Our Bureau
Atlanta, GA
In recognition of his transformative leadership, Microsoft Chairman and CEO Satya Nadella received an honorary Ph.D. during a ceremony inside the John Lewis Student Center’s Atlantic Theater. It is the most significant honor the Institute bestows on an individual and comes at a time Nadella described as a “golden age” of computer science.
“I think what motivates all of us, as this community of folks who are associated with Georgia Tech, is not just the technology, because it’s just merely a tool. But it’s a powerful means to a more powerful end, which is about empowering every person and every organization on the planet to achieve more. The innovation you’re driving here at Georgia Tech comes at one of the most consequential moments in the history of technology. As we enter this age of artificial intelligence, it’s communities like this one that will help create the world we want to live in,” Nadella said.
With over 2,000 Georgia Tech alumni on its staff and a prominent presence in the city of Atlanta, Microsoft recently became the second company in history to surpass a $3 trillion market value. Accepting the degree, Nadella, who became the company’s CEO in 2014, spoke of aligning values between Microsoft and Georgia Tech and looking forward to working together to create technologies and solutions for the world’s most pressing challenges.
“When you talk to Satya, he always leads with the impact that the company is having on people and organizations around the world,” Georgia Tech President Ángel Cabrera said during the ceremony. “That sounds awfully familiar with our mission at Georgia Tech — to develop leaders who advance technology and improve the human condition. Our motto is progress and service. We define our success by the impact that we have in the lives of others. So, that explains why we’re so excited to bring Satya into the family of Yellow Jackets.”
A fireside chat between Cabrera and Nadella followed the ceremony. Along with the transformative nature of AI and its ability to improve workflows and productivity in business, Nadella spoke of its potential to bring personalized instruction to students worldwide.
Nadella then sat down with a group of students, all former Microsoft interns, to discuss their educational experience and what he called a “paradigm shift” across the industry, similar to the rise of the internet and cloud computing.
