The Ledger ResearchPrivate

The Front Office

Scouting report · MSFT

Satya Nadella

  • Chairman & Chief Executive Officer, MSFT since 2014-02src

Microsoft CEO since February 2014, Chairman since June 2021; joined 1992

—thin record

Not ranked yet

Scouting sheet

as of 24 Sep 2026
Delivers guidance—no promises on the record yet
Answers the question—no call reviewed yet
Capital allocation—company not reviewed yet
Pay design10095% performance-conditioned · revenue, operating income, relative tsr, individual · 91.94% for · 0.09% of net income
Skin in the game—no holding or price on file
Age
58src
In the role
13 yr
Promises scored
0
Hit rate
—
Dodges / 100 answers
—
Airtime on calls
—
Every promise, oldest firstno scored promises yet

What to weigh

Watch 5

  • Reported pay nearly doubled in two years, from $48.5m (FY2023) to $96.5m (FY2025), almost all in stock awards; CEO pay ratio 480:1src
  • Every long-term metric is a revenue-growth measure (Azure, Microsoft Cloud ex-Azure, consumer services, Xbox) with a relative-TSR modifier; the cash bonus pays on revenue and operating income. No return-on-capital measure, while FY2025 capex was over $88bn per the same proxysrc
  • Holds both Chairman and CEO; the board relies on a Lead Independent Director (Sandra Peterson)src
  • At the December 2025 meeting say-on-pay drew 91.94% and his own re-election 93.46%, the second-lowest of the 12 nomineessrc
  • Sold 86,525 shares (about $43.4m) on 2026-09-01 under a 10b5-1 plan adopted 2026-03-08, the day after 178,622 PSA shares vestedsrc

In their favour 1

  • Over 95% of target pay is performance-based, and 100% of his equity is performance stock; he met the 15x-salary ownership requirement, and hedging and pledging are bannedsrc

Career

  1. 2021 – now
    Microsoftsrc
    Chairman & Chief Executive Officer
    Appointed Chairman of the Board June 2021
  2. 2014 – 2021
    Microsoftsrc
    Chief Executive Officer and director
    CEO from February 2014
  3. 2013 – 2014
    Microsoftsrc
    Executive Vice President, Cloud and Enterprise
  4. 2011 – 2013
    Microsoftsrc
    President, Server and Tools
  5. 2009 – 2011
    Microsoftsrc
    Senior Vice President, Online Services Division
  6. 2008 – 2009
    Microsoftsrc
    Senior Vice President, Search, Portal, and Advertising
  7. 1992 – 2008
    Microsoftsrc
    Various positions of increasing authority, including Vice President of the Business Division

Undated in the sources

  • Sun Microsystemssrc, Early career before joining Microsoft

Not located: Before 1992 (Sun Microsystems) sourced only from a search result, with no dates or title

Achievements

  • Has run Microsoft as CEO since February 2014 and chaired its board since June 2021, after 22 years in other roles theresrc
  • Ran Server and Tools (2011-2013) and then Cloud and Enterprise (2013-2014) immediately before becoming CEOsrc
  • Microsoft's GAAP net income was $72.4bn in FY2023, $101.8bn in FY2025 and $133.7bn in FY2026 (years to June 30)src
  • FY2025 cash incentive paid at 127.4% of target: 117.0% on the revenue and operating income formula, 151.67% on the board's operational assessmentsrc
  • FY2023 performance stock awards paid 161.52% of target, including the maximum 150% relative-TSR modifier (80th percentile of the S&P 500 over FY2023-FY2025)src

Education

  • Mangalore University (Manipal Institute of Technology), BE Electrical engineeringsrc
  • University of Wisconsin-Milwaukee, MS Computer sciencesrc
  • University of Chicago (Booth School of Business), MBA Business administrationsrc

Background

  • Family Neither the 2025 proxy nor the FY2026 10-K discloses any family relationship among Microsoft's directors or executive officerssrc
  • Boards No other public-company board today; former Starbucks director (the proxy lists it among directorships of the past five years)src
  • Boards Joined the Starbucks board in 2017 and resigned with immediate effect in May 2024, giving no reason in his lettersrc
  • Boards Joined the board of trustees of the Fred Hutchinson Cancer Research Center in 2016src
  • In the press Author of Hit Refresh (2017), a book about Microsoft's culture change and the technology ahead; proceeds went to Microsoft Philanthropiessrc

The promise ledger

No promise on the record yet: the research routine has not scored this company's guidance.

Sources

14
  1. Filing Microsoft Corporation 10-K for fiscal 2026 (Part I, Information About Our Executive Officers; signatures) (0001193125-26-323660) · 2026-07-29
  2. Filing Microsoft Corporation DEF 14A (2025 annual meeting; FY2025 pay) (0001193125-25-245150) · 2025-10-21
  3. Filing Microsoft Corporation 8-K Items 5.02/5.07, 2025 annual meeting results (0001193125-25-311196) · 2025-12-08
  4. Filing SEC XBRL companyconcept us-gaap/NetIncomeLoss, CIK 789019 (FY2025 10-K 0000950170-25-100235; FY2026 10-K 0001193125-26-323660) · 2026-07-29
  5. Filing Form 4, Satya Nadella (reporting CIK 1513142), gift of 2025-11-10 (0000789019-25-000067) · 2025-11-12
  6. Filing Form 4, Satya Nadella, FY2024 PSA vesting and tax withholding of 2026-08-31; GRAT holdings (0000789019-26-000157) · 2026-09-01
  7. Filing Form 4, Satya Nadella, 10b5-1 sales of 2026-09-01 (0000789019-26-000161) · 2026-09-02
  8. Filing Form 144, Satya Nadella, proposed sale of 86,525 shares (0001950047-26-008927) · 2026-09-01
  9. Web search result WebSearch: Microsoft Source executive bio, Satya Nadella (education; joined 1992) · 2026-09-24
  10. Web search result WebSearch: UWM College of Engineering & Applied Science, 'UWM alum ... Satya Nadella marks ten years since taking the lead' · 2026-09-24
  11. Web search result WebSearch: The Ladders, life and career biography of Satya Nadella (Sun Microsystems before Microsoft) · 2026-09-24
  12. Web search result WebSearch: Fred Hutch, 'Microsoft CEO Satya Nadella and other tech, business leaders join Hutch board of trustees' (July 2016) · 2026-09-24
  13. Web search result WebSearch: GeekWire, 'Microsoft CEO Satya Nadella leaves Starbucks board after 7 years' (2024) · 2026-09-24
  14. Web search result WebSearch: Hit Refresh by Satya Nadella, official site (2017 book; proceeds to Microsoft Philanthropies) · 2026-09-24