One of our sister sites, Talkin' Cloud, recently held a poll asking readers to give their approval or disapproval of Microsoft's pick of Satya Nadella as the new leader.
An overwhelming 70 percent are in full support of the decision, but the other 30 percent that responded is the more interesting number. Not a single vote showed any negativity to the decision and announcement. The 30 percent that didn't join the approval group, instead are taking a wait-and-see stance, indicating that it was just too early to make a defined decision.
Read the full article at Talkin' Cloud: Poll Results: CSPs Stand With Microsoft CEO Satya Nadella
Those that are waiting to make a decision are more generally interested to see if Satya can make necessary changes in Microsoft that can drive the company forward in innovation, but also build a better relationship with customers and partners, which has been strained for some time. Microsoft spent much of 2013 taking things away from customers and partners, creating huge barriers that have never existed in Microsoft's almost 30 years of existence.
There are those who feel there are too many obstacles for Satya to overcome, but Satya is a doer and the king of execution. Satya likes to see things come to completion, and if you've paid attention over the last few weeks, you've seen many pieces of Microsoft's technology rebranded, released, and revealed. One could suggest that these were coming anyway, but even if that's the case, it lends itself to a good start under Satya's watch and he will ultimately get credit for it as he builds his legacy.
Can Satya really change things?
As an example of hope, I'll use a tidbit from a conversation I had from an MSFT'er this past week. This individual said…
On a side note, I've been confident that there's little that Satya could change at Microsoft in the near term that could be considered substantial. After attending some of the executive briefings, I may be mistaken. They have me curious…
I doubt it'll make <name deleted> say, "Microsoft just did the most amazing thing ever", but it might warrant an, "It’s about damn time…"
So, there is hope. You might remember I had Satya picked from the very beginning for various reasons, but the primary reason is that he gets things done. Right or wrong will ultimately be decided, but Microsoft is now being mobilized into an able force.
