Microsoft had missed the transition to mobile devices, Windows 8 had flopped terribly and the PC market had started its decline, putting Microsoft’s core business, Windows, into question.
Having managed the transformation to the cloud infrastructure and services business before being appointed CEO, Nadella doubled down on this transformation as CEO, driving Microsoft’s cloud business to $90 billion in revenues in the latest completed fiscal year.
Back in 2014, most people given the choice to invest $1,000 in either Microsoft, Apple or any other of the so-called GAFAM group probably would have snubbed Microsoft in favor of Apple, considering the huge success that Microsoft’s old foe was having with its mobile devices, most importantly the iPhone.
And yet, here we are, 10 years into Nadella’s tenure and Microsoft is not only the most valuable public company on the planet, it has also outperformed Apple (and other rivals) over the past decade.
Microsoft’s share price grew by 969 percent since Nadella took over, beating Apple’s 923-percent increase over the same period as well as Amazon, Meta and Alphabet.
The S&P 500 index “only” increased by 173 percent over the past 10 years, illustrating once again how well the tech sector has performed in the near past
