Who succeeded Steve Ballmer as CEO of Microsoft in 2014?

Satya Nadella succeeded Steve Ballmer as Microsoft's CEO in 2014. Microsoft announced Nadella as its new chief executive on February 4, 2014.

Nadella became Microsoft's third CEO, following co-founder Bill Gates and Ballmer. Before taking the top job, he led Microsoft's Cloud and Enterprise group, overseeing products and services connected with the company's server, enterprise software, and cloud businesses.

His appointment marked a strategic shift for Microsoft. Under Nadella, the company placed greater emphasis on cloud computing, subscriptions, cross-platform software, and services such as Azure and Microsoft 365. He also encouraged a more collaborative relationship with technologies that Microsoft had previously treated as rivals, including Linux.

John W. Thompson, one of the listed alternatives, became Microsoft's board chairman in 2014, not its CEO. Bill Gates was a former CEO and remained involved as a technology adviser, while Kevin Turner was Microsoft's chief operating officer. Nadella later became Microsoft's chairman in 2021.