Microsoft names third CEO of all time

Listen to the full audio story
Show Embed Code | Download the MP3

Microsoft Corporation named Satya Nadella its third CEO of all time Tuesday. Nadella takes leadership of the company after Steve Ballmer announced he would leave his position as CEO within 12 months.

Nadella is a great choice because of his merit, background with the company and cultural awareness, according to Naomi Moneypenny, an expert in the technology industry and chief technology officer at Synxi, a technology company that helps businesses find software that's right for them.

Nadella led Microsoft's booming Office software business and has been with the company for 22 years. The company is now focusing on moving into the cloud and creating products that center around this phenomena. The challenge for Nadella will be to compete with other technology companies such as Amazon, Google and Apple in creating innovative and popular devices.

John Thompson was named chairman of the board at Microsoft, with Bill Gates stepping down from that position. Gates is a technology adviser of the company and will continue to focus on international philanthropy, said David C. Logan, a business professor at the University of Southern California.

Gates and Ballmer are still Microsoft's biggest shareholders.