Microsoft boss Satya Nadella to visit India later this month: Report

Nadella is planning to be in India between Feb. 24 and Feb.26 and will likely visit New Delhi, tech hub Bengaluru and the financial capital of Mumbai

Microsoft Corp Chief Executive Officer Satya Nadella is planning to visit India later this month, multiple sources familiar with the plans told Reuters, a test for the Indian-born head who recently criticized Indian immigration policy. India is a major market for Microsoft and other technology companies. India’s southern city of Hyderabad, where Nadella grew up, is home to Microsoft’s biggest research and development center outside of the United States.

Nadella is planning to be in India between Feb. 24 and Feb.26 and will likely visit New Delhi, tech hub Bengaluru and the financial capital of Mumbai, two people familiar with the plans said. He is also likely to meet senior Indian industry leaders during his visit, the sources said. The sources did not want to be identified because the company has yet to make a public announcement. Microsoft declined to comment when asked about a visit. “We don’t have anything to share at the moment,” a company spokeswoman said.

Microsoft also is trying arrange for Nadella to meet Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi, one of the sources added, although the meeting has yet to be confirmed. The Prime Minister’s office did not respond to requests for comment. Nadella last month stoked controversy in India when he was quoted by Buzzfeed as saying a new law implemented by Modi’s government that eases the path to citizenship for non-Muslims in nearby nations was “just bad”.

Would love to see a Bangladeshi immigrant next Infosys CEO: Nadella on CAA

Satya Nadella said saying he would love to see a Bangladeshi immigrant create a Unicorn in India or become the next CEO of Infosys

Microsoft’s Indian-origin CEO Satya Nadella on Monday voiced concern over the contentious Citizenship Amendment Act (CAA), saying what is happening is “sad” and he would love to see a Bangladeshi immigrant create the next unicorn in India.

His comments came while speaking to editors at a Microsoft event in Manhattan where he was asked about the contentious issue of CAA which grants citizenship to persecuted non-Muslim minorities from Pakistan, Bangladesh and Afghanistan. “I think what is happening is sad… It’s just bad…. I would love to see a Bangladeshi immigrant who comes to India and creates the next unicorn in India or becomes the next CEO of Infosys,” Nadella was quoted as saying by Ben Smith, the Editor-in-Chief of New York-based BuzzFeed News.

In a statement issued by Microsoft India, Satya Nadella said: “Every country will and should define its borders, protect national security and set immigration policy accordingly. And in democracies, that is something that the people and their governments will debate and define within those bounds.

“I’m shaped by my Indian heritage, growing up in a multicultural India and my immigrant experience in the United States. My hope is for an India where an immigrant can aspire to found a prosperous start-up or lead a multinational corporation benefitting Indian society and the economy at large”.

From cricket to leadership: Satya Nadella shares his life experience

The Microsoft CEO, on a whirlwind trip of India for the promotion of his book Hit Refresh, is also expected to meet officials of PMO, IT ministry and NITI Aayog

 

On a whirlwind trip to India for the promotion of Hit Refresh, his book on his journey to becoming the chief executive of Microsoft, one of the world’s biggest tech companies, Satya Nadella made his final pit stop in Delhi. Over 100 Microsoft Students Programme members, startup entrepreneurs, met the Microsoft CEO, who talked about a range of issues – from cricket to various aspects of his professional journey.

Earlier, during his trip to the Microsoft India headquarters in Hyderabad, Nadella had spoken at length about artificial intelligence (AI). At the Delhi event, he spoke about leadership skills and his love for cricket. The event also saw entrepreneurs like Vishal Gondal, founder CEO of fitness app GOQii, talking about their respective journeys.

While Nadella's itinerary has been kept under the wraps, sources say that the Microsoft CEO plans to meet officials of the communications & information technology ministry, as well as the NITI Aayog and the Prime Minister’s Office during the final leg of his India visit. He leaves India for the US on Tuesday night.

In Hit Refresh, Nadella delves into three key technologies that would lead to massive shifts in economy and society – mixed reality, artificial intelligence and quantum computing. These three currently independent threads would ultimately converge in future, with quantum computing making AI more intelligent and mixed reality becoming an even more immersive experience.