When Satya Nadella took over as Microsoft CEO in February 2014, the company faced a critical question: Could a mature tech giant built on Windows and Office licensing truly reinvent itself for the cloud era?
I like to compare company stories like these to the story of Sears. Sears saw the Internet coming and didn't adapt to the changes and so Amazon swooped in and took their place as the shopping giant. Microsoft saw a change coming before GenAI hit and they adapted accordingly. Could have been the same result but Microsoft chose to adapt and change where Sears decided to stick with what they knew.
I like to compare company stories like these to the story of Sears. Sears saw the Internet coming and didn't adapt to the changes and so Amazon swooped in and took their place as the shopping giant. Microsoft saw a change coming before GenAI hit and they adapted accordingly. Could have been the same result but Microsoft chose to adapt and change where Sears decided to stick with what they knew.
Great comparison. Haven’t thought about Sears in a minute.
I know! I took a marketing class and my teacher used them as an example and it's just stuck with me ever since.
We can learn a lot from history. Great lesson from your teacher. Thanks for sharing it!