Satya Nadella, Microsoft CEO, was interviewed by a team of India Today Group editors, consisting of Raj Chengappa, Prosenjit Datta and Sanghamitra Chakraborty, at his office in Seattle, USA.
It is brave of you to write a book in the midst of being the CEO—in the fog of war, as you call it. Normally CEOs wait for their successes and years later talk about it. So why did you do it?
SATYA NADELLA: The impetus for the book came from not as much trying to recount what has happened or even just talk about the future, but to talk about the process of transformation. Because I realised that so much of what one does as a leader in any context—and also what one does in life as you live it—is deal with change. So, I felt that reflecting on that while you’re going through it is, in fact, cathartic and clarifying, rather than do one of those exposed ‘look-backs’.
One of the inspirations for this was a meeting with Steve (Ballmer, Nadella’s predecessor) maybe six months after he left. When I asked him, “Hey, are you writing a book?”, he had a fantastic answer. He said, “No, it’s too boring to look back into the past.” And that’s when it struck me—right now, while I’m in the midst of it. By no stretch am I claiming the journey is done, the transformation is finished or any successes have been achieved. But, I thought, let me reflect on Microsoft’s own journey, the moments of transformation, and then our own society. And so that’s the three stanzas that were really the impetus for it.
ITG: You talk of the soul of Microsoft and ask existential questions in the book. Isn’t that somewhat of an Indian thing to do?
This story is from the October 02, 2017 edition of India Today.
Start your 7-day Magzter GOLD free trial to access thousands of curated premium stories, and 8,500+ magazines and newspapers.
Already a subscriber ? Sign In
This story is from the October 02, 2017 edition of India Today.
Start your 7-day Magzter GOLD free trial to access thousands of curated premium stories, and 8,500+ magazines and newspapers.
Already a subscriber? Sign In
The Silent Revolution
A Growing Force, The Woman Elector In India Is Realising The Power Of Her Vote And Using It To ***direct Her Own And The Nation's Destiny
The Forbidding Fruit
The disturbed snow cycle, the price of imported urea, cheaper imports from the South Asian neighbourhood-the whole world, it would appear, has been conspiring against the apple farmers of Himachal Pradesh.
Chicken Soup for the Heart
Former veejay, actor and now travel influencer, Shenaz Treasury is out with a book based on past romances-All He Left Me Was a Recipe
CITY OF DREAMS
This anthology of stories about Mumbai is like the city itself-crowded and chaotic, but ultimately illuminating
Diverse Vignettes
Edited by Arunava Sinha, The Penguin Book of Bengali Short Stories is a landmark new anthology which includes several previously untranslated works
A BREATH OF FRESH PERSPECTIVE
Ganesh V. Shivaswamy brings a sharp and balanced approach to his three volumes on Raja Ravi Varma
Time Travel
An exhibition in Bengaluru is showcasing an unseen artwork by legendary artist Raja Ravi Varma
INDIA AT CANNES 2024
The 2024 Cannes Film Festival marks the first time in 30 years that India has a feature film in the Palme d'Or competition section. And there's lots more...
Cusp of Greatness
Shriya Pilgaonkar comes into her own as an intrepid reporter in Zee5's The Broken News
THE GREAT DISRUPTOR
Rapper SlowCheeta is trying to shake things up with his EP, Scene Mein Bawaal