In this episode of pplpod, we profile Satya Nadella, the transformative leader who steered Microsoft from a period of stagnation to a trillion-dollar cloud computing powerhouse. We trace Nadella’s journey from his childhood in Hyderabad, India, and his love for cricket, to his arrival in the U.S. for a master’s in computer science and his early days at Sun Microsystems.

Join us as we explore how Nadella rose through the ranks after joining Microsoft in 1992 to become the company's third CEO in 2014, succeeding Steve Ballmer. We analyze his "growth mindset" philosophy and how he radically shifted the corporate culture toward collaboration and empathy—a worldview deeply influenced by raising his son Zain, who was born with cerebral palsy.

Key topics in this episode include:

• The Cloud Pivot: How Nadella transitioned Microsoft’s focus from Windows client services to the massive Azure cloud infrastructure.
• Strategic Acquisitions: The logic behind purchasing Minecraft, LinkedIn, and GitHub.
• Cultural Reform: Moving past the "pay raise" controversy of 2014 to build a diverse, inclusive environment that embraces former rivals like Linux.
• The Results: A look at the tenfold increase in Microsoft stock under his decade-long tenure.