No one could mistake Satya Nadella for Steve Ballmer, his predecessor as Microsoft's boss. The burly Mr Ballmer brought high-decibel bumptiousness; the svelte Mr Nadella (pictured) speaks in measured tones and quotes Eliot, Nietzsche and Rilke in his news conferences and memos. The new style may in time grate as much as the old, but so far investors like what they see. Since Mr Nadella took over in February, the technology giant's share price has climbed by 23%, to nearly $45-the highest since April 2000, shortly after Mr Ballmer's tenure began. On his first day in the job Mr Nadella said he planned to make Microsoft fit for a "mobile-first and cloud-first world". Microsoft, the king of the desktop age, has been dethroned by the smartphone revolution. But Mr Nadella thinks the ubiquity of its software, in both homes and businesses, still lends it power. On July 22nd he gave his first proper progress report, in the shape of Microsoft's fourth-quarter results.
展开▼
