Beyond all the big names, Microsoft hired the CEO they'd wanted all along, and the CEO most calm minds believed they'd get, Satya Nadella. If all reports are true, his compensation will match their desire. A base salary of $1.2 million pales in comparison to the $3.6 million he'll be eligible for should he meet performance goals, which further pales from the $13.2 million he'll receive in stocks, beginning fiscal year 2015, PC World reported.
Nadella made about half as much in base salary in his previous position as head of the Cloud and Enterprise group, but his supreme performance in that role earned him an additional $1.6 million. Under his leadership, the division generated $20.3 billion in revenue.
Unlike previous CEO Steve Ballmer, Nadella represents a man more in touch with the technical aspects of the business, as evidenced by his previous post. He also represents a more expensive employee. Ballmer had asked for only $700,000 per year, according to PC World.
Nadella's promotion comes in the wake of Bill Gates' apparent demotion, or what Microsoft is framing as a "step up," according to their press release. Gates' new role on the board will be listed as "Founder and Technology Advisor."
"Among the many challenges he'll face, he'll have to guide the company to a cloud-services business model as it seeks to better compete on the Internet," according to PC World. "He'll also have to make a success of Microsoft's acquisition of Nokia's smartphone business and support the recently launched Windows 8.1 and Windows Mobile operating systems, as part of a 'mobile first, cloud first,' business plan."
