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Acquired · March 18, 2024 · 240m

Microsoft (Volume II)

The Satya Nadella era: how Microsoft went from a stagnating Windows company to a $3T AI and cloud leader. The cultural transformation from 'know-it-all' to 'learn-it-all,' the Azure bet, the GitHub/LinkedIn/Activision acquisitions, and the OpenAI partnership.

Canon

Nadella replaced Ballmer's competitive, Windows-first culture with a growth mindset culture borrowed from Carol Dweck. By changing the language and incentives, he changed the environment, and behavior followed.
Nadella's leadership philosophy mirrors the stoic dichotomy: control the internal (culture, values, strategy direction) and accept the external (Windows' declining relevance, mobile platform loss). He stopped fighting battles Microsoft had already lost.