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Why Microsoft’s new CEO took a hatchet to Ballmer’s ‘devices and services’ plan

Published Nov 10th, 2014 7:45PM EST
Microsoft Nadella Vs. Ballmer
Image: Businessweek

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New Microsoft CEO Satya Nadella has done things very differently from the way former CEO Steve Ballmer used to do business, although toward the end of his term Ballmer recognized that Microsoft seriously needed to change to remain a dominant force in the tech world. Ballmer’s strategy was to reposition Microsoft as a “devices and services” company that would produce its own hardware that acted as a showcase for its software and services such as Microsoft Office, Azure and more.

RELATED: Microsoft’s huge Dropbox deal is the latest evidence Nadella is much wiser than Ballmer

However, once Nadella took the reins, the “devices and services” mantra fell instantly out of favor and has been replaced by a renewed emphasis on enabling productivity. Why the change?

As a new report from FastCompany explains, Nadella just didn’t see this strategy as anything more than a “me too” version of Apple’s strategy and thought that it didn’t play enough to his company’s core strengths.

“The strategy championed by Nadella’s predecessor Steve Ballmer at the end of his tenure, when he took to describing Microsoft as a ‘devices and services company’ felt like a Microsoftian gloss on the Apple way,” FastCompany writes. “Nadella’s reframed mission does not.”

If you want to read more on how Nadella is moving Microsoft away from the Ballmer days, check out FastCompany’s full article by clicking the source link below.

Brad Reed
Brad Reed Staff Writer

Brad Reed has written about technology for over eight years at BGR.com and Network World. Prior to that, he wrote freelance stories for political publications such as AlterNet and the American Prospect. He has a Master's Degree in Business and Economics Journalism from Boston University.