Microsoft President Brad Smith on AI, global turmoil, and key issues facing the tech giant at 50 – GeekWire

This week on the GeekWire Podcast: A conversation with Microsoft President Brad Smith, on stage at GeekWire’s Microsoft@50 event this week at Town Hall Seattle, discussing the company’s anniversary, the key issues for Microsoft today, and what’s next for the industry and the world.

Smith traced the company’s history from the early days of the personal computer to Microsoft’s present-day focus on empowering people — quoting what Microsoft CEO Satya Nadella would say to recruits: “If you want to be cool, go work for Apple. If you want to make other people cool, come work for Microsoft.”

He offered his perspective on Microsoft’s three CEOs — Bill Gates, Steve Ballmer, and Satya Nadella — saying that they share a trait that he believes defines great leadership: curiosity.

Smith also addressed tough topics, including Microsoft’s antitrust history, and ongoing geopolitical uncertainty and tensions, which were underscored by a protest at the event over the use of the company’s technologies to support Israel in the ongoing war in Gaza. (Read more in our recap here.)

Discussing economic pressures facing Washington state, Smith spoke out against a new slate of tax proposals, saying that he fears they could hinder the innovation and job growth that have contributed to the state’s success.

Listen below, and continue reading for key quotes and highlights.

Microsoft’s early mission: “A computer on every desk and in every home running Microsoft software — yes. But the notion was that you could take these devices and make them useful and affordable to everyone.”

Surviving antitrust: “My conversations with Bill would usually start by him telling me that I was about to destroy the company, and then he would be supportive.”

Learning from failure in diplomacy: “Part of what it took to put all those really challenging things behind us… was to fail gracefully with people so you could put the pieces back together again.”

The shared trait of Microsoft’s three CEOs: “All three of them embody a common attribute that I have found to be present in most truly great leaders… and that’s curiosity.”

Current tax proposals in Washington state: “I have, frankly, never been more worried about the future of the tech sector in Washington state, as I am today.”

The symbiotic relationship with the state: “You can’t have a healthy company without a healthy community, but you can’t have a healthy community without healthy business. And that, I believe, is at stake.”

Microsoft’s global role: “We want the people of Ireland and South Africa and Poland and elsewhere to know that they can count on us, and we will be a source of stability even in what can sometimes feel like an unstable time.”

On the importance of product builders: “If truth be told, the people that matter the most are those who design and build the products. Which has never been me.”

The challenge ahead: “The challenge of year 51 is the same challenge it has been for all 50 years: you’ve got to win a year, a year at a time.”

Listen to the full conversation above, or subscribe to GeekWire in Apple Podcasts, Spotify, or wherever you listen.

Related Links

Links discussed in the podcast intro:

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