HI, EVERYONE. SAL KHAN HERE FROM KHAN ACADEMY.
WELCOME TO OUR HOME ROOM LIVE
STREAM.
I'M VERY EXCITED ABOUT OUR GUEST
TODAY.
WE HAVE SATYA NADELLA, CEO OF
MICROSOFT.
BUT BEFORE WE JUMP INTO THAT
CONVERSATION, I WILL GIVE MY
STANDARD ANNOUNCEMENT, A
REMINDER THAT KHAN ACADEMY IS A
NOT FOR PROFIT ORGANIZATION, WE
CAN ONLY EXIST THROUGH
PHILANTHROPIC DONATIONS FROM
FOLKS LIKE YOURSELVES.
SO IF YOU'RE IN A POSITION TO DO
SO, PLEASE THINK ABOUT GOING TO
KHANACADEMY.ORG/DONATE.
I WANT TO GIVE A SPECIAL THANKS
TO SEVERAL ORGANIZATIONS THAT
HAVE STEPPED OUT OF THE WOOD
WORK WHEN THEY SAW THAT EVEN
PROCOVID WE WERE RUNNING AT A
DEFICIT, AND THEN AS COVID HIT
AS YOU CAN IMAGINE KHAN
ACADEMY'S TRAFFIC HAS GONE UP
DRAMATICALLY.
THEY HELPED US CLOSE THAT
DEFICIT, WE ARE STILL RUNNING A
DEFICIT, BUT SPECIAL THANKS TO
BANK OF AMERICA, GOOGLE.ORG,
NOVARTIS, FASTLY AND AT&T AND
THE AMGEN FOUNDATION AND MANY
OTHER ORGANIZATIONS THAT HELPED
SUPPORT KHAN ACADEMY OVER THE
YEARS.
BUT IF YOU'RE IN A POSITION TO
DO SO, PLEASE THINK ABOUT MAKING
A DONATION.
SO WITH THAT OUT OF THE WAY, I'M
SUPER EXCITED TO INTRODUCE OUR
GUEST, SATYA NADELLA, A MAN WHO
MIGHT NOT NEED ANY INTRODUCTION,
CEO OF MICROSOFT.
SATYA, THANKS FOR JOINING US.
THANK YOU SO MUCH, SAL.
IT IS SUCH A PLEASURE TO BE WITH
YOU.
SO THERE IS A LOT TO TALK
ABOUT OBVIOUSLY IN THE WORLD.
WE WERE BRIEFLY TALKING ABOUT IT
BEFORE THE LIVE STREAM GOT
STARTED.
I WANT TO ENCOURAGE ANYONE WHO
IS WATCHING OVER YOUTUBE OR
FACEBOOK, YOU CAN PUT YOUR
QUESTIONS IN THE MESSAGE BOARDS
AND WE HAVE TEAM MEMBERS WHO ARE
GOING TO SURFACE THE INTERESTING
QUESTIONS, NOT TO PUT ANY
JUDGMENT ON THE THINGS WE DON'T
SURFACE.
WE'LL SURFACE AS MUCH AS WE CAN.
BUT SATYA, YOU KNOW, I REALLY
WANT TO START ON A PERSONAL
LEVEL AND THEN KIND OF SPIRAL
OUT FROM THERE.
YOU KNOW, YOU'RE A CEO OF
MICROSOFT, ONE OF THE MOST
SUCCESSFUL STORIED LARGEST TECH
COMPANIES, FIRMS IN THE WORLD.
DID YOU IMAGINE THAT THIS IS
WHERE YOU WOULD END UP BEING?
WHAT DID YOU THINK YOU WERE
GOING TO DO?
WE HAVE A LOT OF YOUNG PEOPLE
WATCHING, WHAT DID YOU THINK YOU
WERE GOING TO DO WHEN YOU WERE A
TEENAGER IN YOUR EARLY 20s?
FOR SURE I DIDN'T IMAGINE
THAT THIS IS WHERE I WOULD END
UP, SAL.
I GREW UP IN INDIA, GREW UP IN
THE CITY OF DELHI, BUT MOSTLY IN
HYDROBAD.
IN THE '70s WHEN I WAS GROWING
UP, IT IS NOT WHAT IT IS TODAY.
IT IS A PLACE WHERE IT IS A
LITTLE REMOVED FROM WHERE THE
MAINSTREAM OF INDIA, IT IS
BEFORE SATELLITE TELEVISION,
BEFORE EVEN A LOT OF THE
AMERICAN POP CULTURE SORT OF
SHOWED UP WHERE I WAS GROWING
UP.
BUT I MUST SAY, WHEN I REFLECT
BACK, I SOMEHOW HAD THE SPACE
AND TIME TO EXPLORE AND I
REMEMBER THE SUMMERS, I WAS
RECENTLY RECOUNTING THIS TO MY
OWN DAUGHTERS, I READ A LOT OF
RUSSIAN AUTHORS, PLAYED A LOT OF
CRICKET, THOSE PERHAPS WERE MORE
MY PASSION.
AND THEN LATER ON, IN FACT, I
ALWAYS SAY SOMEHOW I'M A PRODUCT
OF TWO GREAT AMERICAN THINGS.
SOMEHOW AMERICAN TECHNOLOGY
REACHED ME WHERE I WAS GROWING
UP, FELL IN LOVE WITH THE
COMPUTING AND ITS EARLY FORM,
AND THEN LATER ON, WAS ABLE TO
COME HERE FOR EDUCATION, AND
THEN GET A JOB AND ENLIGHTENED
AMERICAN IMMIGRATION POLICY THAT
LED ME TO LIVE THE AMERICAN
DREAM.
AND SO THAT'S SORT OF HOW IT ALL
CAME ABOUT.
BUT FOR CLEARLY MY FIRST
PASSIONS WERE MORE I WOULD SAY
CRICKET AND CRICKET AND MAYBE A
LITTLE BIT OF LITERATURE.
YOU THOUGHT YOU WERE GOING TO
BE A CRICKETEER.
WE HAVE QUESTIONS COMING IN FROM
YOUTUBE.
THEY'RE ASKING A SIMILAR
QUESTION, WHAT INSPIRED YOU TO
SEEK YOUR EDUCATION IN THE U.S.?
OR WHAT INSPIRED YOU TO KIND OF
SEEK OPPORTUNITY IN THE U.S.?
I MEAN, TO ME, BY THE TIME I
WAS IN THE UNDERGRAD SYSTEM IN
INDIA, AND I WAS DOING... I DID
ELECTRICAL ENGINEERING, IT WAS
CLEAR IN MY MIND THAT, IN FACT,
I LOOK BACK AT IT I GOT A
RENAISSANCE EDUCATION FOR TECH.
WHAT I MEAN BY THAT, I STARTED
AT THE VERY BOTTOM OF THE TECH
STACK, RIGHT, WHICH IS THE
TRANSISTOR, AND SLOWLY STARTED
BUILDING UP MY LEVEL OF
ABSTRACTION.
I WAS CLEAR I WANTED TO COME TO
THE U.S., DO COMPUTER SCIENCE,
AND, YOU KNOW, HOPE TO... I WAS
NOT CLEAR I WOULD GET TO STAY
HERE, BUT I CLEARLY WANTED TO
WORK IN THE COMPUTING INDUSTRY.
SO THAT'S WHAT LED ME TO
EDUCATION... OR TO COME TO
GRADUATE SCHOOL AND THEN DO WHAT
I SUBSEQUENTLY DID.
AND WHAT IS YOUR SENSE, YOU
KNOW, FAST-FORWARD A LITTLE BIT,
YOU ENTER INTO INDUSTRY AND
OBVIOUSLY BY... I'VE KNOWN YOU
FOR MANY YEARS, WE HAD
CONVERSATIONS AT VARIOUS EVENTS,
I'M NOT SAYING THIS JUST TO BE
NICE TO YOU, YOU'RE INCREDIBLY
HUMBLE, APPROACHABLE PERSON.
I FIND THESE EVENTS, I'M
INTIMIDATED BY A LOT OF FOLKS
BUT I GRAVITATE TO YOU BECAUSE I
FEEL COMFORTABLE TALKING TO YOU.
WHAT DO YOU THINK IS ABOUT...
WHAT TRAITS DID YOU HAVE OR WAYS
OF VIEWING THE WORLD THAT YOU
THINK ALLOWED YOU TO BE
SUCCESSFUL IN THE WAYS THAT YOU
HAVE?
THAT'S AN INTERESTING
QUESTION.
YOU KNOW, IT IS ALWAYS HARD TO
BE SUPER OBJECTIVE ON YOURSELF
AND WHAT IS SORT OF YOUR
QUOTE/UNQUOTE SUPERPOWERS OR
WHAT MAKES YOU SUCCESSFUL.
AND WHAT ARE ALSO PERHAPS YOUR
SHORTCOMINGS.
THE ONE THING THAT I DO FEEL I
HAVE SOMEHOW INNATELY IS THAT
LEVEL OF CURIOSITY, RIGHT.
HERE'S THE THING.
I DON'T REMEMBER EVER HAVING A
JOB AT MICROSOFT WHERE I FELT
LIKE OH, I NEEDED TO WAIT FOR MY
NEXT JOB TO DO MY BEST WORK.
WHEN I FIRST JOINED IN '92, I
THOUGHT I HAD THE GREATEST JOB,
IT MIGHT BE THE LAST JOB I HAVE,
BUT I LOVED IT.
AND SO APPROACHING EVEN WHAT
YOU'RE DOING WHAT IS THE
EVERYDAY MUNDANE WITH THE LEVEL
OF CURIOSITY, ENERGY, THAT
POSTURE OF LEARNING, I THINK
THAT'S SORT OF PERHAP A LOT
MORE INNATE IN ME, I'M NOT
SAYING I'M PERFECT BY ANY
MEASURE.
BUT I NEVER WAS WAITING, I
GOT... ONE OF MY PEOPLE ASKED ME
WHAT ADVICE DO I HAVE?
I SAID ONE THING IS JUST DON'T
WAIT FOR YOUR NEXT JOB TO DO
YOUR BEST WORK.
AND THAT PERHAPS IN THE... AT
LEAST TO ME, FOR ME HAS BEEN A
VERY HELPFUL ATTRIBUTE.
I WANT TO DOUBLE CLICK ON
THAT.
THERE IS A STEREOTYPE YOU HAVE
IF YOU WATCH MOVIES OR READ
BUSINESS LITERATURE, IN ORDER TO
SUCCEED IN THE CORPORATE
AMERICA, IN THE WORLD, THERE IS
A STEREOTYPE YOU HAVE TO BE VERY
COMPETITIVE, ELBOWING OUT OTHER
PEOPLE, HAVE TO BE MARKETING
YOURSELF.
AND I'M SAYING THIS VERY
GENUINELY, YOU DON'T SEEM TO BE
THAT TYPE OF PERSON.
I THINK I'M A PRETTY GOOD READ
OF FOLKS.
WHAT DO... IS THAT TRUE IN
CERTAIN CASES THAT THOSE TYPES
OF TRAITS DO HELP PEOPLE OR, YOU
KNOW, DESPITE THAT, HOW DID YOU
STICK OUT?
HOW DID YOU PEOPLE NOTICE YOU
COULD HAVE THAT CONTRIBUTION?
IT IS INTERESTING, I'M NOT
EVEN... I DON'T THINK BEING
DOGMATIC ABOUT ANY ONE TRAIT AS
THE ONLY TRAIT TO SUCCESS IS
PROBABLY THE WORST DOGMA YOU CAN
HAVE.
BUT I WOULD SAY, LIKE, I
REMEMBER EVEN THE INTERVIEW
PROCESS FOR THE CEO, ONE OF THE
DIRECTORS I HAD A CONVERSATION
WITH THEM, AND HE ASKED ME
WHETHER, YOU KNOW, I REALLY WANT
TO BE CEO.
I SAID ONLY IF YOU WANT ME TO BE
CEO.
HE SAID, NO, THAT'S NOT HOW YOU
ANSWER.
IF YOU WANT TO BE CEO, YOU GOT
TO SAY I WANT THIS JOB.
AND I REMEMBER GOING TO STEVE
BALMER LATER AND TELLING HIM,
THIS IS WHAT HAPPENED.
HE SAID IT IS TOO LATE TO
CHANGE.
I'M GLAD YOU ANSWERED THE WAY
YOU SHOULD ANSWER.
BECAUSE THAT'S WHO YOU ARE.
IT WORKED FOR ME.
I DON'T THINK I'LL CLAIM AGAIN
THAT THIS IS THE ONLY THING THAT
MATTERS.
BUT IT COMES FROM, TO YOUR
PREVIOUS QUESTION, IT COMES FROM
A LEVEL OF CONFIDENCE I HAVE IN
MYSELF.
IT IS NOT THAT I DON'T HAVE
CONFIDENCE.
BUT IT IS NOT THAT I'M WAITING
FOR SOMEONE AND SOMETHING ELSE
TO RECOGNIZE IT OR BE REWARDED
FOR IT, THAT'S NOT WHAT IS
INTRINSICALLY MOTIVATING TO ME.
HOW DID YOU DEFINE YOUR
SUCCESS?
DID YOU DEFINE IT AS, HEY, I
WANT TO BECOME A CEO OF
MICROSOFT AND ACHIEVE CERTAIN
BUSINESS TARGETS OR IS IT
SOMETHING YOU HAVEN'T THOUGHT A
LOT ABOUT OR HAVE YOU DEFINED IT
IN OTHER WAYS?
I MUST SAY, EVEN THAT IDEA OF
WHAT SUCCESS LOOKS LIKE OR WHAT
AM I ASPIRING TO DO HAS CHANGED.
OVER THE YEARS, THERE WAS A
PERIOD OF TIME AS I SAID OH,
GOD, I GOT TO MAKE IT TO MY
SATE TEAM TO PLAY CRICKET.
I FAILED AT THAT MISERABLY.
I SET A DIFFERENT GOAL.
I SAID I NEED TO BE AN ENGINEER
AND GET A JOB.
GOT THERE.
SO OVER THE TIME, THEN, QUITE
FRANKLY, ONE OF THE BIGGER
CHANGES IN MY LIFE HAPPENED IS
MY SON ZANE WAS BORN AND HE'S
GOT CEREBRAL PALSY, A MAJOR
CHANGE IN OUR LIFE FOR MY WIFE
AND ME, HE HELPED ME REDEFINE
WHAT I WAS ASPIRING TO DO, WHAT
IS IT TO BE ABLE TO SEE LIFE
THROUGH HIS EYES, RECOGNIZE
SOME... THE ROLE I HAVE AS A
FATHER, ALSO BEING... WHAT CAN I
DO, GIVEN THE POSITIONS I WAS
IN, FOR THE BROADER DISABILITY
COMMUNITY, FINDING MORE MEANING
IN THAT WORK, USING MICROSOFT AS
A PLATFORM TO FIND THE MEANING,
SO TO YOUR POINT, OVER THE YEARS
I WOULD SAY THERE HAS BEEN
ANYTHING, IT IS ABILITY TO BUILD
MORE EMPATHY FOR WHAT IS
HAPPENING AROUND ME WITH THE
PEOPLE BOTH IN MY FAMILY AND AT
WORK AND IN THE COMMUNITIES.
AND HELP THAT SORT OF CHANGE
EVEN MY ASPIRATIONS, GOALS,
OBJECTIVES.
AND I THINK THAT'S WHAT HAPPENS
TO ALL OF US.
JUST THE LIFE EXPERIENCES THAT
SHAPE YOU AND OUR ABILITY TO LET
IT SHAPE US IN ALL THE GOOD WAYS
HAS PERHAPS BEEN VERY DEFINING
FOR ME.
ONE OF THE THINGS I TALKED
ABOUT IN PREVIOUS LIVE STREAMS
AND I'LL SAY IT BECAUSE YOUR
NAME KIND OF LEADS ME THERE IS
THAT IN INDIAN PHILOSOPHY THERE
IS THIS NOTION OF WORK WHERE YOU
DO WORK... YOU DO GOOD WORK FOR
THE SAKE OF DOING IT, VERSUS
WORK BECAUSE YOU THINK YOU'RE
GOING TO GET A POSITIVE OUTCOME
OR OUT OF FEAR OF A NEGATIVE
OUTCOME.
YOUR NAME SATYA COMES FROM THE
SAME ROOT IN SANSKRIT MEANING
TRUTHFUL WORK.
WHAT YOU DESCRIBED EPITOMIZES
THAT.
I'M CURIOUS, ONCE YOU GOT THE
CEO JOB AT MICROSOFT, ON ONE
LEVEL I'M SURE THAT WAS
EXHILARATING.
I'M SURE AT AND LEVEL THAT WAS
SCARY FROM AN OUTSIDER'S POINT
OF VIEW.
MICROSOFT HAD ITS HEYDAY IN THE
'90s AND MAYBE SEEMED WHEN YOU
TOOK THE JOB THAT IT WAS PAST
ITS HEYDAY.
HOW DID YOU THINK ABOUT IT?
WHEN WE LOOK AT HINDSIGHT AFTER
SEVERAL YEARS, MICROSOFT SEEMS
TO BE IN A BIT OF A RENAISSANCE.
YEAH, I MEAN, I'M A
CONSUMMATE INSIDER, SAL.
AND SO I'VE GROWN UP IN THIS
PLACE, I'VE BEEN HERE NOW CLOSE-
AND SO I'VE GROWN UP IN THIS TO CE, I'VE BEEN HERE NOW CLOSE-
AND SO I'VE GROWN UP IN THIS TO 30 I'VE BEEN HERE NOW CLOSE-
AND SO I'VE GROWN UP IN THIS TO 30 YEARS.BEEN HERE NOW CLOSE-
AND SO THE THING FOR ME, YOU'RE
RIGHT, ABSOLUTELY, THE JOB WAS
VERY DIFFERENT, BUT FRANKLY EVEN
JUST ONE LEVEL REMOVED, WHICH I
WAS WORKING FOR STEVE AND AT THE
TIME I THOUGHT I UNDERSTOOD THE
NATURE OF THE JOB, BUT QUITE
FRANKLY THE MULTI-STAKEHOLDER
RESPONSIBILITY THAT ONE HAS TO
TAKE WHEN YOU BECOME CEO WAS
VERY DIFFERENT.
AND THE GOOD NEWS WAS I WAS AT
LEAST, YOU KNOW, HAD THAT
ABILITY TO QUICKLY LEARN ON THE
JOB, AND LEARN ALSO BE... HAD AN
AMAZING TEAM OF MEN AND WOMEN
WHO SORT OF CAME TOGETHER,
RALLIED AROUND ME.
I WAS CLEARLY NOT BILL GATES,
NOT STEVE BALMER, AND I WAS ABLE
TO SORT OF, YOU KNOW, HELP TAKE
ADVANTAGE OF THE AMAZING PEOPLE
AROUND ME.
AND SCALE.
BUT, YOU KNOW, TO YOUR CORE
PIECE I THINK THAT THE MICROSOFT
THAT I KNEW WHEN I GREW UP IN,
BOTH HAD MANY THINGS WE GOT
RIGHT AND SOME THINGS WE GOT
WRONG.
I PATTERN MATCHED.
I THOUGHT, LET'S GO BACK TO THE
CREATION OF THE COMPANY, WHEN
BILL AND PAUL STARTED MICROSOFT,
THEY SAID WE WANT TO CREATE
TECHNOLOGY SO THAT OTHERS CAN
CREATE MORE TECHNOLOGY, RIGHT?
WE BUILD THE BASIC INTERPRETER
FOR THE FIRST PRODUCT.
AND I SAID IN 2014, I BECAME
CEO, IT IS MORE RELEVANT, TO
CREATE TECHNOLOGY SO THAT OTHERS
CAN CREATE TECHNOLOGY, SOFTWARE
SO TO SPEAK IS EMPOWERING THE
WORLD.
I SAID LET'S GO BACK AND HAVE
THAT SENSE OF PURPOSE.
LET'S DO THINGS OUT OF WHAT WE
NATURALLY CAN DO, UNIQUELY
CAN'T.
AND THEN ALSO HAVE A CULTURE.
I PICKED UP THE CULTURAL
ATTRIBUTE, WHICH I FELT WAS
IMPORTANT MICROSOFT, YOUR POINT
ABOUT LATE '90s, WE WERE VERY
SUCCESSFUL.
AND FROM ANCIENT GREECE TO
MODERN SILICON VALLEY THERE IS
ONLY ONE CHALLENGE, WHICH IS
HUBRIS THAT COMES WITH SUCCESS.
I SAID, OKAY HOW DO WE GET OUT
OF THAT KNOW IT ALL MINDSET AND
BECOME LEARN IT ALL.
I SAID LET'S HAVE OUR CULTURAL
MEME OF GROWTH MINDSET OF
CONFRONTING ONE'S FIXED MINDSET
EACH DAY.
AND THOSE TWO PILLARS, SAL,
PROBABLY MORE THAN ANYTHING
ELSE, OF COURSE, YOU GOT TO PICK
YOUR STRATEGIES RIGHT, PRODUCTS
RIGHT, A LOT OF THINGS YOU GOT
TO GET RIGHT, BUT TO ME THE TWO
NECESSARY CONDITIONS FOR ANY
FIRM'S LONG-TERM PERFORMANCE IS
WHY DO YOU EXIST, CAN YOU ANSWER
THAT CLEARLY HAVE THAT SENSE OF
PURPOSE, RESONATE ON A DAILY
BASIS WITH THE PEOPLE, AS WELL
AS THE CULTURE AND HOW YOU GO
ABOUT DOING THINGS.
SO THE WHY AND THE HOW ARE SORT
OF THE MOST IMPORTANT TO BE ABLE
TO DO THE RIGHT PICKING FOR THE
WHAT.
AND AS YOU GO ON THAT
JOURNEY, NOW IN HINDSIGHT, IT
SOUNDS VERY ELEGANT AND, LIKE,
YES, FOCUS ON EMPOWERING OTHERS
AND BECOMING A LEARNING
ORGANIZATION.
BUT, YOU KNOW, GIVEN MICROSOFT'S
REACH AT THE TIME, AND OBVIOUSLY
INCREASING REACH SINCE THEN, THE
COMPLEXITY OF WHAT IT DOES, WERE
THERE MOMENTS YOU KIND OF WOKE
UP IN THE MIDDLE OF THE NIGHT
AND SAID I'M NOT SURE IF I CAN
DO THIS, I'M NOT SURE IF I'M
MAKING THE RIGHT DECISIONS?
EVERY DAY.
EVERY DAY YOU HAVE MOMENTS OF
DOUBT AND YOU ALSO HAVE THE
MOMENTS OF CLARITY AND ENERGY
AND I SORT OF THINK ABOUT
LEADERSHIP AS ALL ABOUT THAT,
RIGHT, LEADERS YOU INNATELY HAVE
TO GO AT IT AND CREATE CLARITY
WHEN THERE IS ALL KINDS OF
COMPLEXITY AND UNCERTAINTY.
YOU HAVE TO CREATE ENERGY AS A
LEADER TO BE ABLE TO RALLY
PEOPLE AROUND A PARTICULAR SENSE
OF PURPOSE AND A MISSION AND
DIRECTION.
AND THEN SOLVE WHAT IS AN
UNSOLVABLE PROBLEM.
YOU HAVE TO REMOVE SOME
CONSTRAINTS.
SOMETIMES WE TIE OURSELVES IN
KNOTS AND SAY WE CAN'T MOVE.
YOU GOT TO BE ABLE TO LET GO OF
SOME THINGS.
AND THEN BOLDLY GO TO A NEW
PLACE AND THEN WORK OUT SOME OF
THE CHALLENGES THAT COME WITH
IT, RIGHT?
IN OUR CASE, FOR EXAMPLE, ONE OF
THE BIGGER CHANGES WE MADE WAS
OUR BUSINESS MODELSHIP, MORE
THAN TECHNOLOGY FOR MOST
COMPANIES, SAL, I FEEL THAT THE
FUNDAMENTAL ECONOMICS OF WHAT
MADE YOU SUCCESSFUL ARE NO
LONGER AS VALID IS WHEN YOU
FALTER AND SO THAT WAS ONE OF
THE THINGS THAT WE HAD TO SORT
OF OVERCOME IN PRETTY HARSH
RACE.
BUT IT IS SORT OF... WITHOUT IT,
YOU WOULD BE WORSE OFF.
THAT I THINK IS WHERE THAT ALSO
GOES BACK TO A LITTLE BIT OF THE
MULTI-STAKEHOLDER SIDE, WHICH IS
UNDERSTANDING WHAT INVESTORS
WANT WHAT EMPLOYEES WANT, WHAT
CUSTOMERS WANT AND TO BE ABLE TO
FIND THE RIGHT BALANCE.
YOU MAKE IT SOUND SIMPLE, BUT
I CAN'T EVEN IMAGINE.
I OPERATED A MUCH, MUCH SMALLER
SCALE THAN YOU DO AND YOU SEEM
TO HAVE A MUCH CLEARER WAY OF
DEALING WITH THINGS.
JUST FAST-FORWARDING TO TODAY OR
TO THE RECENT SITUATION WE'RE IN
OBVIOUSLY WITH THE PANDEMIC
AROUND COVID, YOU KNOW MICROSOFT
IS THE LEADER OF THE
ORGANIZATION.
YOU HAVE TO THINK HOW DO YOU
LEAD THE ORGANIZATION ITSELF,
SUPPORT THE PEOPLE AS YOU GO -
LEAD THE ORGANIZATION ITSELF, THROUGH THE PEOPLE AS YOU GO -
LEAD THE ORGANIZATION ITSELF, THROUGH THE TRANSITION, U GO -
LEAD THE ORGANIZATION ITSELF, THROUGH THE TRANSITION, BUT -
MICROSOFT ALSO HAS A VERY BIG
ROLE IN THIS BEING THE
TECHNOLOGY PROVIDER AND
EMPOWERING DIGITAL WORK.
I'M CURIOUS HOW THE TRANSITION
HAS BEEN FOR MICROSOFT AS AN
ORGANIZATION AND WHETHER THIS
HAS KIND OF CHANGED YOUR
PERSPECTIVE ON THE NATURE OF
WORK, DIGITAL WORK, REMOTE WORK
AND DOES IT LEAD TO ANY NEW
DIRECTS FOR THE ORGANIZATION
STRATEGY?
YEAH, FOR SURE.
I MEAN, AS YOU AND I WERE
TALKING BEFORE GETTING ON THIS
CALL, I THINK THIS IS
UNPRECEDENTED.
WE'RE RUNNING IN SOME SENSE ONE
OF MOST LARGE SCALE EXPERIMENTS
OF REMOTE EVERYTHING.
AND WE'LL COME OUT OF THIS WITH
A LOT OF LEARNING, SOME THINGS
THAT SORT OF WE WILL LEAVE
BEHIND, SOME THINGS WHICH WILL
BE REAL STRUCTURAL CHANGE.
YOU KNOW, FROM A MICROSOFT
PERSPECTIVE IT STARTED FOR ME,
MY FIRST GROUNDING MYSELF AND
THE COMPANY ON THE SAFETY OF OUR
OWN EMPLOYEES.
SO WE WERE VERY EARLY ON, WE
SAID, LOOK, WE'RE GOING TO
FOLLOW PUBLIC HEALTH GUIDANCE
AND WHEN WE SENT PEOPLE HOME,
WHETHER IN SILICON VALLEY OR
SEATTLE, WE WERE A LITTLE AHEAD
OF THE PUBLIC HEALTH GUIDANCE
AROUND WORK FROM SHELTER IN
PLACE, AND SO WE SORT OF TOOK
THAT BECAUSE WE WANTED OUR
EMPLOYEES TO BE SAFE.
BUT THEN AT THE SAME TIME WE
REALIZED WE NEEDED TO BE DIGITAL
FIRST RESPONDERS TO ALL THE
FIRST RESPONDERS OUT THERE,
WHETHER IN HEALTHCARE IN THE
CRITICAL PUBLIC INFRASTRUCTURE
OR EDUCATION, AND SO IT IS
AMAZING TO SEE HOW ALL OF THOSE
PEOPLE WERE ABLE TO ALSO GO
REMOTE, CONTINUE OPERATIONS.
SO AT A HIGH LEVEL, SAL, I THINK
ABOUT THIS RESPONSE FACE,
RECOVERY FACE AND THE REIMAGINE
FACE AND THEY'RE ALL HAPPENING
SIMULTANEOUSLY.
INTERESTINGLY ENOUGH, DIGITAL
TECH IS THAT MOST MALLEABLE OF
RESOURCE WE HAVE TO HELP
COMPANIES BE MORE RESILIENT.
AS WELL AS THE TECHNOLOGY THAT
HELPS YOU ADAPT TO CHANGE.
F YOU'RE A RETAILER, YOU KNOW,
EVEN YOU'RE A SMALL BUSINESS, BUT YOU'RE A PHYSICAL RETAILER,
YOU NOW NEED TO DO CURBSIDE
PICKUP.
YOU NEED A LITTLE APP FOR THAT.
OR YOU NEED TO BE ABLE TO DO
CONTACTLESS SHOPPING, YOU NEED
SOME TECHNOLOGY FOR THAT.
OR FUR IF YOU'RE IN HEALTHCARE,
WE HAVE BEEN TALKING ABOUT
TELEMEDICINE FOR DECADES.
GUESS WHAT, I DON'T THINK WE'RE
EVER GOING BACK TO OUTPATIENT
CONSULTS, WHICH DON'T HAVE SOME
FORM OF AN AI TRIAGE FIRST AND
THEN TELEMEDICINE SESSION AND
THEN YOU SHOW UP AT A HOSPITAL,
WHICH I THINK WOULD BE FANTASTIC
FOR OUR HEALTHCARE COSTS.
EDUCATION, OF COURSE.
SO MICROSOFT'S REALLY HELPING
ORGANIZATIONS OF ALL SIZES AND
ALL INDUSTRIES REALLY GET
THROUGH THIS CRISIS, WHILE FIRST
SUSTAINING ECONOMIC ACTIVITY BUT
MORE IMPORTANTLY REIMAGINING HOW
THEY CAN USE SOME OF THESE
TECHNOLOGIES TO RECONFIGURE
THEMSELVES FOR WHAT ARE GOING TO
BE REAL SECULAR CHANGES.
AND QUESTION HERE RELATED TO
THAT FROM YOUTUBE, MO FRIDAY
SAYS WHAT ARE YOU AND MICROSOFT
DOING TO OPTIMIZE THE DIGITAL
WORLD IN LIGHT OF COVID, AND SO,
MAYBE ON THAT PART OF IT, JUST
TOUCHING ON WHAT YOU ALREADY
TALKED ABOUT, HOW HAS WORK AT
MICROSOFT CHANGED?
HAVE YOU NOTICED A DIFFERENCE IN
PRODUCTIVITY BECAUSE ESSENTIALLY
YOU HAVE A FULLY DISTRIBUTED AND
REMOTE WORKFORCE NOW AND IF NOT,
DOES THAT LEAD TO NEW DIRECTIONS
FOR EVEN HOW THE MICROSOFT
ITSELF HAS ORGANIZED OR WHERE
PEOPLE DO THEIR WORK?
NO, ABSOLUTELY.
IN FACT, THIS IS ANOTHER PLACE
WHEE WE'RE DEEP IN THE DATA AND
THE SOCIAL SCIENCE OF IT EVEN I
WOULD SAY TO UNDERSTAND WHAT IS
HAPPENING.
SAL, I WOULD SAY THAT THREE...
AT LEAST DIMENSIONS BROADLY TO
EVEN TALK ABOUT PRODUCTIVITY,
THE FIRST IS HOW ARE PEOPLE
COLLABORATING TO GET WORK DONE,
RIGHT?
ULTIMATELY, YOU KNOW,
INDIVIDUALS WORK IN TEAMS, AND
IT IS A QUESTION OF HOW IS WORK
GETTING DONE, HOW ARE PEOPLE
COLLABORATING.
AND, YOU KNOW IT NOT JUST
MEETINGS.
ONE THING IS TO SAY EVERYBODY IS
ON A TEAMS CALL OR WHAT HAVE YOU
AND YOU HAVE THE ABILITY TO DO
LOTS OF MEETINGS.
THAT'S IMPORTANT.
WORK HAPPENS BEFORE MEETINGS,
DURING MEETINGS, AFTER MEETINGS.
HOW DO YOU HAVE THE FULL WORK
FLOW, THE FULL COLLABORATION,
THAT'S ONE ASPECT WE'RE LEARNING
A LOT, YOU SEE MEASURED ON
COLLABORATION, LIKE, IN FACT, WE
EVEN STUDIED GITHUB AND THE
PRODUCTIVITY OF DEVELOPERS,
ABSOLUTELY, AS MEASURED BY POLL
REQUESTS AND PUSHES, COMMENTS,
CODE REVIEWS, HUGE.
SO YOU CAN SAY ONE LEVEL YOU'RE
MAINTAINING LARGE AMOUNTS OF
PRODUCTIVITY.
A LOT OF MEETING TIME.
WE'RE ALSO SEEING THAT.
MULTIMODAL, PEOPLE CHAT, PEOPLE
COLLABORATE ON DOCUMENTS, ALSO
COLLABORATING DURING MEETINGS,
THAT CONNECTION, THE NUMBER OF
MEETINGS, SHORT MEETINGS HAVE
BEEN ON A RISE BECAUSE THAT'S
HOW... THE SUBSTITUTE FOR THE
HALLWAY CONVERSATIONS AND, YOU
KNOW, MEETINGS, PHYSICALLY,
WHERE YOU WOULD HAVE THE SITE
CONVERSATIONS NOW ALL MOVE TO
DIGITAL AND SO ON.
SO THAT'S A LITTLE BIT ON
COLLABORATION.
SECOND THING IS LEARNING.
AFTER ALL, IF YOU SAY A FIRM IS
ABOUT PEOPLE IN THE
ORGANIZATION, CONTINUOUSLY
LEARNING, THAT'S CHANGING,
RIGHT?
THINK ABOUT... I WAS TALKING TO
THE INTERN CLASS OF MICROSOFT
TODAY, 5,000 INTERNS, THEY'RE
ALL REMOTE, FOR THE FIRST TIME,
SO I'M CURIOUS TO SEE HOW ARE
THEY GETTING MENTORED, HOW ARE
THEY LEARNING, HOW ARE THEY
CONTRIBUTING TO THE LEARNING OF
MICROSOFT?
SO THAT SYSTEM I THINK IS GOING
THROUGH MASSIVE CHANGE RIGHT NOW
IN ORDER TO ON BOARD A NEW
EMPLOYEE, TO GET NEW TEAMS TO
WORK TOGETHER, YOU NEED TO BE
ABLE TO DO THAT UPSCALING,
RESCALING, LEARNING IN THE FLOOR
OF WORK, SO MASSIVE CHANGE.
THE OTHER ONE, SAL, FIRST LINE
WORK AND KNOWLEDGE WORK.
A LOT OF TIMES WE TALK ABOUT HOW
GOOD, YOU KNOW, REMOTE IS FOR
KNOWLEDGE WORK.
A LOT OF PEOPLE ARE GOING INTO
THE MANUFACTURING PLANTS,
BUILDING RESPIRATORS AND THE
MASKS AND ALL OF THE A
BUILDING RESPIRATORS AND THE MASKS AND ALL OF THE EQUIPMENT
WE NEED.
THAT'S A PLACE WHERE THE
EXPERTISE IS BEING BRIDGED TO
THE FRONT LINE AS WELL.
USING THINGS LIKE VR OR AR AND
TECHNIQUES LIKE THAT, VERY
HELPFUL IN TERMS OF JUST THE
RESCALING.
THE LAST ONE TO YOUR POINT IS
THE MENTAL AND WELL-BEING.
EVEN INSIDE OF MICROSOFT, WE'RE
REALIZING THE 9:00 TO 5:00, THAT
WAS NEVER THE CASE PERHAPS, BUT
IT IS MUCH MORE ACUTE.
PEOPLE HAVE... ARE TAKING
ADVANTAGE, PEOPLE ARE TAKING
ADVANTAGE OF THE FLEXIBILITY,
THEY WORK EARLY IN THE MORNING,
MAYBE LATER AT NIGHT.
THEY HAVE OTHER RESPONSIBILITIES
AND THE WORK GROUP AROUND THEM
IS ALSO ACCOMMODATIVE OF IT.
BUT WE'RE ALSO RECOGNIZING THAT
VIDEO MEETINGS DO CAUSE FATIGUE.
WE DID AN EEG STUDY WHICH SAID
30 MINUTES INTO YOUR FIRST
MEETING BECAUSE OF THE HIGH
LEVELS OF CONCENTRATION YOU HAVE
FATIGUE.
THAT'S WHAT EVEN LED TO THE
INNOVATION AROUND THIS TOGETHER
MODE IN TEAMS, WHICH WE'RE ALL
IN THESE POSTAGE STAMP BOXES IF
WE COULD BE ON A STAGE TOGETHER,
LIKE A CONFERENCE ROOM OR WHAT
HAVE YOU, IT CHANGES.
THE MENTAL FRAME AND THE
FATIGUE.
SO THOSE ARE TH TYPES OF THINGS
WE'RE LOOKING AT AND SAY HOW DO
WE FACILITATE BETTER HABITS AND
NUDGES IN THE SYSTEM, EVEN FOR
BETTER HABITS, BETTER
TRANSITIONS AND LESS FATIGUE AND
BETTER WELL-BEING AS WELL AS
LEARNING AS WELL AS
COLLABORATION.
AND THERE IS SO MUCH IN
THERE.
AND I... SO YOU LOOKED AT THINGS
LIKE THE PRODUCTIVITY OF
ENGINEERS ON THINGS LIKE GITHUB,
SO ARE... IS IT ROUGHLY NEUTRAL
IS WHAT YOU SAW OR I GUESS THERE
COULD BE...
YEAH, IT IS A GREAT QUESTION.
I DON'T THINK WE REALLY HAVE ALL
THE DEFINITE METRICS.
FOR EXAMPLE, IF YOU MEASURE IT
BY TASK, I THINK YOU CAN EVEN
SAY FOR CERTAIN RULES, IT IS NOT
A UNIVERSAL STATEMENT, WE MAY BE
MORE PRODUCTIVE THAN WE WERE,
BECAUSE THE SUBSTITUTION OF
COMMUTE TIMES, THERE IS SORT OF
MORE FLEXIBILITY AND THAT
FLEXIBILITY LEADS TO BETTER
PRODUCTIVITY AND WHAT HAVE YOU.
ONE THING WE'RE ALSO TRYING TO
DO IS WHAT ARE THE LONG-TERM
EFFECTS, RIGHT? pCREATION OF NEWG
IS I'LL BE BURNING THE BACKLOG
OR ARE YOU CREATING NEW?
IS IT DIFFERENT BY DIFFERENT
COMMUNITIES?
THE OPEN SOURCE COMMUNITY BY
DEFINITION WAS WELL PREPPED
BECAUSE OF ALL OF THE SOCIAL
CAPITAL THAT GETS BUILT IN OPEN
SOURCE IS FUNDAMENTALLY REMOTE.
WHERE AS CERTAIN GROUPS THAT
WORKED CLOSELY TOGETHER, ARE
BURNING DOWN THEIR SOCIAL
CAPITAL BY GOING REMOTE, AND NOW
THEY NEED TO FORM NEW CAPITAL,
NEW CONNECTIONS IN ORDER TO DO
INNOVATIVE THINGS.
THAT'S ONE THING WE'RE TRYING TO
STUDY.
THAT'S FASCINATING.
WE COULD TALK FOR HOURS JUST
ABOUT THAT.
I WANT TO MAKE SURE I HAVE TIME
TO GET TO THE BROADEST VIEW OF
THE ECONOMY AND THE ROLE OF
TECHNOLOGY IN THE ECONOMY.
BECAUSE, IT LOOKS LIKE WHEN YOU
LOOK AT THINGS LIKE THE STOCK
MARKET VERSUS THE REAL ECONOMY,
WE'RE KIND OF IN A TAIL OF TWO
UNIVERSES RIGHT NOW.
YOU LOOK AT THOSE OF US WHO ARE
FORTUNATE TO BE ABLE TO DO
REMOTE WORK, TO BE ABLE TO DO
WORK IN TECHNOLOGY, IT SEEMS
LIKE TO SOME DEGREE NOT THAT
MUCH HAS CHANGED AND IN SOME
CASES IT MIGHT HAVE GOTTEN
BETTER BECAUSE OF FLEXIBILITY OR
PRODUCTIVITY.
WHERE DO YOU SEE ALL OF THIS
GOING?
LET'S EXTRAPOLATE FOR A FEW
MINUTES ON, YOU KNOW, IS THIS A
REAL TREND?
PEOPLE HAVE TALKED ABOUT
TECHNOLOGY AS MAYBE BEING A...
AN EQUALIZER, BUT ALSO A SOURCE
OF INEQUALITY, IS COVID
ACCELERATING THAT?
THAT'S A GREAT POINT.
IF YOU LOOK AT IT, EVEN ON THE
TREND SIDE, SAL, IT IS A COMPLEX
SITUATION.
WE HAVE THE HEALTH CRISIS, AND
THE PANDEMIC, WE HAVE THE
ECONOMIC DISLOCATION THAT IS
GETTING CREATED PRIMARILY
BECAUSE OF THE PANDEMIC.
AND IT IS GOING TO BRING ABOUT
STRUCTURAL CHANGE EVEN POST
PANDEMIC.
ITS IMPACTS WILL BE LONG
LASTING.
THERE IS THE SOCIETAL CHANGE
RIGHT, ALL OF THE CHALLENGES OF
RACE AND THE GENERAL ISSUES IN
SOCIETY.
THERE IS THE WORLD ORDER AS WE
KNOW OF IT, OR GLOBALIZATION,
WHICH DROVE AT LEAST THE
CAPITALISM FOR 30 YEARS IS
FUNDAMENTALLY GETTING
RECONFIGURED.
YOU PUT IT ALL TOGETHER, I THINK
WE HAVE TO SORT OF BE MINDFUL OF
MULTIPLE THINGS, SO THERE IS...
IF THERE IS A SILVER LINING I DO
BELIEVE WE HAVE TO GET BETTER
AT... AS EVERY PERSON AND EVERY
INSTITUTION IN USING SAY THE
MALABILITY OF DIGITAL TECHNOLOGY
TO HELP COPE WITH THIS CHANGE.
WE ALSO THEREFORE HAVE TO DEAL
WITH SOME OF THE ISSUES, WHICH
IS... ONE IS IT IS THE WHATEVER
HAPPENS NEXT HAS TO BE MORE
INCLUSIVE.
WHETHER IT IS IN EDUCATION, DO
WE HAVE BROADBAND CONNECTIVITY,
DO WE HAVE THE DEVICES, ARE WE
HELPING SMALL BUSINESSES AND
LARGE BUSINESSES, IS IT ACROSS
ALL SECTORS, IT CAN'T JUST BE
ABOUT HIGH TECH AS A SECTOR, IT
HAS TO BE ABOUT EVERY PART OF
THE ECONOMY.
IT HAS TO BE ABOUT KNOWLEDGE
WORKERS AND FIRSTLIN
IT HAS TO BE ABOUT KNOWLEDGE WORKERS AND FIRSTL LINE WORKERS.
WHATEVER COMES OUT NOW HAS TO BE
MUCH MORE INCLUSIVE.
OTHERWISE WE HAVE 90%, 80%, 70%
ECONOMY THAT DOES ANYBODY ANY
GOOD.
THE SECOND THING IS TRUST.
THE OTHER THING THAT IS GOING TO
BE MASSIVELY TALKED ABOUT IS AS
TECHNOLOGY BECOMES SO PERVASIVE
IN OUR LIVES AND WORK, WHAT IS
THE INTEGRITY OF IT?
YOU CAN TALK ABOUT IT AS.
I ETHICS, PRIVACY, SECURITY,
INTERNET SAFETY, ALL FIRST CLASS
ISSUES.
THEN THE OTHER ASPECT TO ME IS
ALL AROUND, YOU KNOW, ART, EVEN
THE CORE RIGHTS AND SAFETY AND
TAKE EVEN HUMAN RIGHTS, ACCESS
IS ONE THING, AND RESKILLING AND
UPSKILLING IS A MASSIVE ISSUE.
SO SOME OF THESE CONSIDERATIONS
AND SUSTAINABILITY IS THE OTHER
ONE ARE GOING TO BE THINGS THAT
WE WILL HAVE TO MAKE FIRST CLASS
IS INTO OUR DISCOURSE ON SAYING
AS WE COME OUT OF ALL OF THE
MULTIPLE CHALLENGES, WILL WE BE
ABLE TO NAVIGATE TO A BETTER
PLACE BY TAKING A DIFFERENT
APPROACH TO ECONOMIC GROWTH AT A
FUNDAMENTAL LEVEL.
THAT'S WHAT I BELIEVE, ECONOMIC
GROWTH IS SUPER IMPORTANT.
THERE IS NO POINT SAYING THAT
LET'S SACRIFICE ECONOMIC GROWTH
BECAUSE WITHOUT ECONOMIC GROWTH,
YOU CAN'T SOLVE SOME OF THE
OTHER CHALLENGES.
BUT WHAT WE DO NEED TO SOLVE
THESE OTHER CHALLENGES ALONGSIDE
ECONOMIC GROWTH.
ONE LAST QUESTION, A LOT OF
YOUNG PEOPLE, A LOT OF QUESTIONS
ALONG THIS FLAVOR, THIS IS YOUR
CHANCE TO BE UNCLE SATYA FOR A
SECOND.
WHAT ADVICE WOULD YOU... TO
FINISH OFF ON, WHAT ADVICE WOULD
YOU HAVE GIVEN TO YOURSELF 30
YEARS AGO OR TO FOLKS WATCHING
WHO ARE LIKE YOURSELF 30 YEARS
AGO?
THAT'S A GOOD QUESTION.
I RECENTLY WROTE A FATHER'S DAY
POST, I LOST MY FATHER LAST
YEAR, HE WAS A GREAT INFLUENCE
IN MY LIFE, AND I WAS REFLECTING
ON HIS OWN LIFE AND HOW HE LIVED
IT AND BY SOMEHOW HIM LIVING
THAT LIFE, WHAT DID HE TEACH ME?
THE ONE THING I WOULD SAY IS,
YOU KNOW, HOW DO YOU KEEP THAT
CURIOSITY AND THIRST FOR
LEARNING, THAT INTELLECTUAL
HONESTY AND NOT BEING DOGMATIC
OR FALL VICTIM TO DOCTRINE AND
THINKING, THAT USED TO BE THE
ONE THING HE WOULD ALWAYS SAY,
THAT'S... I LOOK BACK EVEN IN MY
OWN LIFE AND I THINK I'VE BEEN
SHAPED BY THAT, I'VE BENEFITTED
FROM THAT, SO KEEP CURIOSITY
ALIVE.
NO, THAT'S SUPER VALUABLE.
WELL, THANK YOU SO MUCH, SATYA.
I THINK I SPEAK FOR MANY FOLKS
WHICH IS, YOU KNOW, AS
IMPRESSIVE AS IS YOUR ROLE IN
THE WORLD IS, I THINK THE WAY
YOU DO YOUR ROLE IS THAT MUCH
MORE IMPRESSIVE.
SO THANK YOU SO MUCH FOR
JOINING.
YOU'RE AN INSPIRATION FOR A LOT
OF FOLKS.
THANK YOU, SAL.
THANK YOU FOR THE OPPORTUNITY.
I LOOK FORWARD TO BEING IN
TOUCH.
SO THANK YOU, EVERYONE, FOR
JOINING.
ANOTHER CONVERSATION... I WOULD
HAVE LOVED TO HAVE SPOKEN FOR
HOURS.
THERE ARE SO MANY DIMENSIONS TO
SOME OF THE THINGS THAT SATYA
TOUCHED ON.
BUT THANK YOU SO MUCH FOR
JOINING.
WE HAVE A VERY ACTION-PACKED
WEEK COMING UP.
TOMORROW, WE'RE GOING TO HAVE
HASSAN MANAGE, THE CREATOR OF
PATRIOT ACT.
AND ON THURSDAY, NICOLE HANNAH
JONES, KNOWN FOR A REPORTER WHO
STARRED IN PROJECT 1619, THE
YEAR THAT SLAVERY CAME TO THE
NEW WORLD, CAME TO THE AMERICAS,
SO TO SPEAK.
IT IS A PERSPECTIVE ON THE
HISTORY OF SLAVERY.
SO WE LOOK FORWARD TO BOTH OF
THESE GUESTS AND HAVING MORE
REALLY INTERESTING CONVERSATIONS
LIKE THE ONE WE JUST HAD.
THANK YOU SO MUCH FOR