Satya Nadella is a proven leader: Ballmer

Satya Nadella is a "proven leader" whose "strong technical skills and great business insights" will drive the world's leading technology company, says Microsoft's outgoing CEO Steve Ballmer about his successor.

"Today is an incredibly exciting day as we announce Satya Nadella as the new CEO of Microsoft. Satya will be a great CEO, and I am pumped for the future of Microsoft," Ballmer said in an e-mail to employees on the new CEO. 

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Ballmer, only the second CEO after co-founder Bill Gates in Microsoft's 38-year-old history, said Nadella is a "proven leader".

He has "got strong technical skills and great business insights. He has a remarkable ability to see what's going on in the market, to sense opportunity, and to really understand

how we come together at Microsoft to execute against those opportunities in a collaborative way. 

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"I have worked closely with Satya for many years and I have seen these skills many times. He is not alone, though. Our Senior Leadership Team has never been stronger, and together this group will drive us forward," he said. 

He asked company employees to "stay focused and keep moving forward". "I am excited about what we will do. Satya’s appointment confirms that."

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Describing Microsoft as one of the great companies in the world, Ballmer said: "I love this company. I love the bigness and boldness of what we do. I love the way we partner with other companies to come together to change the world. I love the breadth and the diversity of all of the customers we empower, from students in the classroom to consumers to small businesses to governments to the largest enterprises. 

"Above all, I love the spirit of this place, the passion, and the perseverance, which has been the cornerstone of our culture from the very beginning," he said.