How Microsoft stays innovative as a giant company
You might think that big companies are slow and boring, and that small companies are fast and creative. But Microsoft's CEO Satya Nadella says that's not true. He says that innovation is not about how big you are, but how you think and act.
Nadella spoke at a summit for CEOs on Tuesday. He said that Microsoft, which has a huge workforce and makes tons of money, tries to keep a culture of trying new things and learning from mistakes. He said that Microsoft gives its teams the freedom to explore new ideas and learn from failures.
"We have to be able to have the culture that allows us to constantly renew ourselves," Nadella said. "The only way you can do that is by having this learning culture where you're not afraid of making mistakes."
Nadella gave some examples of how Microsoft has come up with new products and services in recent years. For example, it created its own cloud computing platform called Azure, it launched a service that lets you play video games online called xCloud, and it bought a social media platform for professionals called LinkedIn. He also said that Microsoft spends a lot of money on research and development, especially in areas like artificial intelligence, quantum computing, and biotechnology.
Nadella also talked about how the Covid-19 pandemic has changed the way people work and live, and how Microsoft has changed with them. He said that Microsoft has seen more people use its products and services, such as its Office 365 suite, its Teams collaboration tool, and its Windows operating system.
He said that Microsoft has also let its employees work from home or in the office depending on what they want and what they do. He said that working from home or in the office requires more flexibility and trust from managers and workers, as well as more investment in technology and infrastructure.
Nadella said that he thinks working from home or in the office will become normal for many companies and industries, and that it will create new chances for innovation and productivity.
"I think this is going to be one of those moments where we look back and say we fundamentally changed how we work," Nadella said.
You might think that big companies are slow and boring, and that small companies are fast and creative. But Microsoft's CEO Satya Nadella says that's not true. He says that innovation is not about how big you are, but how you think and act.
Nadella spoke at a summit for CEOs on Tuesday. He said that Microsoft, which has a huge workforce and makes tons of money, tries to keep a culture of trying new things and learning from mistakes. He said that Microsoft gives its teams the freedom to explore new ideas and learn from failures.
"We have to be able to have the culture that allows us to constantly renew ourselves," Nadella said. "The only way you can do that is by having this learning culture where you're not afraid of making mistakes."
Nadella gave some examples of how Microsoft has come up with new products and services in recent years. For example, it created its own cloud computing platform called Azure, it launched a service that lets you play video games online called xCloud, and it bought a social media platform for professionals called LinkedIn. He also said that Microsoft spends a lot of money on research and development, especially in areas like artificial intelligence, quantum computing, and biotechnology.
Nadella also talked about how the Covid-19 pandemic has changed the way people work and live, and how Microsoft has changed with them. He said that Microsoft has seen more people use its products and services, such as its Office 365 suite, its Teams collaboration tool, and its Windows operating system.
He said that Microsoft has also let its employees work from home or in the office depending on what they want and what they do. He said that working from home or in the office requires more flexibility and trust from managers and workers, as well as more investment in technology and infrastructure.
Nadella said that he thinks working from home or in the office will become normal for many companies and industries, and that it will create new chances for innovation and productivity.
"I think this is going to be one of those moments where we look back and say we fundamentally changed how we work," Nadella said.