Microsoft ended their six month search for a new CEO today (Feb. 4) and announced that Satya Nadella will replace Steve Ballmer as there new chief executive officer. The company also promoted John Thompson to chairman and Bill Gates announced that he would be a technology advisor to Nadella, USA Today reports.
So who is Satya Nadella? Here are 5 facts about Microsoft's new CEO:
1. The 46-year-old has worked with Microsoft for over 20 years and spent the last two years running their enterprise and cloud business
2. He's from Hyderabad, India and received a MS in Computer Science from the University of Wisconsin-Milwaukee and a MBA from the University of Chicago Booth School of Business
3. He loves books and in an email to employees said he buys "more books than I can finish"
4. He grew up playing cricket but also loves poetry
5. He's been married for 22 years and has three kids
6. In 2013 his salary was around $7.6 million
"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," Bill Gates said in a statement about Nadella.
On his first day on the job, Nadella held a 15-minute Webcast for customers and partners to explain the brand's strategy for a more "people-centric IT."
"Offering a vision of a 'people-centric IT,' Nadella said Microsoft would strive to create products and services where 'the end-user gets the experience they want and IT gets the control that they want,'" Cnet reports.
In a statement to Microsoft employees, Nadella said: "I've been fortunate to work closely with both Bill and Steve in my different roles at Microsoft, and as I step in as CEO, I've asked Bill to devote additional time to the company, focused on technology and products."
What do you think about Satya Nadella as the new CEO?
