Page 24 - ARUBA TODAY

A24 TECHNOLOGY
Tuesday 26 sepTember 2017
Satya Nadella aims to make Microsoft mighty - and mindful

By MATT O’BRIEN Bill Gates — who wrote
AP Technology Writer the book’s forward — or
Satya Nadella, the Micro- Ballmer. But he’s frank
soft CEO who kept the about their disagreements,
company relevant as its especially over Ballmer’s
primary PC software busi- $7.3 billion acquisition of
ness faded, could write a Nokia’s phone business in
book about the challenges 2014. Nadella also refers
he faced. to the company’s previous
And he has ... but it’s not organizational structure as
a tell-all memoir. Instead, a “confederation of fief-
Nadella, who has worked doms” and recounts nega-
at the company since the tive feedback received
early 1990s, has positioned from employee surveys
himself as the embodiment and emails.
of the story Microsoft wants “The company was sick,”
to tell about its transforma- Nadella writes. “Employ-
tion into a forward-thinking ees were tired. They were
outfit focused on artificial frustrated. They were fed
intelligence, cloud soft- up with losing and falling
ware, virtual worlds and In this Wednesday, Nov. 30, 2016, file photo, Microsoft CEO Satya Nadella speaks at the annual behind despite their grand
quantum computing. Microsoft shareholders meeting, in Bellevue, Wash. plans and great ideas.
“Microsoft is known for ral- 1990. Even then, Nadella can residency — for a tem- room. They came to Microsoft
lying the troops with com- combined intellectual vi- porary work visa because it “It was a little bit of a sur- with big dreams, but it felt
petitive fire,” Nadella writes sion with a warm personal- was the only way his wife, prise,” said Microsoft Presi- like all they really did was
in “Hit Refresh,” his new ity, Vairavan said. Anu, could join him in the dent Brad Smith. “Steve deal with upper manage-
autobiography. “The press Nor did he ever seem United States. Ballmer was not somebody ment, execute taxing pro-
loves that, but it’s not me.” stressed out — though the “I went back to the U.S. who brought in books. cesses and bicker in meet-
Nadella isn’t brash or out- professor once walked embassy in Delhi in June There was definitely a sense ings.”
spoken in the manner of into the research lab one of 1994, past the enormous that this was something dif- LEARNING FROM MISSTEPS
his predecessors or many Monday morning to find lines of people hoping to ferent.” In a book full of techno-
of his Silicon Valley peers. Nadella’s sleeping bag on get a visa, and told a clerk Nadella’s push for cultural optimism and enthusiasm
His thoughtfulness stands the floor — a sign of a long that I wanted to give back shift — and hiring “learn- about the company’s fu-
out in an industry known weekend spent finishing a my green card and apply it-alls” instead of “know-it- ture, it’s about as critical
for big egos and awkward thesis. for an H-1B,” Nadella writes. alls” — is largely meant to as Nadella gets. He also
detachment from the real A PASSAGE FROM INDIA “He was dumbfounded.” jolt enthusiasm for a new largely steers away from
world. He talks a lot about Nadella’s book recounts Risking his career gave him era of innovation at the political controversy, ex-
empathy and mindfulness. some personal and profes- instant notoriety on the Mi- company. Microsoft had cept to reject comments
Those who know him say sional struggles, including crosoft campus. long depended on the suc- about Asian tech execu-
he means it. details not widely known “Anu was my priority,” he cess of its flagship Windows tives once made by Steve
“Companies that try to un- about his upbringing in In- writes. “And that made my operating system and the Bannon, President Donald
derstand other people’s dia and adjusting to his decision a simple one.” royalties it gets for each PC Trump’s former chief strate-
problems tend to be more children’s disabilities. NONVIOLENT COMMUNI- sold with it. gist.
successful,” said K. Vaira- In a surprising passage CATION But the global PC market “Even when some people
van, a professor emeritus of about the “perverse logic” In the first executive meet- is declining, and Microsoft in positions of power have
the University of Wisconsin, of U.S. immigration law, ing after Nadella took over fell behind as Apple and remarked that there were
Milwaukee, who was chair- Nadella reveals how during from his predecessor, Steve Google led the shift to too many Asian CEOs in
man of the school’s com- his early years at Microsoft, Ballmer, in 2014, Nadella smartphones. technology, I’ve ignored
puter science program he gave up the security brought a copy of a book Nadella doesn’t take any their ignorance,” Nadella
when Nadella obtained a of a green card — which about nonviolent commu- shots at Microsoft’s co- writes, without naming
master’s degree there in grants permanent Ameri- nication for everyone in the founder and first CEO Bannon.q
Semi-autonomous Cadillacs

en route to dealerships

freeway. the driver was using the features to make sure they
A dozen Cadillac CT6 se- electric car maker’s Auto- are paying attention to the
dans will leave the brand’s pilot system. road and a ready to take
New York headquarters Unlike Tesla’s system, Super over driving in an emer-
Monday and head for Los Cruise will operate only on gency.
Angeles as cars with the limited-access freeways. Drivers who don’t pay at-
“Super Cruise” system start It will keep the car cen- tention will get several
arriving at dealerships. tered in its lane and a safe warnings including a flash-
Cadillac calls Super Cruise distance from vehicles in ing light bar on the steering
This Thursday, Feb. 11, 2016, file photo shows the Cadillac logo the first hands-free driver- front of it, relying on cam- wheel, seat vibrations and
on display on a vehicle at the Pittsburgh International Auto Show assist system for freeways. eras and radar sensors and audible alerts. If they don’t
in Pittsburgh. The system was delayed a high-tech maps to guide respond, the car emergen-
Associated Press year as GM worked out the the car. Drivers won’t have cy flashers will turn on, it will
DETROIT (AP) — General cross-country drive to show kinks and refined it after a to keep their hands on the slow to a stop and contact
Motors’ Cadillac luxury off its version of a car that fatal crash last year involv- steering wheel, but the sys- GM’s OnStar safety system.
brand is embarking on a almost drives itself on the ing a Tesla Model S in which tem will monitor their facial Although Tesla and other