UW-Milwaukee grad Satya Nadella named CEO of Microsoft
Students, staff and alumni at University of Wisconsin-Milwaukee were excited about Tuesday's news that an alum will now lead one of the largest software companies in the world.
"I thought it was pretty cool that someone from UW-Milwaukee made it big," UW-Milwaukee student Chris Bruzas said.
VIDEO: UWM grad now CEO of Microsoft
Microsoft ended speculation on its new CEO Tuesday morning in an announcement that Satya Nadella was chosen to succeed Steve Ballmer.
Nadella received a master's degree in computer science at UWM in 1990.
Professors who knew Nadella best during his time in Milwaukee, consider him an inspiration to students.
"I want them actually to look at him and say, 'If I do that, I'll be successful.'" UW-Milwaukee computer science Professor Hossein Hosseini said.
Nadella spent a lot of his time at UWM in computer science labs. In fact, his professor said, almost too much time.
"I found a sleeping bag on the floor and wondered what it was doing there, and one of the other students said Satya Nadella had been sleeping there for several nights trying to complete his thesis research," UW-Milwaukee computer science Professor Emeritus K. Vairavan said.
A native of India, Nadella completed his bachelor's degree at Mangalore University in India.
According to UWM's website, Nadella participated in the SEAS Upward Bound program while he was a graduate student at UWM.
Student Mouj Alghambi said she feels a special connection having come to UW-Milwaukee, like Nadella, as an international student.
"I do. I relate to him, aspire to do something like this, you know," Alghambi said.
Following his graduation from UWM, he began working at the Chicago office of Sun Microsystems. In 1992, he received a second master's degree from the University of Chicago and took a job with Microsoft in Seattle.
Nadella was recognized with a Dean's Award from UWM in 2000, and the Chancellor's Innovation Award in 2013.
Nadella has been named CEO amid a major transition at Microsoft. He is replacing Steve Ballmer, who announced in August that he was stepping down as CEO. The company's famed consumer business is struggling, including sales of Windows. Meanwhile, corporate revenue now makes up two-thirds of Microsoft's overall sales and is instrumental in driving Microsoft's growth.
"During this time of transformation, there is no better person to lead Microsoft than Satya Nadella," said Microsoft founder Bill Gates in a prepared statement. "His vision for how technology will be used and experienced around the world is exactly what Microsoft needs as the company enters its next chapter of expanded product innovation and growth."
Microsoft also said that Gates will be working closely with Nadella in a new technology adviser role. Gates will be replaced by current Microsoft board member and former Symantec CEO John Thompson as new chairman of Microsoft. Gates and Ballmer will remain on the company's board.
Nadella was Microsoft's second-highest paid executive last year, earning $7.7 million in salary, bonuses and stock grants. Only chief operating officer Kevin Turner made more. Microsoft has not yet announced Nadella's new compensation package.