I read with interest Satya Nadella's first email to Microsoft staff as CEO. It's inspiring stuff and says a lot about his understanding of the future digital world that we'll inhabit. He's much better equipped than Steve Ballmer to win in that world. He likes hoodies, for a start. But Satya's got a problem, and that problem is one of Microsoft's strongholds: the corporate IT department. I love all the words that he uses in his email - fun, excitement, clarity, the accomplishment of great things. Trouble is that the way most people experience Microsoft these days is at work. And that desktop and application experience is controlled by the IT department. And for the most part, that IT department will have created a "build" of services that stops the average Jo Bloggs doing very much that's exciting or fun. Accomplishing great things is pretty tough on a glacially slow Windows XP, Vista or 7 machine loaded with bloated apps and locked down aga...
Thoughts on strategy in a Digital Economy