Bekker's Blog

Blog archive

Nadella's Task: Help Other Companies Make Money Off Microsoft

Satya Nadella rolled out a piece of Microsoft math that longtime Microsoft partners are accustomed to hearing, but it's a good message to hear repeated from the top.

Speaking to Forbes in an interview posted Monday, Microsoft's CEO talked about how Microsoft does best when other companies are making money off its products. The comments took the form of recounting conversations with Microsoft Co-Founder Bill Gates.

"Bill used to teach me, 'Every dollar we make, there's got to be five dollars, ten dollars on the outside,'" Nadella told Forbes.

Gates also reminded Nadella that great companies were once built on Microsoft's code, and tasked him with rebuilding Microsoft brick by brick until it can happen again. "That's what I want us to rediscover."

The short article about the interview covers Nadella's efforts to build up enough industry trust in Microsoft to credibly acquire GitHub without causing a community revolt, as well as efforts to reduce the institutional arrogance inside Microsoft that can be a side effect of success.

Read more here.

Posted by Scott Bekker on December 10, 2018


Featured

  • Windows Server 2025 Now Generally Available

    Microsoft's next-gen server platform, Windows Server 2025, is now ready for production environments, the company announced Monday.

  • Microsoft Takes Wraps Off 'Modernized' Windows Hello

    Windows 11 users will see a new and improved Windows Hello interface, Microsoft said recently.

  • An image of planes flying around a globe

    2024 Microsoft Conference Calendar: For Partners, IT Pros and Developers

    Here's your guide to all the IT training sessions, partner meet-ups and annual Microsoft conferences you won't want to miss.

  • Is Microsoft 365 Copilot Worth It? SMBs Count the Ways

    For organizations using the right Microsoft 365 SKUs, the Copilot add-on costs an additional $30 per user per month. According to a recent Forrester survey of over 250 SMBs worldwide, it's worth it.