It’s not even nine months into the Satya Nadella era of Microsoft and the new CEO is making his mark. Notably, his Microsoft is smaller after completing this week most of the 18,000 job cuts he announced in July. Whether Nadella’s plans for Microsoft succeed, it’s clear the company is dramatically different from the Microsoft that ruled the technology industry in the 80s and 90s. The Microsoft that Nadella leads has strayed so far from its original incarnation that it seems in some ways to have become nearly its opposite. Here are seven examples of how today’s Microsoft is different from the juggernaut Bill Gates built.
1. Microsoft has a kinder, gentler CEO. Bill Gates frequently hurled verbal abuse at employees and was coldblooded about deploying predatory practices against competitors. Steve Ballmer had a reputation for hurling chairs and inspiring the rank and file in manic, sweat-soaked diatribes. Both heightened Microsoft’s image as a hard-charging software giant.
Nadella is cut from a different cloth entirely. Yes, his mansplaining about salaries revealed an ability to insert his foot in his mouth, but most accounts of his temperament describe a low-key and humble personality at odds with those of his predecessors. He communicates not in fist-pumping speeches but lengthy memos on strategy.
2. The tables have turned in the Microsoft-Apple rivalry. For decades, Apple had but a sliver of the market share for personal computers. In 2014, Apple is not onlyshipping more personal computers – counting the ones that fit in our pockets – it’s making much more money from them. Apple made $156 billion in revenue from iPhones, iPads and Macs in the last year. And Microsoft? Between Windows and Office software, Nokia phones and Surface tablets, it saw about $23 billion in revenue.
3. Microsoft isn’t a monopoly, but it competes with some. Gates never got the stranglehold he wanted on the Web, thanks to antitrust lawsuits and the Internet’s decentralized structure. And today, Microsoft is just one more company fighting for turf in a variety of markets: enterprise software, game consoles, search and, yes, personal computers.
And anyway, monopolies in the Internet era aren’t quite what they used to be. Yes, Amazon is bullying publishers but it’s pushing prices down, not up. Yes, Google dominates in search but it costs consumers nothing to find a perfectly good alternative like Bing. Neither of those companies is exactly stifling innovation but rather investing heavily in new technologies.
America's 500 Biggest Companies
Wal-Mart Stores The retail giant held on to the top spot on the Fortune 500, edging out Exxon Mobil for the second year in a row. For fiscal year 2014, Wal-Mart’s net sales totaled $473.1 billion, up 1.6% from the year-earlier period. While its sales grew domestically, Wal-Mart said the expiration of a payroll tax cut, reductions in the U.S. food stamp program, and poor winter weather hurt its results. But in the U.S., Wal-Mart is bullish about its plans to open even more small stores, which compete with drugstores and small grocery stores.Justin Sullivan—Getty ImagesExxon Mobil In 2013, Exxon Mobil’s total revenue dropped 8.8% to $438.26 billion, and net income fell an even steeper 27%. Oil production took a tumble in 2013, all while capital and exploration expenditures increased. While Exxon has said it plans to start production at a record 10 major projects this year, capital spending is expected to decline 6.4% from 2012. Deepwater projects in the Gulf of Mexico and a liquefied natural gas project in Papua New Guinea are among the ventures scheduled for this year.Bloomberg—Bloomberg via Getty ImagesChevron Chevron, the U.S.’s second-largest oil company after Exxon Mobil, posted a 5.4% decrease in total revenue in 2013, to $228.9 billion. Chevron Chief Executive John Watson said results were hurt by lower global crude oil prices and refining margins, as well as fewer asset sale gains and higher expenses. The company expects production will increase in 2015 and beyond. Chevron says it has also made progress with its projects in Australia and the Gulf of Mexico.Bloomberg—Bloomberg via Getty ImagesBerkshire Hathaway Berkshire Hathaway’s per-share book value climbed 18.2% in 2013, but it underperformed the Standard & Poor’s 500 index, which grew by more than 32% with dividends. The company traditionally outperforms the S&P when the index falls or moderately rises, but falls short in years when the market is strong. Berkshire kicked off 2013 with a big-name acquisition, joining 3G Capital to pay $23 billion to acquire H.J. Heinz. The earnings boost from that deal, which closed in June, is expected to be substantial in 2014, according to Chief Executive Warren Buffett.Bill Pugliano—Getty ImagesApple Apple’s net sales keep climbing, as the tech giant continues to sell more iPhones and digital content. But the company faces pressure in the smartphone business, as Android phones grow increasingly dominant. Meanwhile, Apple reported an annual drop in net income in fiscal year 2013, a first in more than a decade. Activist investor Carl Icahn last year disclosed a stake in Apple and subsequently pushed for the company to spend billions on share buybacks. In April, the company increased the amount of shares it is authorized to repurchase and raised its quarterly dividend by 8%, and in late May it announced it was acquiring Beats Music and Beats Electronics for $3 billion.
JOHANNES EISELE—AFP/Getty ImagesPhillips 66 The refining company reported a 4% dip in revenue in 2013 — the first full-year results since it separated from the exploration division of ConocoPhillips in 2012. Results were hurt by lower average prices for crude oil and petroleum products. Phillips 66 is planning to spend about 40% more on capital expenditures in 2014 compared to the prior year, as the company invests in its midstream and chemicals segments to capitalize on North America’s energy renaissance.Bloomberg—Bloomberg via Getty ImagesGeneral Motors GM’s troubles with its dangerously defective vehicles don’t appear to have hurt sales — at least not yet. In April, the automaker’s U.S. sales rose 7% from a year ago as CEO Mary Barra explained to Congress how GM would handle recalls of millions of its vehicles. This follows higher vehicle sales in 2013 across many key markets, including the U.S., South America and the Asia/Pacific. The company expects to spend $1.7 billion to cover the cost of its record-setting number of recalls so far in 2014.Paul Marotta—Getty ImagesFord Ford has benefitted from a stronger economic recovery in the U.S., as many drivers look to replace their aging vehicles. Executives also expect it to be profitable in North America this year, albeit at a lower level than in 2013. In Europe, where Ford has closed factories and cut thousands of jobs, the company expects to report a narrower loss in 2014 and achieve profitability the following year. Worldwide, Ford’s 2013 revenue increased 10% from the previous year to $146.9 billion, while profits climbed 26%.Joe Raedle—Getty ImagesGeneral Electric GE kicked off 2013 with a large asset sale announcement, agreeing in February to sell its remaining stake in NBCUniversal’s joint venture with Comcast for $18.1 billion. Proceeds from that sale were used to accelerate both share buybacks and the conglomerate’s restructuring plans. In the year ahead, GE is looking to invest. In April, the company made an offer to to buy French firm Alstom’s power and grid businesses for nearly $17 billion — a deal that would, if approved, immediately boost GE’s earnings.Bloomberg—Bloomberg via Getty ImagesValero Valero has benefited from increased oil and gas production in North America, and the company has said domestic gasoline demand and margins look positive heading into the summer driving season. This comes after some big changes for the refining giant: Valero completed the spin off of its retail business, CST Brands, last year. And earlier this year, the company named its new CEO, Joe Gorder, who was previously the company’s chief operating officer.Bloomberg—Bloomberg via Getty ImagesFor the full list, click here.SAUL LOEB—AFP/Getty Images
4. Microsoft isn’t really a Windows-driven company. And not just because PC sales have been declining for years. It’s more because Microsoft under Ballmer expanded into gaming and enterprise software markets. Under Nadella, these are becoming an even bigger part of the business. Enterprise offerings like server and storage software, cloud computing and consulting services made up 53% of revenue last quarter. Xbox made up 7%. Windows and Office were only 18%.
5. Microsoft has stopped worrying and learned to love open. Or at least it’s trying. Where Ballmer called the Linux open-source operating system a “malignant cancer,” Nadella proclaims, “Microsoft loves Linux.” All along, Nadella has said Microsoft needs to develop its own platform while playing well with others. Thefitness tracker Microsoft announced Thursday works with Windows as well as Android and iOS phones. Its Office programs work on those platforms too, even though that approach is leaving Microsoft vulnerable to upstarts.
6. It’s not exactly a growth company anymore. In the mid-90s, Microsoft’s revenue was growing by nearly 40% a year. It’s risen an average of 8.5% a year over the past two years, although that pace could increase this year under Nadella. Wall Street demands from Microsoft the kinds of hefty payouts older, slow-growth companies offer: Last year, Microsoft spent $4.9 billion on buybacks and $9.3 billion on dividends. Taken together, that’s more than Microsoft spend on R&D.
7. But it’s slowly gaining cachet among young geeks. A generation of software engineers grew up in the 80s and 90s loathing Microsoft – calling it evil, the Borg, or worse. But for those who came to know Microsoft not through Windows but the Xbox console and Halo franchise, the feelings range from indifferent to positive.
The $2.5 billion purchase of Mojang may or may not make Microsoft a cool brand. But it will wash away the hostility that the Microsoft brand inspired only a dozen years ago. Most kids who love Minecraft seem to think of Microsoft as a big corporation that won’t hurt and might even help Minecraft develop. That generational shift in sentiment may be the most dramatic evidence of how Microsoft has changed.
