It's all about empowerment
Microsoft has a new mission statement, and like the one it replaces, the overarching theme is about empowering the planet's population. However, it's not a simple rewording or reiteration of Microsoft's previous goals, but a straightforward and ambitious plan to make the world a better place.
Let's back up a moment. Before he left Microsoft to ultimately become owner of the Los Angeles Clippers, Steve Ballmer laid out a corporate mission for Microsoft "to create a family of devices and services for individuals and businesses that empower people around the globe at home, at work, and on the go, for the activities they value most." Not long after, Ballmer became a footnote in Microsoft's history, the reins having been handed over to Satya Nadella, who at the time was the Executive Vice President of the company's Cloud and Enterprise group.
Now not quite a year and a half later, Nadella has left his footprint on Microsoft with a series of moves and is ready to move forward with this new mission statement:
"Our mission is to empower every person and every organization on the planet to achieve more," Nadella stated in an internal email to employees obtained by GeekWire.
It's a rather long and at times preachy email, though the mission statement is short and to the point. And like the one before it, empowerment of the people is at the center of Microsoft's vision, though Nadella's version seems to have a more philanthropic undertone. You get the sense that Bill Gates could have just have easily wrote the email -- not the Gates from yesteryear, mind you, but the one that's now hyper focused on the Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation.
That's not to say Nadella is no longer concerned with profits -- 18,000 layoffs around this time last year suggests otherwise. But as Microsoft finds its way in what Nadella repeatedly refers to as a "mobile-first, cloud-first world," there's a desire to "do magical things," a sentiment that Nadella also repeated in his email.
One of the keys to Nadella's mission statement for Microsoft is Windows 10. He points out to employees that Windows 10 is an opportunity to connect with 1.5 billion Windows customers in 190 countries.
"Certainly we want to upgrade as many of our current Windows 7 and 8.1 customers to Windows 10 as possible through our free upgrade offer. More than that, though, we see this as an opportunity to support and celebrate how people and communities upgrade their world every day," Nadella says. "To that end, starting on July 29 when Windows 10 becomes available, employees are invited to volunteer some time and upgrade their communities as part of the broader movement."
Much of what Nadella discusses in his email are things Microsoft is already doing or plan to do. That's to say there's not really much in the way of new information -- Nadella didn't drop any bombshell announcements or anything of that nature. But what's different from what we already know is Nadella's passionate desire to intertwine Microsoft's business strategy with "making a difference in lives and organizations in all corners of the planet."
By Nadella's own admission, his ambitious strategy won't be an easy one. In his email, he talked about needing to remain "insatiably curious" and being willing to take risks.
Lip service? Perhaps. Skeptics will say that even though Nadella never intended for his email to be made public, he had to know that it would be leaked to the web for the world's eyeballs to see. That's probably true, though it doesn't automatically negate or invalidate what he wrote down.
"We are in an incredible position to seize new growth this year. We will need to innovate in new areas, execute against our plans, make some tough choices in areas where things are not working and solve hard problems in ways that drive customer value," Nadella states in the email's final paragraph. "I really do believe that we can achieve magical things when we come together as one team and focus. I’m looking forward to what we can achieve together in FY16."
Admittedly, Microsoft is up to some exciting things at the moment, like HoloLens and what seems like a renewed interest in PC gaming via Windows 10 and DirectX 12. How it all pans out is something we're eager to find out.
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