10 Things You (probably) Don't Know about Satya Nadella

Article by George Norman (Cybersecurity Editor)

on 22 Sep 2016

Yes, he’s the current CEO of Microsoft. Apart from that, what else do you know about the guy who replaced Steve Ballmer at the helm of Microsoft? And do you even remember Steve Ballmer?


Just be glad he isn’t sticking his tongue out, like he’s known to do. Or worse.

Getting back to the topic at hand, let me address your lack of knowledge by presenting 10 interesting things that you may or may not know about Satya Nadella. Here goes.


1. His name means "truth"


Satya is the Sanskrit word for "truth." And Indian religions refer to "satya" as being truthful in one's thought, speech and action. That’s according to the fountain of all knowledge that is Wikipedia.

And in case you were wondering, Nadella’s full name is Satya Narayana Nadella.


2. He can probably fix your toaster

Originally from India, Nadella has a bachelor's degree in electrical engineering which he got in 1988 from Mangalore University. After moving to the US, Nadella got a master’s degree in computer science from the University of Wisconsin and a master’s degree in business administration from the University of Chicago.


3. He’s been with Microsoft for more than 20 years

Born on August 19, 1967, Satya Nadella is 49 years old. He joined Microsoft way back in 1992, when he was in his mid-twenties. And he was appointed CEO in February, 2014, when he was 46.

Bill Gates himself welcomed Nadella into his new position.



It’s worth mentioning that when Nadella took on the role of CEO, Bill Gates stepped down as Chairman of the Board, taking on the official title of "founder and technology advisor."


4. He’s the father of three (two with special needs)


Satya and Anupama Nadella have three children: a son, Zain, and two daughters, Tara and Divya. The boy and one of the girls are special needs children. Zain is quadriplegic.


5. He’s got more than 1 million Twitter followers

Satya Nadella may not be as popular as Katy Perry, who has the most popular account on Twitter, but he does have more than 1 million followers, and that’s nothing to scoff at.


6. He likes to read (a lot)

Satya Nadella really likes to read. "I buy more books than I read or finish," he said in his first email to Microsoft employees as the company’s CEO and in his first interview as CEO. He also likes poetry, saying that reading poetry is like reading code.



Bill Gates also likes to read. I bring this up only to remind you about Gates’ latest book recommendations.


7. He’s a Seahawks fan

Most people know Satya Nadella to be a huge cricket fan. He also likes football and he’s a Seahawks fan.



But that might have something to do with the fact that the Seahawks are owned by Paul Allen, who co-founded Microsoft alongside Bill Gates.


8. He did the Ice Bucket Challenge

Former pro football player Steve Gleason challenged Satya Nadella to do the Ice Bucket Challenge for ALS. He didn’t shy away from the challenge.



Nadella challenged Amazon’s Jeff Bezos and Google’s Larry Paige. They didn’t shy away from the challenge either.


9. He celebrated Windows 10’s launch in Kenya

Where were you on July 29, 2015, when Microsoft started rolling out the final version of Windows 10? Satya Nadella, who believes fiercely in giving back, was in Kenya.



I'm going to use this as an opportunity to remind you that Microsoft has just recently released an update that removes the Get Windows 10 app.


10. He’s a Gears of War fan (probably)

Gears of War 4 recently went gold. To celebrate the game’s release to manufacturing, Microsoft’s Board of Directors traveled to the Microsoft Canada Excellence Centre in Vancouver to help mark the occasion alongside Phil Spencer, head of Xbox, and Rod Fergusson, head of The Coalition, the studio responsible for the development of Gears of War.

Here's Satya Nadella holding the Gears of War 4 gold master disc.


Via Xbox Wire.



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