at Microsoft," Re/code report noted.9. Nadella is also considered to have played a significant part in Microsoft's foray into advanced technologies like digital rights management (DRM) and interactive television (ITV).10. Nadella reportedly have little experience with smartphone, personal computer and Xbox divisions at Microsoft. This may be a concern if Nadella turns out to be the CEO of Microsoft.