Microsoft CEO calls two other CEOs every day — see what he asks

The CEO of one of the largest companies in the world doesn’t let a day go by without consulting his network of contacts.

After hitting the gym and practicing gratitude first thing in the morning, Microsoft CEO Satya Nadella also makes a point of calling two CEOs to ask them some key questions, reported .

The 57-year-old asks his team to schedule calls with key people, who range from executives like Perplexity CEO Aravind Srinivas to other prominent leaders like former Seattle Seahawks coach Pete Carroll.

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When he can get these important people on the phone (because who would ignore the leader of a $3 trillion company?), he likes to focus on two questions that help him expand his network even further.

First, he likes to ask, “What new startups are you excited about?” This question is essential because under Nadella’s leadership, Microsoft has not hesitated to invest in innovative ideas, as evidenced by its $10 billion investment in ChatGPT creator OpenAI in 2023.

In addition to the investment in OpenAI, Microsoft reportedly invested $95 million in humanoid robotics startup Figure, which it managed to convince to migrate to Microsoft Azure for AI infrastructure and training, reported . The company’s investment arm put another $25 million into database technology startup Neon earlier this year.

These deals are a hallmark of the way Nadella has led Microsoft since taking office in 2014. While he took over leadership at a time when the company was struggling, Nadella helped turn things around, in part by his openness for partnerships and collaboration with other companies when it is beneficial.

“You have to be open-minded because at the end of the day, sometimes partnerships are the only way forward,” Nadella said of the OpenAI partnership to the Stratechery newsletter in May.

Nadella’s second question relates to expanding your personal network: “What new people have you met that would be good to know?”

This question keeps Nadella up to date on what’s happening in his industry and areas that may be of interest.

The strategy may have already brought some benefits: Under Nadella’s leadership, Microsoft has made some of its biggest acquisitions and investments, including the purchase of LinkedIn for US$26 billion in 2016, as well as the purchase of GitHub for US$7.5 billion in 2018.