Before becoming Microsoft CEO, Satya Nadella faced the 'One rejection' Indian students fear most

Microsoft CEO Satya Nadella once shared his experience of how not going to IIT which he describes as the "the holy grail" for middle-class students became a turning point for him. The IIT rejection redirected his life towards a path only few could have imagined and which eventually led him to become the CEO of Microsoft, one of the world’s most valuable companies. Speaking to LinkedIn CEO Ryan Roslansky in 2023, Nadella revealed that as a teenage in Hyderabad his ambition revolved around cricket and banking. He said that he never thought of software. Nadella further added that like many of friends he also viewed IIT as the pinnacle of academic achievement. But when he failed to secure admission, Nadella faced a setback that could have easily defined his future. Instead, it became the catalyst for a different journey.

Nadella described IIT as “the holy grail” for middle-class students, acknowledging the weight of expectations. Yet, he later reflected that not getting in forced him to explore other opportunities ones that ultimately shaped his resilience and adaptability.

Microsoft CEO Satya Nadella’s joinery from Manipal

After getting rejected from IIT, Nadella got enrolled at the Manipal Institute of Technology, where he studied electrical engineering. The decision of taking admission in Manipal Institute of Technology set him on a trajectory that would take him to the University of Wisconsin–Milwaukee for a master’s degree. After completing his masters he enrolled in the University of Chicago for an MBA.

Nadella also recalled that after reaching the US he faced cultural shocks, homesickness and the challenge of proving himself in a new country. He said that he often joked about the fact that he simply cannot locate Milwaukee on a map before moving there. However, all these experiences helped him in building adaptability which later went ahead and defined his leadership style.

Nadella joined Microsoft in 1992, after working at Sun Microsystems. Over, the next two decade he rose steadily through the ranks and the became the Microsoft CEO in 2014. When Nadella became the CEO, the company was facing a lot competition from Apple, Google and Amazon. However, under his leadership, Microsoft reinvented itself and it now a market valuation of $3.54 trillion.

Nadella has often said that “only in America would someone like me get the chance to prove himself rather than be typecast based on the school I attended.”