Early Life
Satya Narayana Nadella was born on August 19, 1967, in Hyderabad, India, to a Telugu Hindu family. His father, Bukkapuram Nadella Yugandhar, was an Indian Administrative Service officer. His mother, Prabhavati, was a Sanskrit lecturer. Nadella attended the Hyderabad Public School, Begumpet before pursuing a bachelor's degree in electrical engineering from the Manipal Institute of Technology in Karnataka in 1988. He later moved to the United States and earned a master's degree in computer science from the University of Wisconsin–Milwaukee in 1990 and an MBA from the University of Chicago Booth School of Business in 1997.
Rise to Success
Nadella's career began at Sun Microsystems. He joined Microsoft in 1992. Initially, he worked on the development of Windows NT. He was later appointed as the vice president of Research and Development (R&D) for the Online Services Division and vice president of the Microsoft Business Division. He was also the president of Microsoft's $19 billion Server and Tools Business and led a transformation of the company's business and technology culture from client services to cloud infrastructure and services. Nadella became CEO of Microsoft on February 4, 2014, succeeding Steve Ballmer. He was appointed as Chairman of Microsoft in 2021.
Key Business Strategies
Under Nadella's leadership, Microsoft has shifted its focus to cloud-based services and cross-platform compatibility. He has been credited for helping bring Microsoft's database, Windows Server, and developer tools to its Azure cloud. He has also emphasized a growth mindset within the company. His focus on AI and cloud computing has significantly increased the company's market value. Microsoft's revenue for the twelve months ending September 30, 2025, was $293.812 billion, a 15.59% increase year-over-year.
Philanthropy
Satya Nadella announced that the profits from his book, *Hit Refresh*, would go to Microsoft Philanthropies and, through that, to nonprofit organizations.
