Microsoft’s Satya Nadella: Why we need re-founders
Masters of Scale
WaitWhat
4.6 • 4.4K Ratings
🗓️ 31 August 2021
⏱️ 42 minutes
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Summary
To achieve massive scale, you don’t just need founders, you also need a re-founder – someone to come in at a later stage to keep the mission and culture on track. As Microsoft’s third CEO ever – after Bill Gates and Steve Ballmer – Satya Nadella is doing just that. He’s fostered a culture at Microsoft that rewards new ideas and makes room for feedback. Satya discusses how, as Chairman and CEO, he has transformed Microsoft from a cutthroat culture towards embracing social networks, collaboration, and cloud. Plus, Satya and Reid reminisce about the early conversations that led to Microsoft’s acquisition of LinkedIn. With guest David Mandel, showrunner of Veep.
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Transcript
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| 0:00.0 | Hi, it's Bob Safian. You've been hearing me as the host of rapid response in this feed for a few years now, |
| 0:07.8 | with short newsy interviews alongside the deeper dives of Masters of Scale. Well, I'm excited to share that rapid response is expanding into its own feed. |
| 0:17.0 | We'll be putting out shows twice a week, focusing on the urgent issues that business leaders are dealing with in real time. |
| 0:24.8 | So search for rapid response in your podcast player and subscribe to make sure you get all our episodes. |
| 0:31.2 | I'll see you on the other side. |
| 0:34.0 | If you'd asked me even the day before or the hour before, |
| 0:38.0 | I would have said, hey, there's a chance, but I don't know who was interviewing, |
| 0:41.7 | who wanted the job, there was a lot of I'd say intrigue around it |
| 0:47.0 | That is Sasha Nadella and he's talking about the moment in 2014 when it seemed he might become the next CEO of Microsoft. |
| 1:00.0 | Sachia had been with a company for more than 20 years, |
| 1:02.8 | but even down to the last minute, |
| 1:04.3 | his promotion was far from Surfer. |
| 1:08.5 | I remember where one board member asked me, |
| 1:11.2 | do you really want to be a CEO? I said only if you want me to be the CEO. |
| 1:15.1 | And then he said, well, that's not how CEOs are made, right? I mean, CEOs want that job. |
| 1:20.5 | And I said, but that's sort of how I feel. |
| 1:22.1 | And I remember talking to Steve about it. |
| 1:23.7 | Steve Palmer, Microsoft second CEO. |
| 1:28.3 | Steve turns to me and say, yeah, it's too late to change. |
| 1:31.1 | It's like you are who you are. |
| 1:33.0 | Saute was in fact very different from either of Microsoft's previous COs, |
| 1:38.0 | especially the one he'd be replacing. where Steve Balmer projected absolute confidence and assurance. Satcha prioritized asking questions. |
... |
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