Microsoft CEO Satya Nadella has launched three-dimensional avatars and immersive meetings in a bid to enter the metaverse race.

The company is going to roll out a collaborative platform for virtual experiences that will combine HoloLens meetings with mixed reality.

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The metaverse is here, and it’s not only transforming how we see the world but how we participate in it – from the factory floor to the meeting room. Take a look. <a href="https://t.co/h5tsdYMXRD">pic.twitter.com/h5tsdYMXRD</a>
— Satya Nadella (@satyanadella) <a href="https://twitter.com/satyanadella/status/1455624165201887234?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">November 2, 2021</a></blockquote>
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The metaverse broadly refers to the idea of a shared virtual platform that people can access through different devices and where they can move through digital environments.

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According to Nadella, ''As the digital and physical worlds come together, we are creating an entirely new platform layer, which is the metaverse.''

''In a sense the metaverse enables us to embed computing into the real world and embed the real world into computing, bringing real presence to any digital space,'' he added.

Microsoft will update its Teams app to push towards metaverse environment that will ''transform how we see the world but how we participate in it.''

<a href="https://www.wionews.com/technology/what-is-metaverse-the-new-buzzword-in-internet-technology-412364">Also read |&nbsp;What is metaverse, the new buzzword in internet technology?</a>

It comes after Mark Zuckerberg changed Facebook's name to Meta Platforms Inc to reflect its focus on building the ''metaverse.''

As Covid lockdown measures and work-from-home policies pushed more people online for both business and pleasure, the concept has surged in popularity during the pandemic.

Microsoft, which owns Xbox and the world-building game Minecraft, is also a key player in the gaming world.&nbsp;

<a href="https://www.wionews.com/trending/facebook-is-now-meta-but-another-company-pocketted-money-from-all-the-buzz-425058">Also read |&nbsp;Facebook is now Meta, but another company pocketted money from all the buzz</a>

Recently, metaverse has become one of the tech sector's hottest buzzwords, with companies pouring millions of dollars into its development.

Xbox boss Phil Spencer has talked about planning for "a metaverse or mixed-reality construct."

Fortnite's owners Epic Games said in April that $1 billion of funding raised recently would be used to support its "vision for the metaverse".

(With inputs from agencies)

Microsoft CEO Satya Nadella has launched three-dimensional avatars and immersive meetings in a bid to enter the metaverse race. The company is going to roll out a collaborative platform for virtual experiences that will combine HoloLens meetings with mixed reality.

Microsoft CEO Satya Nadella has launched three-dimensional avatars and immersive meetings in a bid to enter the metaverse race. The company is going to roll out a collaborative platform for virtual experiences that will combine HoloLens meetings with mixed reality. The metaverse is here, and it’s not only transforming how we see the world but how we participate in it – from the factory floor to the meeting room. Take a look. pic.twitter.com/h5tsdYMXRD — Satya Nadella (@satyanadella) November 2, 2021 × The metaverse broadly refers to the idea of a shared virtual platform that people can access through different devices and where they can move through digital environments. According to Nadella, ''As the digital and physical worlds come together, we are creating an entirely new platform layer, which is the metaverse.'' ''In a sense the metaverse enables us to embed computing into the real world and embed the real world into computing, bringing real presence to any digital space,'' he added. Microsoft will update its Teams app to push towards metaverse environment that will ''transform how we see the world but how we participate in it.'' Also read | What is metaverse, the new buzzword in internet technology? It comes after Mark Zuckerberg changed Facebook's name to Meta Platforms Inc to reflect its focus on building the ''metaverse.'' As Covid lockdown measures and work-from-home policies pushed more people online for both business and pleasure, the concept has surged in popularity during the pandemic. Microsoft, which owns Xbox and the world-building game Minecraft, is also a key player in the gaming world. Also read | Facebook is now Meta, but another company pocketted money from all the buzz Recently, metaverse has become one of the tech sector's hottest buzzwords, with companies pouring millions of dollars into its development. Xbox boss Phil Spencer has talked about planning for "a metaverse or mixed-reality construct." Fortnite's owners Epic Games said in April that $1 billion of funding raised recently would be used to support its "vision for the metaverse". (With inputs from agencies)

Microsoft CEO Satya Nadella launches 3D avatars, enters metaverse race

Microsoft's Chief Executive Officer Satya Nadella said on Monday that the company's near acquisition of social media app TikTok was the "strangest thing" he had "ever worked on"

Former US President Donald Trump had ordered TikTok to separate its US version from Chinese parent company ByteDance over concerns of data security of US users. Microsoft had begun acquisition talks in August 2020 but the deal collapsed by September.

Also Read | <a href="https://www.wionews.com/world/microsoft-co-founder-bill-gates-offers-15-billion-in-climate-help-if-us-takes-legislative-action-405062">Microsoft co-founder Bill Gates offers $1.5 billion in climate help if US takes legislative action</a>

Trump's divestment push ended by the time he left office in January and no potential suitor ending up acquiring TikTok.

Nadella was speaking at the Code Conference in Beverly Hills, California. He said that he was looking forward to bringing Microsoft's security, child safety and cloud expertise to TikTok.

Also Read | <a href="https://www.wionews.com/world/safe-and-easy-microsoft-announces-passwordless-account-for-users-413771">Safe and easy: Microsoft announces 'passwordless account' for users</a>

"It's unbelievable," Nadella said of the experience during an on-stage interview. "I learned so many things about so much and so many people. First of all, TikTok came to us. We didn't go to TikTok."

"TikTok was caught in between a lot of things happening across two capitals," Nadella continued. "President Trump had a particular point of view of what he was trying to get done there, and then it just dropped off. The [U.S. government] had a particular set of requirements and then it just disappeared."

Nadella said Microsoft's services related to content moderation and child safety was what had attracted TikTOk CEO Zhang Yiming to Microsoft.

Also Read | <a href="https://www.wionews.com/india-news/amazon-microsoft-cisco-among-tech-giants-to-utilise-data-from-indias-farmers-413747">Amazon, Microsoft, Cisco among tech giants to utilise data from India’s farmers</a>

ByteDance did not immediately respond to Reuter's request for comment.

Nadella said he has no idea whether the US is still pushing for a deal under President Joe Biden. The Biden administration has said it is reviewing the national security concerns&nbsp;

"At this point, I'm happy with what I have," Nadella said.

He also expressed support for greater government regulation of cryptocurrency rules, which could stifle ransomware attacks since the ransoms often flow through opaque systems.

Microsoft's Chief Executive Officer Satya Nadella said on Monday that the company's near acquisition of social media app TikTok was the "strangest thing" he had "ever worked on" Former US President Donald Trump had ordered TikTok to separate its US version from Chinese parent company ByteDance over concerns of data security of US users.

Microsoft's Chief Executive Officer Satya Nadella said on Monday that the company's near acquisition of social media app TikTok was the "strangest thing" he had "ever worked on" Former US President Donald Trump had ordered TikTok to separate its US version from Chinese parent company ByteDance over concerns of data security of US users. Microsoft had begun acquisition talks in August 2020 but the deal collapsed by September. Also Read | Microsoft co-founder Bill Gates offers $1.5 billion in climate help if US takes legislative action Trump's divestment push ended by the time he left office in January and no potential suitor ending up acquiring TikTok. Nadella was speaking at the Code Conference in Beverly Hills, California. He said that he was looking forward to bringing Microsoft's security, child safety and cloud expertise to TikTok. Also Read | Safe and easy: Microsoft announces 'passwordless account' for users "It's unbelievable," Nadella said of the experience during an on-stage interview. "I learned so many things about so much and so many people. First of all, TikTok came to us. We didn't go to TikTok." "TikTok was caught in between a lot of things happening across two capitals," Nadella continued. "President Trump had a particular point of view of what he was trying to get done there, and then it just dropped off. The [U.S. government] had a particular set of requirements and then it just disappeared." Nadella said Microsoft's services related to content moderation and child safety was what had attracted TikTOk CEO Zhang Yiming to Microsoft. Also Read | Amazon, Microsoft, Cisco among tech giants to utilise data from India’s farmers ByteDance did not immediately respond to Reuter's request for comment. Nadella said he has no idea whether the US is still pushing for a deal under President Joe Biden. The Biden administration has said it is reviewing the national security concerns "At this point, I'm happy with what I have," Nadella said. He also expressed support for greater government regulation of cryptocurrency rules, which could stifle ransomware attacks since the ransoms often flow through opaque systems.

Failed TikTok deal 'strangest thing I've worked on', says Microsoft CEO Satya Nadella

Windows operating system&nbsp;turned&nbsp;Microsoft&nbsp;into a household name and helped the company&nbsp;dominate&nbsp;personal computers for years,&nbsp;which market trackers say powers nearly three-quarters of the world's desktop computers.

Now, Windows is getting a revamp, likely to be named Windows 11.

It comes after the company&nbsp;named Chief Executive Satya Nadella as chair of its board, strengthening his grip on a pioneering US technology company he rejuvenated for a new age.

Microsoft&nbsp;built its empire on software such as Windows and Office,&nbsp;licensed to computer makers or sold in packages for installation on machines in homes or workplaces.

Under Nadella,&nbsp;Microsoft&nbsp;has put more focus on renting software and services hosted at data centres in the computing cloud, bulking up its Azure platform.

The era of the personal computer was rocked by the rise of smartphones and tablets but saw a revival of sorts during the pandemic as people geared up homes for remote work, school, and play.

Upgrading to a new Windows OS is always filled with questions, like which version of Windows is for me? How much does it cost? Should I even bother upgrading at all?

Here is a brief summary of the various versions of Windows:

Windows 10 S&nbsp;

Windows 10 S&nbsp;is a streamlined version of Microsoft&nbsp;Corp's popular operating system, geared toward low-cost laptops for students&nbsp;as it tried&nbsp;to take share from Google’s Chrome OS-run computers.&nbsp;The company said the Surface laptop integrated with Windows 10 S is priced from $999&nbsp;

It is compatible on mobiles and desktops, has a simple login app that allows schools to create logs on any devices in a few moments.

Windows 10

Windows 10 fixed&nbsp;most of the issues with Windows 8 and improves on Windows 7, Microsoft’s most popular OS in recent years.

It was equipped with 'Cortana', a digital assistant similar to Apple Inc's Siri and Google Inc's Now.

The launch was seen as critical for the company, particularly after the poor response to Windows 8, an ambitious redesign that confused many users by ditching the start button menu and introducing a new layout.

Windows 8

Windows 8 was designed as a flexible new system that would work equally well on desktops PCs and touchscreen tablets, but it ended up alienating many traditional users, while the company’s Surface tablet has not won over many Apple Inc iPad users.

More worryingly for Microsoft, the number of people actually using Windows 8 is persistently low. While many businesses technically have purchased Windows 8 licenses, few have installed the system on office machines.

Windows 7

It had user-friendly features, such as a new taskbar that previews all the open windows from a single application by hovering over the program’s icon.

Another new feature, called “Jump Lists,” provided&nbsp;updated lists of recently worked-on documents or often visited Web sites without first having to open Microsoft Word or an Internet browser.

The company also adopted a ‘simple is better’ philosophy, looking to remove complexity from an operating system that incorporated 50 million lines of programming code in Vista.

Vista

When Vista was released, it was clear that most users were going to need a new system to handle the OS.&nbsp;

Any Windows user knows you have to watch out for viruses, spyware, and worms, but Vista’s security features were widely panned for being annoying.&nbsp;

Windows Vista was so heavily criticized due to poor compatibility with devices and slow start speeds that it became the target of an effective marketing campaign by rival Apple Inc.

Windows XP

Microsoft Windows XP was introduced in 2001,&nbsp;addressed many issues of its predecessor, and added a number of other improvements as well.&nbsp;The name "XP" is short for "eXPerience", highlighting the enhanced user experience.

Windows XP was the first Windows NT kernel-based OS designed for both the business and general consumer markets, and are much more stable than the Windows 9x line of OS'&nbsp;due to the improved codebase (heavily based on Windows 2000). It was also the first version of Windows to implement product activation to prevent piracy.

Windows 2000

Also known as&nbsp;Windows 2k,&nbsp;Windows 2000&nbsp;is an operating system first released by&nbsp;Microsoft&nbsp;in February&nbsp;2000.

Code-named&nbsp;Janus&nbsp;during development, Windows 2000 is based on the&nbsp;Windows NT&nbsp;kernel and is sometimes referred to as Windows NT 5.0. Windows 2000 contains over 29 million lines of code, mainly written in C++ with over 8 million of those lines written for drivers. Windows 2000 is by far one of the largest commercial projects ever built.

Windows 98

It&nbsp;the second major release in the&nbsp;Windows 9x&nbsp;line of operating systems. It heavily relied&nbsp;on the HTML language.&nbsp;&nbsp;

Most of the improvements are cosmetic or designed to improve the user experience, but there are a handful of features that enhance system functionality and capabilities. These include improved&nbsp;USB&nbsp;support and accessibility, as well as support for hardware advancements such as DVD players. It was the first Windows operating system to adopt the&nbsp;Windows Driver Model.&nbsp;

Windows 95

Windows 95 integrated Microsoft's formerly separate&nbsp;MS-DOS&nbsp;and&nbsp;Windows&nbsp;products. It featured significant improvements over its predecessor,&nbsp;Windows 3.1, most notably in the graphical user interface (GUI) and in its relatively simplified "plug-n-play" features. There were also major changes made at lower levels of the operating system, such as moving from a mainly 16-bit architecture to a pre-emptively multitasked 32-bit architecture.

Windows 1.0 (1985)

Upon its debut, this operating system aimed at the general public had a new graphic interface that was relatively easy to use. It was the first foundation stone in the immense Windows edifice to come.

Although it was complicated to use because it operated via command lines, MS-DOS (short for Microsoft Disk Operating System) revolutionized computing as it was integrated into the first personal computers on the market manufactured by IBM. The system just needed to be made more accessible. And that's how Windows was born.

Initially known as Interface Manager, this new operating system was in the end called Windows, a name which describes the computing boxes which are fundamental to it. The project was announced in 1983, but it was two years before it became a reality.

Windows operating system turned Microsoft into a household name and helped the company dominate personal computers for years, which market trackers say powers nearly three-quarters of the world's desktop computers.

Windows operating system turned Microsoft into a household name and helped the company dominate personal computers for years, which market trackers say powers nearly three-quarters of the world's desktop computers. Now, Windows is getting a revamp, likely to be named Windows 11. It comes after the company named Chief Executive Satya Nadella as chair of its board, strengthening his grip on a pioneering US technology company he rejuvenated for a new age. Microsoft built its empire on software such as Windows and Office, licensed to computer makers or sold in packages for installation on machines in homes or workplaces. Under Nadella, Microsoft has put more focus on renting software and services hosted at data centres in the computing cloud, bulking up its Azure platform. The era of the personal computer was rocked by the rise of smartphones and tablets but saw a revival of sorts during the pandemic as people geared up homes for remote work, school, and play. Upgrading to a new Windows OS is always filled with questions, like which version of Windows is for me? How much does it cost? Should I even bother upgrading at all? Here is a brief summary of the various versions of Windows: Windows 10 S Windows 10 S is a streamlined version of Microsoft Corp's popular operating system, geared toward low-cost laptops for students as it tried to take share from Google’s Chrome OS-run computers. The company said the Surface laptop integrated with Windows 10 S is priced from $999 It is compatible on mobiles and desktops, has a simple login app that allows schools to create logs on any devices in a few moments. Windows 10 Windows 10 fixed most of the issues with Windows 8 and improves on Windows 7, Microsoft’s most popular OS in recent years. It was equipped with 'Cortana', a digital assistant similar to Apple Inc's Siri and Google Inc's Now. The launch was seen as critical for the company, particularly after the poor response to Windows 8, an ambitious redesign that confused many users by ditching the start button menu and introducing a new layout. Windows 8 Windows 8 was designed as a flexible new system that would work equally well on desktops PCs and touchscreen tablets, but it ended up alienating many traditional users, while the company’s Surface tablet has not won over many Apple Inc iPad users. More worryingly for Microsoft, the number of people actually using Windows 8 is persistently low. While many businesses technically have purchased Windows 8 licenses, few have installed the system on office machines. Windows 7 It had user-friendly features, such as a new taskbar that previews all the open windows from a single application by hovering over the program’s icon. Another new feature, called “Jump Lists,” provided updated lists of recently worked-on documents or often visited Web sites without first having to open Microsoft Word or an Internet browser. The company also adopted a ‘simple is better’ philosophy, looking to remove complexity from an operating system that incorporated 50 million lines of programming code in Vista. Vista When Vista was released, it was clear that most users were going to need a new system to handle the OS. Any Windows user knows you have to watch out for viruses, spyware, and worms, but Vista’s security features were widely panned for being annoying. Windows Vista was so heavily criticized due to poor compatibility with devices and slow start speeds that it became the target of an effective marketing campaign by rival Apple Inc. Windows XP Microsoft Windows XP was introduced in 2001, addressed many issues of its predecessor, and added a number of other improvements as well. The name "XP" is short for "eXPerience", highlighting the enhanced user experience. Windows XP was the first Windows NT kernel-based OS designed for both the business and general consumer markets, and are much more stable than the Windows 9x line of OS' due to the improved codebase (heavily based on Windows 2000). It was also the first version of Windows to implement product activation to prevent piracy. Windows 2000 Also known as Windows 2k, Windows 2000 is an operating system first released by Microsoft in February 2000. Code-named Janus during development, Windows 2000 is based on the Windows NT kernel and is sometimes referred to as Windows NT 5.0. Windows 2000 contains over 29 million lines of code, mainly written in C++ with over 8 million of those lines written for drivers. Windows 2000 is by far one of the largest commercial projects ever built. Windows 98 It the second major release in the Windows 9x line of operating systems. It heavily relied on the HTML language. Most of the improvements are cosmetic or designed to improve the user experience, but there are a handful of features that enhance system functionality and capabilities. These include improved USB support and accessibility, as well as support for hardware advancements such as DVD players. It was the first Windows operating system to adopt the Windows Driver Model. Windows 95 Windows 95 integrated Microsoft's formerly separate MS-DOS and Windows products. It featured significant improvements over its predecessor, Windows 3.1, most notably in the graphical user interface (GUI) and in its relatively simplified "plug-n-play" features. There were also major changes made at lower levels of the operating system, such as moving from a mainly 16-bit architecture to a pre-emptively multitasked 32-bit architecture. Windows 1.0 (1985) Upon its debut, this operating system aimed at the general public had a new graphic interface that was relatively easy to use. It was the first foundation stone in the immense Windows edifice to come. Although it was complicated to use because it operated via command lines, MS-DOS (short for Microsoft Disk Operating System) revolutionized computing as it was integrated into the first personal computers on the market manufactured by IBM. The system just needed to be made more accessible. And that's how Windows was born. Initially known as Interface Manager, this new operating system was in the end called Windows, a name which describes the computing boxes which are fundamental to it. The project was announced in 1983, but it was two years before it became a reality.

As Microsoft announces new Windows OS, let us take a look at previous versions of Windows

Microsoft Corp on Wednesday named Chief Executive Officer Satya Nadella as its new chairman, in place of John Thompson.

Nadella, who took over as CEO in 2014 from Steve Ballmer, has been instrumental in scaling up its business including billion-dollar acquisitions like LinkedIn, Nuance Communications and ZeniMax. 
 
<a href="https://www.wionews.com/india-news/google-microsofts-indian-american-ceos-pledge-support-in-indias-fight-against-covid-19-380513">Also read | Google, Microsoft's Indian-American CEOs pledge support in India's fight against COVID-19</a> 
 
The company said Thompson, who took over as chairman of the software giant's co-founder Bill Gates in 2014, will serve as a lead independent director.

The top-level executive change comes just over a year after Gates stepped down from the board, saying he would focus on philanthropic works of the Bill and Melinda Gates Foundation, one of the world's biggest charities.

The company had last month said it conducted a probe into Gates' involvement with an employee almost 20 years ago after it was told in 2019 that he had tried to start a romantic relationship with the person.

Microsoft had declined to comment on whether its board had decided Gates should go.

The company also declared a quarterly dividend of 56 cents per share payable on September 9.

Microsoft Corp on Wednesday named Chief Executive Officer Satya Nadella as its new chairman, in place of John Thompson. Nadella, who took over as CEO in 2014 from Steve Ballmer, has been instrumental in scaling up its business including billion-dollar acquisitions like LinkedIn, Nuance Communications and ZeniMax.

Microsoft Corp on Wednesday named Chief Executive Officer Satya Nadella as its new chairman, in place of John Thompson. Nadella, who took over as CEO in 2014 from Steve Ballmer, has been instrumental in scaling up its business including billion-dollar acquisitions like LinkedIn, Nuance Communications and ZeniMax. Also read | Google, Microsoft's Indian-American CEOs pledge support in India's fight against COVID-19 The company said Thompson, who took over as chairman of the software giant's co-founder Bill Gates in 2014, will serve as a lead independent director. The top-level executive change comes just over a year after Gates stepped down from the board, saying he would focus on philanthropic works of the Bill and Melinda Gates Foundation, one of the world's biggest charities. The company had last month said it conducted a probe into Gates' involvement with an employee almost 20 years ago after it was told in 2019 that he had tried to start a romantic relationship with the person. Microsoft had declined to comment on whether its board had decided Gates should go. The company also declared a quarterly dividend of 56 cents per share payable on September 9.

Microsoft names CEO Satya Nadella as chairman of the board

Google CEO Sundar Pichai and his Microsoft counterpart Satya Nadella have assured help to India as the country grapples with a ravaging coronavirus crisis that has put enormous pressure on its hospitals due to a shortage of beds, oxygen, and medical supplies.

India logged a record of 3,52,991 new coronavirus infections in a day on Monday, taking its total tally of COVID-19 cases to 1,73,13,163. The death toll increased to 1,95,123 with a record 2,812 daily new fatalities, according to the Union Health Ministry data.

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Devastated to see the worsening Covid crisis in India. Google &amp; Googlers are providing Rs 135 Crore in funding to <a href="https://twitter.com/GiveIndia?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">@GiveIndia</a>, <a href="https://twitter.com/UNICEF?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">@UNICEF</a> for medical supplies, orgs supporting high-risk communities, and grants to help spread critical information.<a href="https://t.co/OHJ79iEzZH">https://t.co/OHJ79iEzZH</a>
— Sundar Pichai (@sundarpichai) <a href="https://twitter.com/sundarpichai/status/1386528938889908231?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">April 26, 2021</a></blockquote>
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I am heartbroken by the current situation in India. I’m grateful the U.S. government is mobilizing to help. Microsoft will continue to use its voice, resources, and technology to aid relief efforts, and support the purchase of critical oxygen concentration devices.
— Satya Nadella (@satyanadella) <a href="https://twitter.com/satyanadella/status/1386500849740902403?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">April 26, 2021</a></blockquote>
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US President Joe Biden and Vice President Kamala Harris have assured India and its people of providing all assistance, including urgently sending necessary medical life-saving supplies and equipment, to help the country combat the deadly coronavirus crisis.

Also read|&nbsp;<a href="https://www.wionews.com/india-news/us-will-immediately-send-vaccine-components-medical-supplies-to-india-says-biden-380291">US will 'immediately' send vaccine components, medical supplies to India</a>

''Just as India sent assistance to the United States as our hospitals were strained early in the pandemic, we are determined to help India in its time of need,''&nbsp;Biden said in a tweet.

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The U.S. is working closely with the Indian government to rapidly deploy additional support and supplies during an alarming COVID-19 outbreak. As we provide assistance, we pray for the people of India—including its courageous healthcare workers.
— Vice President Kamala Harris (@VP) <a href="https://twitter.com/VP/status/1386407377956573186?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">April 25, 2021</a></blockquote>
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At the JFK Airport in New York, 318 Philips Oxygen Concentrators were loaded at the Air Indian plane headed to New Delhi.

This week, the US Chambers of Commerce has scheduled to host a CEO delegation meeting with Secretary of State Tony Blinken, followed by an industry briefing on April 27 on India's COVID-19 crisis and how the business community can help.

The US Chamber and Chamber Foundation has set up a Resources for India's COVID Crisis page, which lists urgently needed supplies and links to humanitarian organisations doing work on the ground.

"We are also working to set up a portal through which American companies can offer direct support and resources. Look out for more details shortly,? Chambers said in an email to its members on Sunday.

In this crisis period, the US Chamber of Commerce and the larger business community are stepping up to help.

Last week Chambers urged the administration to "release the millions of AstraZeneca vaccine doses in storage&nbsp;as well as other life-saving support&nbsp;for shipment to India, Brazil, and other nations hard-hit by the pandemic.?

Following a conversation between National Security Advisors Jake Sullivan and Ajit Doval on Sunday, the US pledged to provide raw materials required for manufacturing of the Covishield vaccine in India, as well as supplies of therapeutics, rapid diagnostic test kits, ventilators, and Personal Protective Equipment.

On Sunday, US Chamber President and&nbsp;CEO Suzanne Clark and SVP for International Strategy and Global Initiatives Nisha Biswal joined a call with the Business Roundtable and American CEOs on supporting India's COVID response.

Meanwhile, several Indian-American organisations have launched fundraising campaigns to fight the pandemic in India.

Indian-American Milan Vaishnav from Carnegie Endowment for International Peace think-tank said there are at least four key elements to a response.

"First, we need to see senior US leadership express solidarity with the Indian people. To Indians and Indian Americans, empathy will be welcome. Second, the US has the capacity to provide oxygen, ventilators, medication &amp; emergency supplies. The public sector can galvanise private support. If the optics of the US Defense Dept delivering relief is problematic, there are other workarounds, including via 3rd countries,''&nbsp;he said.

"Third, access to essential vaccine materials. The Defense Production Act issue is real but hardly black and white. The Government of India, US Government, Serum Institute -- their stories don't match up. Here's the good news: The Government of India has finally delivered a list of what it needs. Now the US Government can work on the problem. It's messy but doable,''&nbsp;Vaishnav said.

The goal of addressing India's DPA (&amp; related) concerns should be to ensure that future vaccine production in India (for India and for the world) is not adversely impacted in any way. From the outside, it appears that both sides agree on this," he said.

India is struggling with a second wave of the pandemic with more than 3,00,000 daily new coronavirus cases being reported in the past few days, and hospitals in several states are reeling under a shortage of medical oxygen and beds.

To address the growing demand for oxygen in India, the government has reached out to various countries to procure containers and oxygen cylinders.&nbsp;

(With inputs from agencies)

Google CEO Sundar Pichai and his Microsoft counterpart Satya Nadella have assured help to India as the country grapples with a ravaging coronavirus crisis that has put enormous pressure on its hospitals due to a shortage of beds, oxygen, and medical supplies.

Google CEO Sundar Pichai and his Microsoft counterpart Satya Nadella have assured help to India as the country grapples with a ravaging coronavirus crisis that has put enormous pressure on its hospitals due to a shortage of beds, oxygen, and medical supplies. India logged a record of 3,52,991 new coronavirus infections in a day on Monday, taking its total tally of COVID-19 cases to 1,73,13,163. The death toll increased to 1,95,123 with a record 2,812 daily new fatalities, according to the Union Health Ministry data. Devastated to see the worsening Covid crisis in India. Google & Googlers are providing Rs 135 Crore in funding to @GiveIndia, @UNICEF for medical supplies, orgs supporting high-risk communities, and grants to help spread critical information.https://t.co/OHJ79iEzZH — Sundar Pichai (@sundarpichai) April 26, 2021 × I am heartbroken by the current situation in India. I’m grateful the U.S. government is mobilizing to help. Microsoft will continue to use its voice, resources, and technology to aid relief efforts, and support the purchase of critical oxygen concentration devices. — Satya Nadella (@satyanadella) April 26, 2021 × US President Joe Biden and Vice President Kamala Harris have assured India and its people of providing all assistance, including urgently sending necessary medical life-saving supplies and equipment, to help the country combat the deadly coronavirus crisis. Also read| US will 'immediately' send vaccine components, medical supplies to India ''Just as India sent assistance to the United States as our hospitals were strained early in the pandemic, we are determined to help India in its time of need,'' Biden said in a tweet. The U.S. is working closely with the Indian government to rapidly deploy additional support and supplies during an alarming COVID-19 outbreak. As we provide assistance, we pray for the people of India—including its courageous healthcare workers. — Vice President Kamala Harris (@VP) April 25, 2021 × At the JFK Airport in New York, 318 Philips Oxygen Concentrators were loaded at the Air Indian plane headed to New Delhi. This week, the US Chambers of Commerce has scheduled to host a CEO delegation meeting with Secretary of State Tony Blinken, followed by an industry briefing on April 27 on India's COVID-19 crisis and how the business community can help. The US Chamber and Chamber Foundation has set up a Resources for India's COVID Crisis page, which lists urgently needed supplies and links to humanitarian organisations doing work on the ground. "We are also working to set up a portal through which American companies can offer direct support and resources. Look out for more details shortly,? Chambers said in an email to its members on Sunday. In this crisis period, the US Chamber of Commerce and the larger business community are stepping up to help. Last week Chambers urged the administration to "release the millions of AstraZeneca vaccine doses in storage as well as other life-saving support for shipment to India, Brazil, and other nations hard-hit by the pandemic.? Following a conversation between National Security Advisors Jake Sullivan and Ajit Doval on Sunday, the US pledged to provide raw materials required for manufacturing of the Covishield vaccine in India, as well as supplies of therapeutics, rapid diagnostic test kits, ventilators, and Personal Protective Equipment. On Sunday, US Chamber President and CEO Suzanne Clark and SVP for International Strategy and Global Initiatives Nisha Biswal joined a call with the Business Roundtable and American CEOs on supporting India's COVID response. Meanwhile, several Indian-American organisations have launched fundraising campaigns to fight the pandemic in India. Indian-American Milan Vaishnav from Carnegie Endowment for International Peace think-tank said there are at least four key elements to a response. "First, we need to see senior US leadership express solidarity with the Indian people. To Indians and Indian Americans, empathy will be welcome. Second, the US has the capacity to provide oxygen, ventilators, medication & emergency supplies. The public sector can galvanise private support. If the optics of the US Defense Dept delivering relief is problematic, there are other workarounds, including via 3rd countries,'' he said. "Third, access to essential vaccine materials. The Defense Production Act issue is real but hardly black and white. The Government of India, US Government, Serum Institute -- their stories don't match up. Here's the good news: The Government of India has finally delivered a list of what it needs. Now the US Government can work on the problem. It's messy but doable,'' Vaishnav said. The goal of addressing India's DPA (& related) concerns should be to ensure that future vaccine production in India (for India and for the world) is not adversely impacted in any way. From the outside, it appears that both sides agree on this," he said. India is struggling with a second wave of the pandemic with more than 3,00,000 daily new coronavirus cases being reported in the past few days, and hospitals in several states are reeling under a shortage of medical oxygen and beds. To address the growing demand for oxygen in India, the government has reached out to various countries to procure containers and oxygen cylinders. (With inputs from agencies)

Google, Microsoft's Indian-American CEOs pledge support in India's fight against COVID-19

Microsoft&nbsp;Corp said on Monday it would buy artificial intelligence and speech technology firm Nuance Communications Inc for about $16 billion, as it expands cloud solutions for healthcare customers.

The deal comes after the companies partnered in 2019 to automate clinical administrative work such as documentation. It shows&nbsp;Microsoft's ambition to extend its leadership into an industry where digital transformation has picked up speed during the pandemic. Healthcare providers have invested more in technology to improve productivity and digital health services.

"This acquisition brings our technology directly into the physician and patient loop, which is central to all healthcare delivery. The acquisition will also expand our leadership in cross-industry enterprise AI and biometric security,"&nbsp;Microsoft&nbsp;CEO Satya Nadella said on an investor call.

Nuance's technology includes a conversational AI tool versed in specialised medical terms, freeing physicians from note-taking and allowing better patient-physician interactions in person or in the telemedicine appointments that have taken off during the pandemic, executives said.

Microsoft's offer of $56 per share represents a premium of 22.86 per cent&nbsp;to Nuance's closing price on Friday. The shares gained 16 per cent&nbsp;to close at $52.85 on Monday.

Nuance, known for pioneering speech technology and helping launch Apple Inc's virtual assistant, Siri, has gone through strategic reviews led by Chief Executive Mark Benjamin.

Once offering voice recognition technologies across industries, the company now focuses on healthcare and enterprise AI after spinning off and selling a number of less profitable business units.

The company said it serves 77 per cent&nbsp;of US&nbsp;hospitals, providing intelligent solutions including clinical speech recognition, medical transcription, and medical imaging.

"Nuance's strong position at the edge (medical dictation and transcription) will ultimately tie healthcare customers more strongly into&nbsp;Microsoft's Azure Cloud and intelligent services,” Forrester analyst J.P. Gownder wrote in a note on Monday.

With operations in 28 countries, the Burlington, Massachusetts-based company reported $1.5 billion in revenue in fiscal-year 2020, with two-thirds of it coming from healthcare.

Benjamin will remain CEO of Nuance and will report to Scott Guthrie, executive vice president of Cloud and&nbsp;AI at&nbsp;Microsoft, the company said.&nbsp;

The deal follows&nbsp;Microsoft's recent $7.5 billion acquisition of gaming company ZeniMax Media, and reports that&nbsp;Microsoft&nbsp;was in talks to buy messaging platform Discord, which also allows live audio events.

Once closed, the deal for Nuance would be&nbsp;Microsoft's second-biggest, after its $26.2 billion acquisition of LinkedIn in 2016. Including net debt, the all-cash transaction is valued at $19.7 billion.

Goldman Sachs is the financial adviser to&nbsp;Microsoft, while Evercore advised Nuance.

Last year, the Redmond, Washington-based giant integrated Nuance Communication's Dragon Ambient eXperience program into its Teams communications software, which enables remote transcription of medical conversations."

'No brainer'

Like other technology heavyweights,&nbsp;Microsoft&nbsp;has been a big beneficiary of the economic dislocations during Covid-19.

The company's earnings jumped by 33 percent in the latest quarter to $15.5 billion and included a boost from cloud computing and personal computing, including its Xbox video games.&nbsp;

Wedbush analyst Daniel Ives called the Nuance tie-up a "trophy" deal for the company founded by Bill Gates, which is on a "strategic offensive" in search of targets to buy.

"For Nadella &amp; Co, this is the right acquisition at the right time with&nbsp;Microsoft&nbsp;doubling down on its healthcare initiatives over the coming years," he said in an analysis. "The Nuance deal is a strategic no brainer in our opinion for MSFT and fits like a glove into its healthcare endeavors."

(With inputs from agencies)

Microsoft Corp said on Monday it would buy artificial intelligence and speech technology firm Nuance Communications Inc for about $16 billion, as it expands cloud solutions for healthcare customers.

Microsoft Corp said on Monday it would buy artificial intelligence and speech technology firm Nuance Communications Inc for about $16 billion, as it expands cloud solutions for healthcare customers. The deal comes after the companies partnered in 2019 to automate clinical administrative work such as documentation. It shows Microsoft's ambition to extend its leadership into an industry where digital transformation has picked up speed during the pandemic. Healthcare providers have invested more in technology to improve productivity and digital health services. "This acquisition brings our technology directly into the physician and patient loop, which is central to all healthcare delivery. The acquisition will also expand our leadership in cross-industry enterprise AI and biometric security," Microsoft CEO Satya Nadella said on an investor call. Nuance's technology includes a conversational AI tool versed in specialised medical terms, freeing physicians from note-taking and allowing better patient-physician interactions in person or in the telemedicine appointments that have taken off during the pandemic, executives said. Microsoft's offer of $56 per share represents a premium of 22.86 per cent to Nuance's closing price on Friday. The shares gained 16 per cent to close at $52.85 on Monday. Nuance, known for pioneering speech technology and helping launch Apple Inc's virtual assistant, Siri, has gone through strategic reviews led by Chief Executive Mark Benjamin. Once offering voice recognition technologies across industries, the company now focuses on healthcare and enterprise AI after spinning off and selling a number of less profitable business units. The company said it serves 77 per cent of US hospitals, providing intelligent solutions including clinical speech recognition, medical transcription, and medical imaging. "Nuance's strong position at the edge (medical dictation and transcription) will ultimately tie healthcare customers more strongly into Microsoft's Azure Cloud and intelligent services,” Forrester analyst J.P. Gownder wrote in a note on Monday. With operations in 28 countries, the Burlington, Massachusetts-based company reported $1.5 billion in revenue in fiscal-year 2020, with two-thirds of it coming from healthcare. Benjamin will remain CEO of Nuance and will report to Scott Guthrie, executive vice president of Cloud and AI at Microsoft, the company said. The deal follows Microsoft's recent $7.5 billion acquisition of gaming company ZeniMax Media, and reports that Microsoft was in talks to buy messaging platform Discord, which also allows live audio events. Once closed, the deal for Nuance would be Microsoft's second-biggest, after its $26.2 billion acquisition of LinkedIn in 2016. Including net debt, the all-cash transaction is valued at $19.7 billion. Goldman Sachs is the financial adviser to Microsoft, while Evercore advised Nuance. Last year, the Redmond, Washington-based giant integrated Nuance Communication's Dragon Ambient eXperience program into its Teams communications software, which enables remote transcription of medical conversations." 'No brainer' Like other technology heavyweights, Microsoft has been a big beneficiary of the economic dislocations during Covid-19. The company's earnings jumped by 33 percent in the latest quarter to $15.5 billion and included a boost from cloud computing and personal computing, including its Xbox video games. Wedbush analyst Daniel Ives called the Nuance tie-up a "trophy" deal for the company founded by Bill Gates, which is on a "strategic offensive" in search of targets to buy. "For Nadella & Co, this is the right acquisition at the right time with Microsoft doubling down on its healthcare initiatives over the coming years," he said in an analysis. "The Nuance deal is a strategic no brainer in our opinion for MSFT and fits like a glove into its healthcare endeavors." (With inputs from agencies)

Microsoft bets big on health with $19.7 billion purchase of Nuance

Following recent reports of increased hatred and racism towards the Asian-Americans in the US, technology giant Microsoft Corporation and its CEO, <a href="https://www.wionews.com/topics/satya-nadella">Satya Nadella</a>, have taken a stand against this reported ill-treatment.

Microsoft took to Twitter to openly condemn "hate, racial discrimination, and violence in all forms".

Also read |&nbsp;<a data-ctorig="https://www.wionews.com/world/google-slams-microsoft-over-stance-in-media-payments-370105" data-cturl="https://www.google.com/url?client=internal-element-cse&amp;cx=006054055338965708568:09spwrlibei&amp;q=https://www.wionews.com/world/google-slams-microsoft-over-stance-in-media-payments-370105&amp;sa=U&amp;ved=2ahUKEwjk-rXVwa3vAhXDX3wKHRT_BpgQFjAAegQIBRAC&amp;usg=AOvVaw20cFtSXiAUEvLgmjamzZuL" dir="ltr" href="https://www.wionews.com/world/google-slams-microsoft-over-stance-in-media-payments-370105" target="_blank">Google slams&nbsp;Microsoft&nbsp;over stance in media payments</a>

With a caption stating the popular hashtag '#StopAsianHate', the tech giant wrote, "the Asian American Pacific Islander community, and the Asian community in regions around the world — including at Microsoft — continue to experience acts of hate and violence," the statement read.

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Microsoft condemns hate, racial discrimination, and violence in all forms. <a href="https://twitter.com/hashtag/StopAsianHate?src=hash&amp;ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">#StopAsianHate</a> <a href="https://t.co/RIVsoLxiv7">pic.twitter.com/RIVsoLxiv7</a>
— Microsoft (@Microsoft) <a href="https://twitter.com/Microsoft/status/1370503857608998920?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">March 12, 2021</a></blockquote>
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"Microsoft is united with the Asian community globally and is committed to taking action to help confront racial injustice," it added.

This statement by Microsoft has come after the US' Department of Justice reported an alarming increase in hate crime towards the Asian-American and Asian communities in the US. The Federal Bureau of Investigation (FBI) claimed that more than 3,000 cases of abuse were reported between March and December 2020 — during the lockdown period — which is alarmingly high in comparison to 216 cases reported in 2019.

Also read |&nbsp;<a href="https://www.wionews.com/india-news/first-indian-woman-president-of-oxford-student-union-resigns-over-offensive-posts-370039">First Indian woman President of Oxford student union resigns over 'offensive' posts</a>

"No one in America should fear violence because of who they are, what they look like or what part of the world they or their families came from," said Acting Deputy Attorney General John Carlin, who hosted a meeting with more than a dozen Asian American and Pacific Islander (AAPI) community groups.&nbsp;

"The Department of Justice and our component agencies are committed to bringing all of our tools to bear in supporting AAPI communities as we address the horrific rise in hate and bias incidents occurring across the country."

Following this, Microsoft CEO Satya Nadella, who belongs to the Indian-American community, also raised concerns over the increase in racial injustice.

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I am appalled by the ongoing acts of hate against Asian Americans and the Asian community globally. Racism, hate and violence have no place in our society. I am united with the Asian and Asian American community in standing against this injustice. <a href="https://t.co/77z6gQqgBt">https://t.co/77z6gQqgBt</a>
— Satya Nadella (@satyanadella) <a href="https://twitter.com/satyanadella/status/1370510338760744961?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">March 12, 2021</a></blockquote>
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"I am appalled by the ongoing acts of hate against Asian Americans and the Asian community globally. Racism, hate and violence have no place in our society. I am united with the Asian and Asian American community in standing against this injustice," he tweeted.

Following recent reports of increased hatred and racism towards the Asian-Americans in the US, technology giant Microsoft Corporation and its CEO, Satya Nadella, have taken a stand against this reported ill-treatment.

Following recent reports of increased hatred and racism towards the Asian-Americans in the US, technology giant Microsoft Corporation and its CEO, Satya Nadella, have taken a stand against this reported ill-treatment. Microsoft took to Twitter to openly condemn "hate, racial discrimination, and violence in all forms". Also read | Google slams Microsoft over stance in media payments With a caption stating the popular hashtag '#StopAsianHate', the tech giant wrote, "the Asian American Pacific Islander community, and the Asian community in regions around the world — including at Microsoft — continue to experience acts of hate and violence," the statement read. Microsoft condemns hate, racial discrimination, and violence in all forms. #StopAsianHate pic.twitter.com/RIVsoLxiv7 — Microsoft (@Microsoft) March 12, 2021 × "Microsoft is united with the Asian community globally and is committed to taking action to help confront racial injustice," it added. This statement by Microsoft has come after the US' Department of Justice reported an alarming increase in hate crime towards the Asian-American and Asian communities in the US. The Federal Bureau of Investigation (FBI) claimed that more than 3,000 cases of abuse were reported between March and December 2020 — during the lockdown period — which is alarmingly high in comparison to 216 cases reported in 2019. Also read | First Indian woman President of Oxford student union resigns over 'offensive' posts "No one in America should fear violence because of who they are, what they look like or what part of the world they or their families came from," said Acting Deputy Attorney General John Carlin, who hosted a meeting with more than a dozen Asian American and Pacific Islander (AAPI) community groups. "The Department of Justice and our component agencies are committed to bringing all of our tools to bear in supporting AAPI communities as we address the horrific rise in hate and bias incidents occurring across the country." Following this, Microsoft CEO Satya Nadella, who belongs to the Indian-American community, also raised concerns over the increase in racial injustice. I am appalled by the ongoing acts of hate against Asian Americans and the Asian community globally. Racism, hate and violence have no place in our society. I am united with the Asian and Asian American community in standing against this injustice. https://t.co/77z6gQqgBt — Satya Nadella (@satyanadella) March 12, 2021 × "I am appalled by the ongoing acts of hate against Asian Americans and the Asian community globally. Racism, hate and violence have no place in our society. I am united with the Asian and Asian American community in standing against this injustice," he tweeted.

Microsoft CEO Satya Nadella says 'appalled' by hate crime against Asian-Americans

Microsoft&nbsp;Corp said on Wednesday it fully supported proposed new laws in Australia that would force internet giants Google and Facebook Inc to pay domestic media outlets for their content.

Microsoft has been positioning itself to increase market share for its search engine, Bing after a Google executive told a Senate hearing last month that it would likely make its search engine unavailable in Australia if the government goes ahead with a draft law that would make tech giants pay for news content.

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Microsoft President Brad Smith said in a statement that he and Microsoft Chief Executive Satya Nadella had told Prime Minister Scott Morrison and Communications Minister Paul Fletcher in an online meeting&nbsp; that&nbsp;"While&nbsp;Microsoft&nbsp;is not subject to the legislation currently pending, we'd be willing to live by these rules if the government designates us."

"The code reasonably attempts to address the bargaining power imbalance between digital platforms and Australian news businesses."

Both Alphabet Inc's Google and Facebook have called the laws unworkable and said last month they would withdraw some key services from Australia if the regulations went ahead.

Prime Minister Scott Morrison said on Monday&nbsp;Microsoft&nbsp;was ready to step in and expand its search product Bing in Australia if Google pulls its search engine after he spoke with&nbsp;Microsoft&nbsp;Chief Executive Satya Nadella last week.

Although Bing is Australia's second most popular search engine, it has only a 3.6 per cent&nbsp;market share, according to web analytics service Statcounter.

Google's search engine has 94 per cent of&nbsp;the country's search market, according to industry data.

Microsoft&nbsp;in its statement said it will offer small firms a chance to transfer advertising business to Bing with no costs and that it would invest further in the product to ensure it is competitive.

The mandatory code proposed by the government aims to make Google and Facebook pay Australian media companies fairly for using news content the tech giants siphon from news sites.

There are no plans to make smaller search engines such as Bing pay for linking users to Australian news, but the government has not ruled that option out. 
Google has faced pressure from authorities elsewhere to pay for news.

Last month, it signed a deal with a group of French publishers paving the way for the company to make digital copyright payments. Under the agreement, Google will negotiate individual licensing deals with newspapers, with payments based on factors such as the amount published daily and monthly internet site traffic.

But Google is resisting the Australian plan because it would have less control over how much it would have to pay. Under the Australian system, if an online platform and a news business can't agree on a price for news, an arbitration panel will make a binding decision on payment.

Microsoft Corp said on Wednesday it fully supported proposed new laws in Australia that would force internet giants Google and Facebook Inc to pay domestic media outlets for their content.

Microsoft Corp said on Wednesday it fully supported proposed new laws in Australia that would force internet giants Google and Facebook Inc to pay domestic media outlets for their content. Microsoft has been positioning itself to increase market share for its search engine, Bing after a Google executive told a Senate hearing last month that it would likely make its search engine unavailable in Australia if the government goes ahead with a draft law that would make tech giants pay for news content. Microsoft President Brad Smith said in a statement that he and Microsoft Chief Executive Satya Nadella had told Prime Minister Scott Morrison and Communications Minister Paul Fletcher in an online meeting that "While Microsoft is not subject to the legislation currently pending, we'd be willing to live by these rules if the government designates us." "The code reasonably attempts to address the bargaining power imbalance between digital platforms and Australian news businesses." Both Alphabet Inc's Google and Facebook have called the laws unworkable and said last month they would withdraw some key services from Australia if the regulations went ahead. Prime Minister Scott Morrison said on Monday Microsoft was ready to step in and expand its search product Bing in Australia if Google pulls its search engine after he spoke with Microsoft Chief Executive Satya Nadella last week. Although Bing is Australia's second most popular search engine, it has only a 3.6 per cent market share, according to web analytics service Statcounter. Google's search engine has 94 per cent of the country's search market, according to industry data. Microsoft in its statement said it will offer small firms a chance to transfer advertising business to Bing with no costs and that it would invest further in the product to ensure it is competitive. The mandatory code proposed by the government aims to make Google and Facebook pay Australian media companies fairly for using news content the tech giants siphon from news sites. There are no plans to make smaller search engines such as Bing pay for linking users to Australian news, but the government has not ruled that option out. Google has faced pressure from authorities elsewhere to pay for news. Last month, it signed a deal with a group of French publishers paving the way for the company to make digital copyright payments. Under the agreement, Google will negotiate individual licensing deals with newspapers, with payments based on factors such as the amount published daily and monthly internet site traffic. But Google is resisting the Australian plan because it would have less control over how much it would have to pay. Under the Australian system, if an online platform and a news business can't agree on a price for news, an arbitration panel will make a binding decision on payment.

Microsoft says it supports Australia's plans to make Google pay for news

58 Indian-origin CEOs account for $1 trillion in revenue, employ over 3.6 million globally

Following Donald Trump's decision to ban the popular video-sharing app TikTok, Microsoft has confirmed that the US-based company is considering to overtake the video-sharing app.

"Following a conversation between Microsoft CEO Satya Nadella and President Donald J Trump, Microsoft is prepared to continue discussions to explore a purchase of TikTok in the United States," the company said in a statement.

The statement came after rumours had been surfacing about Microsoft buying the US operations of TIkTok to save it from a complete closure.&nbsp;

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The US President Donald Trump called for a ban of the app over concerns of the app being used by Chinese intelligence. Immediately after a ban was announced by the President, TikTok expressed its intentions of abandoning its Chinese owner ByteDance to be able to survive in the US.

Secretary of State Mike Pompeo said earlier on Sunday that the President was set to announce strong action against TikTok. "President Trump has said, 'Enough,' and we're going to fix it," Pompeo said in an interview with a local media house.

"And so he will take action in the coming days with respect to a broad array of national security risks that are presented by software connected to the Chinese Communist Party," he added.

Earlier on Saturday, the TikTok CEO left a message on the app for the users saying,&nbsp;"When it comes to safety and security, we're building the safest app because we know it's the right thing to do," she said.&nbsp;

"So we appreciate the support. We're here for the long run, and continue to share your voice here and let's stand for TikTok," she continued.

Following Donald Trump's decision to ban the popular video-sharing app TikTok, Microsoft has confirmed that the US-based company is considering to overtake the video-sharing app.

Following Donald Trump's decision to ban the popular video-sharing app TikTok, Microsoft has confirmed that the US-based company is considering to overtake the video-sharing app. "Following a conversation between Microsoft CEO Satya Nadella and President Donald J Trump, Microsoft is prepared to continue discussions to explore a purchase of TikTok in the United States," the company said in a statement. The statement came after rumours had been surfacing about Microsoft buying the US operations of TIkTok to save it from a complete closure. × The US President Donald Trump called for a ban of the app over concerns of the app being used by Chinese intelligence. Immediately after a ban was announced by the President, TikTok expressed its intentions of abandoning its Chinese owner ByteDance to be able to survive in the US. Secretary of State Mike Pompeo said earlier on Sunday that the President was set to announce strong action against TikTok. "President Trump has said, 'Enough,' and we're going to fix it," Pompeo said in an interview with a local media house. "And so he will take action in the coming days with respect to a broad array of national security risks that are presented by software connected to the Chinese Communist Party," he added. Earlier on Saturday, the TikTok CEO left a message on the app for the users saying, "When it comes to safety and security, we're building the safest app because we know it's the right thing to do," she said. "So we appreciate the support. We're here for the long run, and continue to share your voice here and let's stand for TikTok," she continued.

Microsoft confirms exploring buying TikTok in US after Trump and Nadella talk

Microsoft has rolled out, in preview, the personal version of its video calling app Teams for both Android and iOS and it will be fully rolled out in the coming weeks.

Users can opt for this feature by adding their personal account or signing up using the phone number. Microsoft Teams will allow users to switch between personal and work accounts. 
 
<a href="https://www.wionews.com/technology/microsoft-teams-now-lets-you-use-your-own-images-as-background-during-video-calls-306216">Also Read: Microsoft Teams now lets you use your own images as background during video calls</a>

"Just like you do with Teams at work, you can stay connected with friends and loved ones through messaging and video calling. Create groups to chat and call, so you can stay connected with your family, your book club, your virtual Friday happy hour group, or whoever your group may be. You can also chat or call one-on-one. Our goal is that Teams will become the messaging hub for all your personal chats and video and voice calls, with fun features like sharing GIFs, photos, videos, documents, and even location already integrated," read the official Microsoft blog. 
 
<a href="https://www.wionews.com/india-news/facebook-and-microsoft-allows-employees-to-work-from-home-till-end-of-year-297640">Also Read: Facebook and Microsoft allows employees to work from home till end of year</a>

Earlier this month, Microsoft Teams introduced a custom background option for video calls

The feature allows you to replace your background in Team meetings with your own custom images or with the ones provided online by Microsoft. Users also have the option to simply blur the background.

Furthermore, Teams users can now put on live captions during their calls and meetings. The company is working on introducing AI-based real-time noise suppression in Teams meetings later this year.

Videoconferencing has become necessary for work and social life as people around the world hunker down at home to avoid the spread coronavirus. 
&nbsp;

Microsoft has rolled out, in preview, the personal version of its video calling app Teams for both Android and iOS and it will be fully rolled out in the coming weeks.

Microsoft has rolled out, in preview, the personal version of its video calling app Teams for both Android and iOS and it will be fully rolled out in the coming weeks. Users can opt for this feature by adding their personal account or signing up using the phone number. Microsoft Teams will allow users to switch between personal and work accounts. Also Read: Microsoft Teams now lets you use your own images as background during video calls "Just like you do with Teams at work, you can stay connected with friends and loved ones through messaging and video calling. Create groups to chat and call, so you can stay connected with your family, your book club, your virtual Friday happy hour group, or whoever your group may be. You can also chat or call one-on-one. Our goal is that Teams will become the messaging hub for all your personal chats and video and voice calls, with fun features like sharing GIFs, photos, videos, documents, and even location already integrated," read the official Microsoft blog. Also Read: Facebook and Microsoft allows employees to work from home till end of year Earlier this month, Microsoft Teams introduced a custom background option for video calls The feature allows you to replace your background in Team meetings with your own custom images or with the ones provided online by Microsoft. Users also have the option to simply blur the background. Furthermore, Teams users can now put on live captions during their calls and meetings. The company is working on introducing AI-based real-time noise suppression in Teams meetings later this year. Videoconferencing has become necessary for work and social life as people around the world hunker down at home to avoid the spread coronavirus.

Microsoft Teams now available for personal use

Microsoft Corp co-founder Bill Gates on Friday stepped down from the board to focus on philanthropic works related to global health, education and climate change, reported news agency Reuters.

Microsoft Corp co-founder Bill Gates on Friday stepped down from the board to focus on philanthropic works related to global health, education and climate change, reported news agency Reuters. Gates made the company one of the world's most valuable technology firms. Gates Foundation, which has billions in assets and funds global health programmes to combat disease and poverty, is run by the billionaire and his wife Melinda. Gates Foundation is one of the world's largest charities. Gates quit his full-time executive role at Microsoft in 2008 and remained as chairman of the board till 2014. Since then he has been a board member. "It's been a tremendous honour and privilege to have worked with and learned from Bill over the years," Chief Executive Officer Satya Nadella said. With the departure of Gates from Microsoft Board, it will now consist of 12 members, the company said. Gates also stepped down from the board of Warren Buffett's Berkshire Hathaway Inc, where he has served since 2004. (With inputs from Reuters)

Bill Gates steps down from Microsoft board to focus on philanthropic works

<a href="https://www.wionews.com/india-news/twitter-war-rages-after-microsoft-ceo-satya-nadella-calls-citizenship-amendment-act-sad-274162">Microsoft</a>'s CEO <a href="https://www.wionews.com/videos/microsoft-ceo-satya-nadella-raises-concern-over-caa-274178">Satya Nadella</a>&nbsp;speaking at a conference in Davos said that he is concerned that the lack of trust between the <a href="https://www.wionews.com/world/trump-tears-into-environmental-doom-mongers-at-davos-forum-275841">US </a>and <a href="https://www.wionews.com/india-news/china-coronavirus-viral-outbreak-forces-india-to-strengthen-airport-safety-laws-275899">China </a>will adversely affect economic growth and increase technology costs.

''The two leading economies of the world need to reconcile rather than create&nbsp;separate supply chains for every country,'' he said in <a href="https://www.wionews.com/world/trump-rejects-climate-prophets-of-doom-as-thunberg-warns-davos-275777">Davos.</a>

Also read:&nbsp;<a href="Trump rejects climate 'prophets of doom' as Thunberg warns Davos">Trump rejects climate 'prophets of doom' as Thunberg warns Davos</a>

He gave the example of $470 billion semiconductor industry to substantiate his views.

According to him, ''it is a cause of big concern as the world is on the verge of a revolution in technology and artificial intelligence''.

He termed the <a href="https://www.wionews.com/world/china-virus-us-confirms-first-case-of-coronavirus-death-toll-reaches-nine-275853">US-China </a>'phase one' <a href="https://www.wionews.com/business-economy/oil-ends-higher-as-trade-deal-progresses-spurs-energy-demand-hopes-275526">trade deal</a> as ''insufficient''.

Also read:&nbsp;<a href="https://www.wionews.com/business-economy/oil-ends-higher-as-trade-deal-progresses-spurs-energy-demand-hopes-275526">Oil ends higher as trade deals progress; spurs energy demand hopes</a>

The US administration is contemplating to constrict the ability of countries to trade with&nbsp;<a href="https://www.wionews.com/videos/huawei-cfo-faces-extradition-trial-hearing-starts-in-vancouver-275634">Huawei </a>which is one of the biggest tech company in China.

Additionally, the US has also been pressuring other countries across the globe not to use 5G mobile networks.

Nadella also said:&nbsp;''Countries need to realise that they will benefit more from a unified internet system rather than a bifurcated one''.

Microsoft's CEO Satya Nadella speaking at a conference in Davos said that he is concerned that the lack of trust between the US and China will adversely affect economic growth and increase technology costs.

Microsoft's CEO Satya Nadella speaking at a conference in Davos said that he is concerned that the lack of trust between the US and China will adversely affect economic growth and increase technology costs. ''The two leading economies of the world need to reconcile rather than create separate supply chains for every country,'' he said in Davos. Also read: Trump rejects climate 'prophets of doom' as Thunberg warns Davos He gave the example of $470 billion semiconductor industry to substantiate his views. According to him, ''it is a cause of big concern as the world is on the verge of a revolution in technology and artificial intelligence''. He termed the US-China 'phase one' trade deal as ''insufficient''. Also read: Oil ends higher as trade deals progress; spurs energy demand hopes The US administration is contemplating to constrict the ability of countries to trade with Huawei which is one of the biggest tech company in China. Additionally, the US has also been pressuring other countries across the globe not to use 5G mobile networks. Nadella also said: ''Countries need to realise that they will benefit more from a unified internet system rather than a bifurcated one''.

US, China should reconcile rather than create separate supply chains: Microsoft CEO Satya Nadella at Davos

India's new citizenship law has divided public opinion in the country. Students across India are up in arms against the law. Even as the government refuses to budge.

Microsoft's Indian-born chief executive officer Satya Nadella has also expressed his views on the law.

During a Microsoft event in Manhattan, Nadella said he was saddened by the new law.

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He said that "I think what is happening is sad, primarily as someone who grew up there. I think it's just bad. If anything, I would love to see a Bangladeshi immigrant who comes to India and creates the next unicorn in India or becomes the CEO of Infosys. That should be the aspiration."&nbsp;

Nadella is one of the first big corporate voices to speak up against India's new citizenship law.

Opponents of the law have slammed it for excluding Muslims from obtaining citizenship on the grounds of religious persecution.

Nadella was quick to point out that he was not against any country protecting its borders or regulating immigration.

But he said that the manner in which immigrants and minorities are treated is what matters.

Since his comments became public, both Nadella and Microsoft have been trending on Indian twitter.

Several users on twitter criticised him for his comment.

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What ‘new citizenship act’, could you elaborate <a href="https://twitter.com/satyanadella?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">@satyanadella</a>? And who has stopped Bangladeshis from applying for immigration through proper channels? <a href="https://twitter.com/hashtag/CAA?src=hash&amp;ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">#CAA</a> is about making it easy for persecuted Indic minorities to get citizenship. A simple google search could have told you that. <a href="https://t.co/P9kLYP47Vi">https://t.co/P9kLYP47Vi</a>
— Shefali Vaidya (@ShefVaidya) <a href="https://twitter.com/ShefVaidya/status/1216763570433622019?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">January 13, 2020</a></blockquote>
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Prominent Indian historian Ramachandra Guha lauded Nadella for taking a stance against caa. And asked Indian corporate bigwigs to do the same.

<img alt="Ramchandra Guha" data-entity-type="file" data-entity-uuid="a470e1cd-a253-4c2f-bf3c-c0d36a2b8162" src="//cdn.wionews.com/sites/default/files/inline-images/Ramchandra.JPG" />

But a few hours later, Microsoft issued a statement from its CEO.

"Every country will and should define its borders, protect national security and set immigration policy accordingly. And in democracies, that is something that the people and their governments will debate and define within those bounds. I’m shaped by my Indian heritage, growing up in a multicultural India and my immigrant experience in the United States. My hope is for an India where an immigrant can aspire to found a prosperous start-up or lead a multinational corporation benefitting Indian society and the economy at large," the statement said.

India's new citizenship law has divided public opinion in the country. Students across India are up in arms against the law. Even as the government refuses to budge.

India's new citizenship law has divided public opinion in the country. Students across India are up in arms against the law. Even as the government refuses to budge. Microsoft's Indian-born chief executive officer Satya Nadella has also expressed his views on the law. During a Microsoft event in Manhattan, Nadella said he was saddened by the new law. He said that "I think what is happening is sad, primarily as someone who grew up there. I think it's just bad. If anything, I would love to see a Bangladeshi immigrant who comes to India and creates the next unicorn in India or becomes the CEO of Infosys. That should be the aspiration." Nadella is one of the first big corporate voices to speak up against India's new citizenship law. Opponents of the law have slammed it for excluding Muslims from obtaining citizenship on the grounds of religious persecution. Nadella was quick to point out that he was not against any country protecting its borders or regulating immigration. But he said that the manner in which immigrants and minorities are treated is what matters. Since his comments became public, both Nadella and Microsoft have been trending on Indian twitter. Several users on twitter criticised him for his comment. What ‘new citizenship act’, could you elaborate @satyanadella? And who has stopped Bangladeshis from applying for immigration through proper channels? #CAA is about making it easy for persecuted Indic minorities to get citizenship. A simple google search could have told you that. https://t.co/P9kLYP47Vi — Shefali Vaidya (@ShefVaidya) January 13, 2020 × Prominent Indian historian Ramachandra Guha lauded Nadella for taking a stance against caa. And asked Indian corporate bigwigs to do the same. But a few hours later, Microsoft issued a statement from its CEO. "Every country will and should define its borders, protect national security and set immigration policy accordingly. And in democracies, that is something that the people and their governments will debate and define within those bounds. I’m shaped by my Indian heritage, growing up in a multicultural India and my immigrant experience in the United States. My hope is for an India where an immigrant can aspire to found a prosperous start-up or lead a multinational corporation benefitting Indian society and the economy at large," the statement said.

Twitter war erupts after Microsoft CEO Satya Nadella calls Citizenship Amendment Act 'sad'

Microsoft CEO Satya Nadella expressed his concerns over the new Citizenship Amendment Act at a meeting held with news editors for a Microsoft event in Manhattan on Monday. #WION #SatyaNadella #CAA #MicrosoftCEO

Microsoft CEO Satya Nadella raises concern over CAA

<a href="http://www.wionews.com/world/france-to-remain-military-engaged-in-middle-east-macron-191105">President Emmanuel Macron</a> told dozens of the world's most powerful executives on Monday that he would not follow the path of guillotined French royals and would continue to reform the French economy despite a sometimes violent popular revolt.

For the second year running, Macron hosted corporate A-listers like Microsoft Chief Executive Satya Nadella, Snapchat's Evan Spiegel and JPMorgan Chase &amp; Co CEO Jamie Dimon at a pre-Davos dinner at Versailles.

Exactly 226 years after the decapitation of Louis XVI, who failed to plug the crown's dismal finances and quell popular discontent over a sclerotic feudal society, Macron started his speech by invoking the king and his wife Marie-Antoinette.

"If they met such an end, it is because they had given up on reforming," Macron told the guests, according to his office.

His office said earlier that foreign companies including medical products company Microport, Mars, Procter &amp; Gamble, Cisco and others would announce investments in France totalling more than 600 million euros.

The dinner was an opportunity to reassure investors of Macron's resolve to reform the economy after images of protesters angry at his policies attacking public monuments, boutiques, banks and riot police were beamed around the world.

"There are questions about the protests' magnitude, about the violence, because these images are shocking for foreigners," a source at Macron's office said before the summit.

"Last year, the summit was in a totally different dynamic, it was all about 'France is back'. Here we're in a tougher part of the mandate domestically and that requires more explanations," the source added.

On Monday, Macron told the business leaders the "yellow vest" movement was part of a bigger picture of middle-class angst over globalisation that gave rise to Brexit in Britain, as well as the rise of populist parties in Germany or Italy.

"The solution to the crisis is not to roll back what we have done in the past 18 months," he said.

Macron was elected in May 2017 against a far-right candidate on a promise to create jobs and drive growth by cutting corporate taxes, easing France's rigid labour regulations, and developing a more skilled labour force.

He began making good on those campaign pledges in a reform blitz during the first 18 months of his presidency that has impressed investors but infuriated low-paid workers, who feel he favours big business and is indifferent to their struggle to make ends meet.

Over the past two months, that popular anger has been vented at protests across France. The unrest has convulsed Macron and his government and forced costly concessions.

Macron is not attending the World Economic Forum in the Swiss ski resort of Davos, his office says so that he can deal with quelling the yellow vest uprising.

President Emmanuel Macron told dozens of the world's most powerful executives on Monday that he would not follow the path of guillotined French royals and would continue to reform the French economy despite a sometimes violent popular revolt.

President Emmanuel Macron told dozens of the world's most powerful executives on Monday that he would not follow the path of guillotined French royals and would continue to reform the French economy despite a sometimes violent popular revolt. For the second year running, Macron hosted corporate A-listers like Microsoft Chief Executive Satya Nadella, Snapchat's Evan Spiegel and JPMorgan Chase & Co CEO Jamie Dimon at a pre-Davos dinner at Versailles. Exactly 226 years after the decapitation of Louis XVI, who failed to plug the crown's dismal finances and quell popular discontent over a sclerotic feudal society, Macron started his speech by invoking the king and his wife Marie-Antoinette. "If they met such an end, it is because they had given up on reforming," Macron told the guests, according to his office. His office said earlier that foreign companies including medical products company Microport, Mars, Procter & Gamble, Cisco and others would announce investments in France totalling more than 600 million euros. The dinner was an opportunity to reassure investors of Macron's resolve to reform the economy after images of protesters angry at his policies attacking public monuments, boutiques, banks and riot police were beamed around the world. "There are questions about the protests' magnitude, about the violence, because these images are shocking for foreigners," a source at Macron's office said before the summit. "Last year, the summit was in a totally different dynamic, it was all about 'France is back'. Here we're in a tougher part of the mandate domestically and that requires more explanations," the source added. On Monday, Macron told the business leaders the "yellow vest" movement was part of a bigger picture of middle-class angst over globalisation that gave rise to Brexit in Britain, as well as the rise of populist parties in Germany or Italy. "The solution to the crisis is not to roll back what we have done in the past 18 months," he said. Macron was elected in May 2017 against a far-right candidate on a promise to create jobs and drive growth by cutting corporate taxes, easing France's rigid labour regulations, and developing a more skilled labour force. He began making good on those campaign pledges in a reform blitz during the first 18 months of his presidency that has impressed investors but infuriated low-paid workers, who feel he favours big business and is indifferent to their struggle to make ends meet. Over the past two months, that popular anger has been vented at protests across France. The unrest has convulsed Macron and his government and forced costly concessions. Macron is not attending the World Economic Forum in the Swiss ski resort of Davos, his office says so that he can deal with quelling the yellow vest uprising.

In Versailles, Macron vows to reform to avoid king's fate

President Emmanuel Macron told executives from the world's biggest technology firms on Wednesday that he wanted innovation to be a driving force for the French economy, but also that they needed to contribute more to society.

The French leader paints himself as a champion of France's plugged-in youth and wants to transform France into a "startup nation" that draws higher investments into technology and artificial intelligence. He is also spearheading efforts in Europe to have digital companies pay more tax at source.

Macron's guest-list included Facebook Inc Chief Executive Mark Zuckerberg, IBM's Virginia Rometty, Intel Corp's Brian Krzanich, Microsoft Corp's Satya Nadella and a raft of other big hitters in the corporate world.

"There is no free lunch," he quipped in English to the executives lined up on the steps of the Elysee Palace for a photo call at a lunch meeting. "So I want from you some commitments."

As Macron spoke, IBM announced it would hire about 1,400 people in France over the next two years in the fields of blockchain and cloud computing.

Ride-hailing app Uber also said it planned to offer all its European drivers an upgraded version of the health insurance it already provides in France in a drive to attract independent workers and fend off criticism over their treatment.

Macron will hold one-on-one talks with Mark Zuckerberg on tax and data privacy on the sidelines of the Tech For Good summit - a day after the Facebook chief executive faced questions from European Union lawmakers.

Those talks will be frank, an Elysee official said ahead of the meeting. While Macron will be pitching France Inc, he will also push his case for a European Union tax on digital turnover and a tougher fight against both data piracy and fake news.

Zuckerberg on Tuesday sailed through a grilling from EU lawmakers about the social network's data policies, apologising to leaders of the European Parliament for a massive data leak but dodging numerous questions.

Macron told the executives that business needed to do more in tackling issues such as inequality and climate change.

"It is not possible just to have free riding on one side, when you make a good business," the French president said.

Zuckerberg on Tuesday sailed through a grilling from EU lawmakers about the social network's data policies.

President Emmanuel Macron told executives from the world's biggest technology firms on Wednesday that he wanted innovation to be a driving force for the French economy, but also that they needed to contribute more to society. The French leader paints himself as a champion of France's plugged-in youth and wants to transform France into a "startup nation" that draws higher investments into technology and artificial intelligence. He is also spearheading efforts in Europe to have digital companies pay more tax at source. Macron's guest-list included Facebook Inc Chief Executive Mark Zuckerberg, IBM's Virginia Rometty, Intel Corp's Brian Krzanich, Microsoft Corp's Satya Nadella and a raft of other big hitters in the corporate world. "There is no free lunch," he quipped in English to the executives lined up on the steps of the Elysee Palace for a photo call at a lunch meeting. "So I want from you some commitments." As Macron spoke, IBM announced it would hire about 1,400 people in France over the next two years in the fields of blockchain and cloud computing. Ride-hailing app Uber also said it planned to offer all its European drivers an upgraded version of the health insurance it already provides in France in a drive to attract independent workers and fend off criticism over their treatment. Macron will hold one-on-one talks with Mark Zuckerberg on tax and data privacy on the sidelines of the Tech For Good summit - a day after the Facebook chief executive faced questions from European Union lawmakers. Those talks will be frank, an Elysee official said ahead of the meeting. While Macron will be pitching France Inc, he will also push his case for a European Union tax on digital turnover and a tougher fight against both data piracy and fake news. Zuckerberg on Tuesday sailed through a grilling from EU lawmakers about the social network's data policies, apologising to leaders of the European Parliament for a massive data leak but dodging numerous questions. Macron told the executives that business needed to do more in tackling issues such as inequality and climate change. "It is not possible just to have free riding on one side, when you make a good business," the French president said.

There is no free lunch, I want some commitments: Macron to tech giants

French President Emmanuel Macron will hold "frank" talks with Facebook Inc Chief Executive Mark Zuckerberg on tax and data privacy in a week's time when he welcomes the bosses of leading tech firms to Paris in a drive to lure more investment.

The French leader's office said he would meet Zuckerberg and more than a dozen technology chief executives during a Tech for Good summit at which he will pitch France Inc but also push his case for an EU tax on digital turnover and call for a tougher battle against fake news.

Also expected at the Elysee Palace event are IBM's Virginia Rometty, Intel Corp's Brian Krzanich and Microsoft Corp's Satya Nadella.

Macron, 40, paints himself as a champion of France's plugged-in youth and wants to transform France into a "startup nation", but he is also spearheading efforts in Europe to have digital tax companies pay more tax at source.

The summit comes at a time Facebook is under pressure in the United States and in Europe over data privacy after it emerged that tens of millions of users' personal data harvested from the website by political consultancy Cambridge Analytica.

"There will be tough discussions," one official in Macron's office said.

Macron will hold a one-on-one meeting with Zuckerberg, during which all subjects will be raised in "very frank" discussions, the president's office said.

In April, Zuckerberg fielded questions over two days from US&nbsplawmakers over how it handles private data, refusing to make any promises to support new legislation or change how the social network does business.

Lawmakers in Europe are demanding answers too and the European Parliament has requested Zuckerberg appear before the assembly more than once.

French President Emmanuel Macron will hold 'frank' talks with Facebook Inc Chief Executive Mark Zuckerberg on tax and data privacy in a week's time when he welcomes the bosses of leading tech firms to Paris in a drive to lure more investment

French President Emmanuel Macron will hold "frank" talks with Facebook Inc Chief Executive Mark Zuckerberg on tax and data privacy in a week's time when he welcomes the bosses of leading tech firms to Paris in a drive to lure more investment. The French leader's office said he would meet Zuckerberg and more than a dozen technology chief executives during a Tech for Good summit at which he will pitch France Inc but also push his case for an EU tax on digital turnover and call for a tougher battle against fake news. Also expected at the Elysee Palace event are IBM's Virginia Rometty, Intel Corp's Brian Krzanich and Microsoft Corp's Satya Nadella. Macron, 40, paints himself as a champion of France's plugged-in youth and wants to transform France into a "startup nation", but he is also spearheading efforts in Europe to have digital tax companies pay more tax at source. The summit comes at a time Facebook is under pressure in the United States and in Europe over data privacy after it emerged that tens of millions of users' personal data harvested from the website by political consultancy Cambridge Analytica. "There will be tough discussions," one official in Macron's office said. Macron will hold a one-on-one meeting with Zuckerberg, during which all subjects will be raised in "very frank" discussions, the president's office said. In April, Zuckerberg fielded questions over two days from US&nbsplawmakers over how it handles private data, refusing to make any promises to support new legislation or change how the social network does business. Lawmakers in Europe are demanding answers too and the European Parliament has requested Zuckerberg appear before the assembly more than once.

France’s Macron to hold 'tough talks' with Facebook's Zuckerberg in Paris meet

Time magazine on Thursday, April 19, revealed it’s annual “100 Most Influential People” list for 2018 celebrating leaders in entertainment, politics, sports, technology, activism and more.

Among those who made it to the list from India were Indian cricket team captain Virat Kohli, Microsoft CEO Satya Nadella, Bollywood star Deepika Padukone and Ola co-founder Bhavish Aggarwal.&nbsp;

Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi did not feature in the list of world leaders which included names like US President Donald Trump, Chinese President Xi Jinping, North Korean leader Kim Jong Un, Saudi Arabia Prince Mohammed bin Salman, Japanese Prime Minister Shinzo Abe, and Bangladesh's premier Sheikh Hasina. Modi made it to the list in 2015.&nbsp;

Sachin Tendulkar wrote Virat Kohli’s TIME profile: "Every sportsman knows what it's like to have good spells and bad ones too. Virat took the criticism he faced during a disappointing West Indies series and returned home with a goal: to improve not only his technique but also his fitness level. He's never looked back."

Walter Isaacson, the former TIME managing editor wrote Satya Nadella's profile, and noted: "in the four years since he inherited a sticky wicket, Microsoft's market value has increased 130%."

Deepika Padukone’s co-star Vin Diesel in her first Hollywood film, 'xXx: Return of Xander Cage', wrote: “she isn't just a star but an actor's actor, dedicated to the craft."

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<a href="https://www.instagram.com/p/BhxCF-bhj0q/" style=" color:#000 font-family:Arial,sans-serif font-size:14px font-style:normal font-weight:normal line-height:17px text-decoration:none word-wrap:break-word" target="_blank">forever grateful!?? @vindiesel #TIME100 @time</a>

<p style=" color:#c9c8cd font-family:Arial,sans-serif font-size:14px line-height:17px margin-bottom:0 margin-top:8px overflow:hidden padding:8px 0 7px text-align:center text-overflow:ellipsis white-space:nowrap">A post shared by <a href="https://www.instagram.com/deepikapadukone/" style=" color:#c9c8cd font-family:Arial,sans-serif font-size:14px font-style:normal font-weight:normal line-height:17px" target="_blank"> Deepika Padukone</a> (@deepikapadukone) on <time datetime="2018-04-19T20:53:20+00:00" style=" font-family:Arial,sans-serif font-size:14px line-height:17px">Apr 19, 2018 at 1:53pm PDT</time>
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Flipkart's executive chairman Sachin Bansal mentioned of Bhavish Aggarwal's "vision, passion and determination to stand against all odds."

In what is seen as a major change from the previous years’ lists is lesser gender gap with more than 40 women featured. Also, a record 45 people on the list are under 40 -- including the youngest designer ever, the 14-year-old actor Millie Bobby Brown. The common theme in the tributes of the magazine focuses on how much people can learn from these achievers.

The magazine added that while "we remain much too far from gender parity in global leadership, there are more women than ever on this years TIME 100 - proof that there are ways of changing the world beyond traditional power structures."

Microsoft CEO Satya Nadella, Deepika Padukone, Virat Kohli and Ola co-founder Bhavish Aggarwal were featured on the 2018 list released yesterday

Time magazine on Thursday, April 19, revealed it’s annual “100 Most Influential People” list for 2018 celebrating leaders in entertainment, politics, sports, technology, activism and more. Among those who made it to the list from India were Indian cricket team captain Virat Kohli, Microsoft CEO Satya Nadella, Bollywood star Deepika Padukone and Ola co-founder Bhavish Aggarwal. Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi did not feature in the list of world leaders which included names like US President Donald Trump, Chinese President Xi Jinping, North Korean leader Kim Jong Un, Saudi Arabia Prince Mohammed bin Salman, Japanese Prime Minister Shinzo Abe, and Bangladesh's premier Sheikh Hasina. Modi made it to the list in 2015. Sachin Tendulkar wrote Virat Kohli’s TIME profile: "Every sportsman knows what it's like to have good spells and bad ones too. Virat took the criticism he faced during a disappointing West Indies series and returned home with a goal: to improve not only his technique but also his fitness level. He's never looked back." Walter Isaacson, the former TIME managing editor wrote Satya Nadella's profile, and noted: "in the four years since he inherited a sticky wicket, Microsoft's market value has increased 130%." Deepika Padukone’s co-star Vin Diesel in her first Hollywood film, 'xXx: Return of Xander Cage', wrote: “she isn't just a star but an actor's actor, dedicated to the craft." forever grateful!?? @vindiesel #TIME100 @time A post shared by Deepika Padukone (@deepikapadukone) on Apr 19, 2018 at 1:53pm PDT × Flipkart's executive chairman Sachin Bansal mentioned of Bhavish Aggarwal's "vision, passion and determination to stand against all odds." In what is seen as a major change from the previous years’ lists is lesser gender gap with more than 40 women featured. Also, a record 45 people on the list are under 40 -- including the youngest designer ever, the 14-year-old actor Millie Bobby Brown. The common theme in the tributes of the magazine focuses on how much people can learn from these achievers. The magazine added that while "we remain much too far from gender parity in global leadership, there are more women than ever on this years TIME 100 - proof that there are ways of changing the world beyond traditional power structures."

4 Indians featured on Time's '100 Most Influential People' of 2018, PM Modi not on the list

Microsoft CEO Satya Nadella had once surrendered his Green Card and applied for an H1-B visa for his wife as the permanent residency was coming in the way of his newlywed wife joining him in the US.&nbsp;Due to existing US laws, his wife Anu was not able to join him in Seattle.&nbsp;

Nadella releases his book titled &quot;Hit Refresh&quot; in the US today, in which he writes,&nbsp;&quot;So why would I give up the coveted green card for temporary status?&quot;

According to the law, if a Green Card holder gets married, the spouse&#39;s visa gets automatically rejected.&nbsp;

Perturbed by the immigration law, Nadella thought of giving up his Green Card. In fact, at a time early in his career, he was seriously contemplated leaving his job at Microsoft and returning to India.&nbsp;

Nadella got married to Anu in&nbsp;1993 and he intended to bring her to the US to live with him, he reveals in his book.&nbsp;

According to PTI, he explains in his book: &quot;Well, the H1-B enables spouses to come to the US while their husbands and wives are working here. Such is the perverse logic of this immigration law. There was nothing I could do about it. Anu was my priority. And that made my decision a simple one.&quot;

He then went back to the US embassy in&nbsp;Delhi in June of 1994 and told a clerk that he wanted to give back his green card and apply for an H-1B visa.

In the book, he explains:&nbsp;&quot;&#39;Why?&#39; the dumbfounded clerk asked. I said something about the crazy immigration policy and he shook his head and pushed a new form to me.

&quot;The next morning, I returned to apply for an H1-B application. Miraculously, it all worked. Anu joined me (for good) in Seattle, where we would start a family and build a life together.

&quot;What I didn&#39;t expect was the instant notoriety around campus like people pointing out to me saying &#39;hey, there goes the guy who gave up his green card&#39;.&quot;

According to the PTI report, he told in the book how every other day someone would call him and ask for advice.

On the subject of returning to India, Nadella writes in his book about one of his collegaues, Kunal Bahl, who quit Microsoft when his H1-B ran out. He writes:&nbsp;&quot;He returned to India and then founded Snapdeal, which today is worth more than USD 1 billion and employs five thousand people. Ironically, online, cloud-based companies like Snapdeal would play an important role in my future and that of Microsoft. And the lessons I learned in my former country continue to shape my present.&quot;

He also talks about his childhood and writes that by the time he was in 12th grade, his dream was to play cricket for Hyderabad and eventually work for a bank. Nadella was a student of Hyderabad Public School (HPS).

He says:&nbsp;&quot;By 12th grade if you had asked me about my dream it was to attend a small college, play cricket for Hyderabad, and eventually work for a bank. That was it. Being an engineer and going to the West never occurred to me.&quot;

Nadella says his mother was happy with those plans but his father adviced him to get out of Hyderabad.

&nbsp;

Nadella's book 'Hit Refresh' releases today in the US and explains how he had almost quit the US and returned to India

Microsoft CEO Satya Nadella had once surrendered his Green Card and applied for an H1-B visa for his wife as the permanent residency was coming in the way of his newlywed wife joining him in the US. Due to existing US laws, his wife Anu was not able to join him in Seattle. Nadella releases his book titled "Hit Refresh" in the US today, in which he writes, "So why would I give up the coveted green card for temporary status?" According to the law, if a Green Card holder gets married, the spouse's visa gets automatically rejected. Perturbed by the immigration law, Nadella thought of giving up his Green Card. In fact, at a time early in his career, he was seriously contemplated leaving his job at Microsoft and returning to India. Nadella got married to Anu in 1993 and he intended to bring her to the US to live with him, he reveals in his book. According to PTI, he explains in his book: "Well, the H1-B enables spouses to come to the US while their husbands and wives are working here. Such is the perverse logic of this immigration law. There was nothing I could do about it. Anu was my priority. And that made my decision a simple one." He then went back to the US embassy in Delhi in June of 1994 and told a clerk that he wanted to give back his green card and apply for an H-1B visa. In the book, he explains: "'Why?' the dumbfounded clerk asked. I said something about the crazy immigration policy and he shook his head and pushed a new form to me. "The next morning, I returned to apply for an H1-B application. Miraculously, it all worked. Anu joined me (for good) in Seattle, where we would start a family and build a life together. "What I didn't expect was the instant notoriety around campus like people pointing out to me saying 'hey, there goes the guy who gave up his green card'." According to the PTI report, he told in the book how every other day someone would call him and ask for advice. On the subject of returning to India, Nadella writes in his book about one of his collegaues, Kunal Bahl, who quit Microsoft when his H1-B ran out. He writes: "He returned to India and then founded Snapdeal, which today is worth more than USD 1 billion and employs five thousand people. Ironically, online, cloud-based companies like Snapdeal would play an important role in my future and that of Microsoft. And the lessons I learned in my former country continue to shape my present." He also talks about his childhood and writes that by the time he was in 12th grade, his dream was to play cricket for Hyderabad and eventually work for a bank. Nadella was a student of Hyderabad Public School (HPS). He says: "By 12th grade if you had asked me about my dream it was to attend a small college, play cricket for Hyderabad, and eventually work for a bank. That was it. Being an engineer and going to the West never occurred to me." Nadella says his mother was happy with those plans but his father adviced him to get out of Hyderabad.

Microsoft CEO Satya Nadella once surrendered Green Card for wife

Microsoft plans to cut &quot;thousands&quot; of jobs, with a majority of them outside the United States. As per previous reports, Microsoft would undergo a reorganisation that would impact its sales and marketing teams as the company doubles down on its fast-growing cloud business.

Confirming those reports, Microsoft in an email response to an AFP inquiry, said, &quot;We are taking steps to notify some employees that their jobs are under consideration or that their positions will be eliminated.&quot;

Earlier, CNBC television said the company would be cutting some 3,000 positions, mostly from its non-US sales staff. &quot;Like all companies, we evaluate our business on a regular basis. This can result in increased investment in some places and, from time-to-time, re-deployment in others,&quot; the company said in a statement.

The layoffs come as the US software colossus refocuses its sales force on making Microsoft a pivotal part of businesses relying on cloud computing, according to media reports.

The Redmond, Washington-based company employed about 120,000 people globally as of March 31, with sales and marketing teams accounting for about 19 per cent of the workforce, according to the company&#39;s website.

Microsoft has notified some employees about the reduction. However, in some geographies, the company plans to notify employees that their jobs are under consideration.

Since taking over as chief executive in 2014, Satya Nadella has sharpened the company&#39;s focus on its cloud computing unit to counter a prolonged slowdown in the PC market.

The company is planning to cut down most of its workforce residing outside the United States

Microsoft plans to cut "thousands" of jobs, with a majority of them outside the United States. As per previous reports, Microsoft would undergo a reorganisation that would impact its sales and marketing teams as the company doubles down on its fast-growing cloud business. Confirming those reports, Microsoft in an email response to an AFP inquiry, said, "We are taking steps to notify some employees that their jobs are under consideration or that their positions will be eliminated." Earlier, CNBC television said the company would be cutting some 3,000 positions, mostly from its non-US sales staff. "Like all companies, we evaluate our business on a regular basis. This can result in increased investment in some places and, from time-to-time, re-deployment in others," the company said in a statement. The layoffs come as the US software colossus refocuses its sales force on making Microsoft a pivotal part of businesses relying on cloud computing, according to media reports. The Redmond, Washington-based company employed about 120,000 people globally as of March 31, with sales and marketing teams accounting for about 19 per cent of the workforce, according to the company's website. Microsoft has notified some employees about the reduction. However, in some geographies, the company plans to notify employees that their jobs are under consideration. Since taking over as chief executive in 2014, Satya Nadella has sharpened the company's focus on its cloud computing unit to counter a prolonged slowdown in the PC market.

Microsoft confirms layoff reports; could cut up to 3,000 jobs

Microsoft CEO Satya Nadella made a strong case for using digital technologies to empower the common man and launched a slew of India-centric initiatives, including a platform to connect semi-skilled workers with employers.

The technology giant also launched a lighter version of its video interaction platform Skype.

&quot;If digital technology is only the purview of the large businesses and the startups, I think that is not sufficient for an economy to make progress,&quot; the India-born Nadella said speaking at a company event.

<blockquote class="twitter-tweet" data-lang="en">
We&rsquo;ve built Skype Lite for India, it&#39;s lightweight and has <a href="https://twitter.com/hashtag/Aadhar?src=hash">#Aadhar</a> integration built in.<a href="https://twitter.com/satyanadella">@satyanadella</a> <a href="https://twitter.com/hashtag/FutureDecoded?src=hash">#FutureDecoded</a>
&mdash; Microsoft India (@MicrosoftIndia) <a href="https://twitter.com/MicrosoftIndia/status/834284420093865984">February 22, 2017</a></blockquote>
<script async src="//platform.twitter.com/widgets.js" charset="utf-8"></script>

&quot;We can celebrate technology, but if it doesn&#39;t truly empower every Indian and every Indian organisation to achieve more...We would have achieved nothing,&quot; he said.

<blockquote class="twitter-tweet" data-lang="en">
Kaizala will be the best administrative app for any organization to use in real-time over the course of time. -N. Chandrababu Naidu <a href="https://t.co/YYi1vU6Tmk">pic.twitter.com/YYi1vU6Tmk</a>
&mdash; Microsoft India (@MicrosoftIndia) <a href="https://twitter.com/MicrosoftIndia/status/834307589240455168">February 22, 2017</a></blockquote>
<script async src="//platform.twitter.com/widgets.js" charset="utf-8"></script>

The global giant introduced the &#39;Sangam&#39; platform, which is based on the world&#39;s largest professional networking site LinkedIn, also owned by the company, which will help the semi-skilled workers get job opportunities.

&quot;We now need to extend this (LinkedIn) to middle skill and low-skill (workers), (provide) vocational training for job opportunities for everyone,&quot; he said, adding that sectors like hospitality can benefit from it.

The platform will also work on helping people to skill themselves for the jobs which are getting created, he said, adding that it is yet to go public and is at the &quot;private preview&quot; stage.

<blockquote class="twitter-tweet" data-lang="en">
<a href="https://twitter.com/hashtag/MachineLearning?src=hash">#MachineLearning</a>, chatbots and digital onboarding <a href="https://twitter.com/ZingHR">@ZingHR</a> are using the power of cloud computing. <a href="https://twitter.com/hashtag/FutureDecoded?src=hash">#FutureDecoded</a> <a href="https://twitter.com/hashtag/DigitalTransformation?src=hash">#DigitalTransformation</a> <a href="https://t.co/hnuKcPCdpi">pic.twitter.com/hnuKcPCdpi</a>
&mdash; Microsoft India (@MicrosoftIndia) <a href="https://twitter.com/MicrosoftIndia/status/834343461071495168">February 22, 2017</a></blockquote>
<script async src="//platform.twitter.com/widgets.js" charset="utf-8"></script>

He also announced a new service on LinkedIn called Placements, which will help Indian college graduates land job opportunities in a &quot;democratic&quot; manner as per their skill sets, while pointing out that finding the right job is a &quot;challenge&quot; for graduates in India.

With bandwidth being a concern in India, the company also showcased lighter versions of LinkedIn as well as Skype, its video interaction service.

LinkedIn has 39 million members in India and the new light platform can work even at 2G speeds, he said.

Nadella was quite appreciative of the progress on Aadhaar, and said that India Stack is driving a lot of innovation at Microsoft.

India Stack is a part of Digital India programme aimed at treating information as a utility. Instead of having a top down approach, the government has launched an open application programming interface policy.

Skype&#39;s lighter version, which is available in nine Indian languages, also has an Aadhaar identity tool built-in that can help businesses for purposes like background checks in applications like interviews.

Nadella said there have been improvements in the lives of people in the first digital village of Harisal in the malnutrition-prone Melghat region of Maharashtra and announced to scale up the digital village concept to 100 villages.

The digital village concept touches various facets including banking, payments, public distribution system, classrooms and vocational education, among others, he said, adding that the focus is on electronification.

Nadella also announced that country&#39;s largest lender SBI has decided to move to the Cloud and will be adopting its Office 365 solution.

(PTI)

At the company's Future Decoded event, Microsoft showcased lighter versions of LinkedIn and Skype

Microsoft CEO Satya Nadella made a strong case for using digital technologies to empower the common man and launched a slew of India-centric initiatives, including a platform to connect semi-skilled workers with employers. The technology giant also launched a lighter version of its video interaction platform Skype. "If digital technology is only the purview of the large businesses and the startups, I think that is not sufficient for an economy to make progress," the India-born Nadella said speaking at a company event. We’ve built Skype Lite for India, it's lightweight and has #Aadhar integration built in.@satyanadella #FutureDecoded — Microsoft India (@MicrosoftIndia) February 22, 2017 "We can celebrate technology, but if it doesn't truly empower every Indian and every Indian organisation to achieve more...We would have achieved nothing," he said. Kaizala will be the best administrative app for any organization to use in real-time over the course of time. -N. Chandrababu Naidu pic.twitter.com/YYi1vU6Tmk — Microsoft India (@MicrosoftIndia) February 22, 2017 The global giant introduced the 'Sangam' platform, which is based on the world's largest professional networking site LinkedIn, also owned by the company, which will help the semi-skilled workers get job opportunities. "We now need to extend this (LinkedIn) to middle skill and low-skill (workers), (provide) vocational training for job opportunities for everyone," he said, adding that sectors like hospitality can benefit from it. The platform will also work on helping people to skill themselves for the jobs which are getting created, he said, adding that it is yet to go public and is at the "private preview" stage. #MachineLearning, chatbots and digital onboarding @ZingHR are using the power of cloud computing. #FutureDecoded #DigitalTransformation pic.twitter.com/hnuKcPCdpi — Microsoft India (@MicrosoftIndia) February 22, 2017 He also announced a new service on LinkedIn called Placements, which will help Indian college graduates land job opportunities in a "democratic" manner as per their skill sets, while pointing out that finding the right job is a "challenge" for graduates in India. With bandwidth being a concern in India, the company also showcased lighter versions of LinkedIn as well as Skype, its video interaction service. LinkedIn has 39 million members in India and the new light platform can work even at 2G speeds, he said. Nadella was quite appreciative of the progress on Aadhaar, and said that India Stack is driving a lot of innovation at Microsoft. India Stack is a part of Digital India programme aimed at treating information as a utility. Instead of having a top down approach, the government has launched an open application programming interface policy. Skype's lighter version, which is available in nine Indian languages, also has an Aadhaar identity tool built-in that can help businesses for purposes like background checks in applications like interviews. Nadella said there have been improvements in the lives of people in the first digital village of Harisal in the malnutrition-prone Melghat region of Maharashtra and announced to scale up the digital village concept to 100 villages. The digital village concept touches various facets including banking, payments, public distribution system, classrooms and vocational education, among others, he said, adding that the focus is on electronification. Nadella also announced that country's largest lender SBI has decided to move to the Cloud and will be adopting its Office 365 solution. (PTI)

Microsoft CEO Satya Nadella announces new tech initiatives in India

Microsoft has introduced a lighter version of the Skype app - Skype Lite - for the Indian market. The new app is said to have been built with the latest Skype technology to perform well even under limited network connections.

The Skype Lite app weighs almost half of the original Skype app. It will work on phones running Android 4.0.3 and above. &quot;Packed in a 13MB file, the new app is available only for Android devices and is especially designed to save data,&quot; Satya Nadella, Indian-born CEO of Microsoft, told the media at the company&rsquo;s Future Decoded event.

Skype Lite is designed for India with features, such as support for SMS, native phone contacts and calls, and data usage tracking.
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<div class="embed-container"><iframe allowfullscreen="" frameborder="0" src="https://www.youtube.com/embed//TVEG0YfceV4"></iframe></div>

Microsoft has also introduced a dark theme for the new app making it easy for users to work in the night without having to strain their eyes.

To make it easier for a user to differentiate between important and junk SMSs, Microsoft has used the artificial intelligence (AI) technology that segregates normal text messages, Skype messages and promotional texts under three different categories.

Microsoft has also integrated Aadhaar, the 12-digit unique identification number system, into the app for enhanced security.

<blockquote class="twitter-tweet" data-lang="en">
We&rsquo;ve built Skype Lite for India, it&#39;s lightweight and has <a href="https://twitter.com/hashtag/Aadhar?src=hash">#Aadhar</a> integration built in.<a href="https://twitter.com/satyanadella">@satyanadella</a> <a href="https://twitter.com/hashtag/FutureDecoded?src=hash">#FutureDecoded</a>
&mdash; Microsoft India (@MicrosoftIndia) <a href="https://twitter.com/MicrosoftIndia/status/834284420093865984">February 22, 2017</a></blockquote>
<script async src="//platform.twitter.com/widgets.js" charset="utf-8"></script>

Skype Lite is available in seven local languages - Bengali, Gujarati, Hindi, Marathi, Tamil, Telugu, Urdu.

(WION)

The Skype Lite app weighs almost half of the original Skype app

Microsoft has introduced a lighter version of the Skype app - Skype Lite - for the Indian market. The new app is said to have been built with the latest Skype technology to perform well even under limited network connections. The Skype Lite app weighs almost half of the original Skype app. It will work on phones running Android 4.0.3 and above. "Packed in a 13MB file, the new app is available only for Android devices and is especially designed to save data," Satya Nadella, Indian-born CEO of Microsoft, told the media at the company’s Future Decoded event. Skype Lite is designed for India with features, such as support for SMS, native phone contacts and calls, and data usage tracking. Microsoft has also introduced a dark theme for the new app making it easy for users to work in the night without having to strain their eyes. To make it easier for a user to differentiate between important and junk SMSs, Microsoft has used the artificial intelligence (AI) technology that segregates normal text messages, Skype messages and promotional texts under three different categories. Microsoft has also integrated Aadhaar, the 12-digit unique identification number system, into the app for enhanced security. We’ve built Skype Lite for India, it's lightweight and has #Aadhar integration built in.@satyanadella #FutureDecoded — Microsoft India (@MicrosoftIndia) February 22, 2017 Skype Lite is available in seven local languages - Bengali, Gujarati, Hindi, Marathi, Tamil, Telugu, Urdu. (WION)

Skype Lite: Microsoft launches lighter version of Skype in India

Microsoft&#39;s India-born CEO Satya Nadella has been nominated to join the board of Starbucks for his &quot;invaluable insight&quot; in international operations and distribution as the global coffee giant focusses on global growth and innovation.

Nadella, 49, has been nominated by Starbucks along with President and Chief Executive Officer of warehouse chain Sam&#39;s Club Rosalind Brewer and Executive Chairman of the Lego Brand Group Jorgen Vig Knudstorp to its Board of Directors.

Their election, which will bring the board strength to 14, requires approval of the company shareholders, who will meet in March, Starbucks said in a statement.

Starbucks nominated the three as it seeks to bring diversity to the board while pursuing its long-term plan for strong global growth and innovation.

The company Chairman and CEO Howard Schultz described the three as &quot;world-class, values-based leaders&quot; who will strengthen its leadership and add &quot;unmatched expertise in technology, strategy, and retail&quot; to the company at a time of unprecedented change for the industry.

On Nadella, Starbucks said he will bring to the board &quot;extensive experience&quot; and an understanding of how technology will be used and experienced around the world.

&quot;He will provide the Board with invaluable insight in international operations and distribution as Starbucks continues to focus on innovative ways to use technology to elevate the brand and grow its business,&quot; it said.

Nadella has served as Chief Executive Officer and a member of the Board of Directors of Microsoft, since February 2014.

Hyderabad-born Nadella said he is &quot;honoured&quot; to have been nominated to join the Starbucks Board.

&quot;As a regular customer myself, I have always admired Starbucks focus and deep passion for its customers and the communities it does business in and hope my years of experience in the technology industry will be of value to the company,&quot; he said.

(PTI)

Starbucks continues to focus on innovative ways to use technology to elevate the brand and grow its business

Microsoft's India-born CEO Satya Nadella has been nominated to join the board of Starbucks for his "invaluable insight" in international operations and distribution as the global coffee giant focusses on global growth and innovation. Nadella, 49, has been nominated by Starbucks along with President and Chief Executive Officer of warehouse chain Sam's Club Rosalind Brewer and Executive Chairman of the Lego Brand Group Jorgen Vig Knudstorp to its Board of Directors. Their election, which will bring the board strength to 14, requires approval of the company shareholders, who will meet in March, Starbucks said in a statement. Starbucks nominated the three as it seeks to bring diversity to the board while pursuing its long-term plan for strong global growth and innovation. The company Chairman and CEO Howard Schultz described the three as "world-class, values-based leaders" who will strengthen its leadership and add "unmatched expertise in technology, strategy, and retail" to the company at a time of unprecedented change for the industry. On Nadella, Starbucks said he will bring to the board "extensive experience" and an understanding of how technology will be used and experienced around the world. "He will provide the Board with invaluable insight in international operations and distribution as Starbucks continues to focus on innovative ways to use technology to elevate the brand and grow its business," it said. Nadella has served as Chief Executive Officer and a member of the Board of Directors of Microsoft, since February 2014. Hyderabad-born Nadella said he is "honoured" to have been nominated to join the Starbucks Board. "As a regular customer myself, I have always admired Starbucks focus and deep passion for its customers and the communities it does business in and hope my years of experience in the technology industry will be of value to the company," he said. (PTI)

Microsoft CEO Satya Nadella to join Starbucks board

Sharp growth in its commercial cloud computing business helped lift Microsoft Corp&#39;s quarterly revenue above Wall Street&#39;s expectations, sending the technology company&#39;s shares up more than 4 per cent in after-hours trading. 
 
The new and growing cloud business - essentially selling computing services and storage in its data centers to corporate customers - is one of the priorities for Chief Executive Satya Nadella, who took the helm of the world&#39;s largest software company in early 2014 
 
Nadella has refocused the company on cloud and mobile in the face of stagnation in its traditional PC-based Windows business. 
 
&quot;Only two companies are setting the tone of enterprise computing, Microsoft Azure and Amazon AWS,&quot; said Trip Chowdhry, managing director of Global Equities Research, referring to Amazon.com Inc&#39;s web services unit. 
 
&quot;These are the only two initiators in the whole enterprise space that are going to see growth in excess of 80 per cent year-over-year for at least two or three years.&rdquo; 
 
Microsoft&#39;s revenue in what it calls its &quot;intelligent cloud&quot; businesses, which includes the Azure cloud platform and server software, rose 7 per cent to $6.7 billion. 
 
Revenue for Azure - which customers can use to host their website, apps or data - grew 102 per cent, but Microsoft did not say what the actual revenue figure was. 
 
That makes an annual &quot;run rate&quot; of $12.1 billion for cloud-related revenue, up sharply from over $8 billion a year ago. Microsoft calculates run rate by multiplying revenue in the final month of the quarter for its cloud businesses by 12. 
 
Despite the surge in revenue, Microsoft is still struggling to increase profit in the capital-intensive cloud business. It said operating profit in its intelligent cloud businesses fell 17 per cent to $2.19 billion in the quarter. 
 
Microsoft said the drop was mainly due to higher research, development, sales and marketing costs, as it makes investments and acquisitions to &quot;drive cloud sales capacity and innovation.&quot; 
 
COMING OUT OF DIP 
 
Overall, Microsoft posted revenue for its fiscal fourth quarter ended June 30, adjusted for some one-time items, of $22.6 billion, up 2 per cent from a year ago. That beat Wall Street&#39;s average forecast of $22.1 billion. 
 
It reported net income of $3.1 billion, or 39 cents per share, compared with a loss of $3.2 billion, or 40 cents per share, a year earlier. In the year-ago quarter it took a $7.5 billion charge to write down the value of its purchase of Nokia&#39;s handset business. 
 
Excluding one-time items in the latest quarter, Microsoft reported earnings of 69 cents per share. That was ahead of analysts&#39; average forecast of 58 cents. 
 
Sanford Bernstein analyst Mark Moerdler said Microsoft is finally making headway shifting Microsoft Office software clients onto subscription-based cloud services. Office consumer products and cloud services were up 19 per cent and Office 365 increased subscribers to 23.1 million during the quarter. 
 
&quot;People looked at Office as a product that was going to be in decline,&quot; said Moerdler. &quot;We saw a dip, last quarter we came out of that dip, and now we&#39;re accelerating out of the dip.&quot; 
 
Nadella, who announced the company&#39;s largest-ever deal last month, striking a deal to pay $26.2 billion for LinkedIn Corp, has staked Microsoft&#39;s future on mobile and the cloud. 
 
So far his plan has been well received by investors. Microsoft shares are up 64 per cent since his predecessor as CEO Steve Ballmer announced his plan to retire, in August 2013. The S&amp;P 500 is up 31 per cent in the same time. 
 
Microsoft shares were up 4.35 per cent at $55.40 in extended trading on Tuesday. 
 
(Reuters)

Chief Executive Satya Nadella refocuses the company on cloud and mobile in face of stagnation in its traditional PC-based Windows business

Sharp growth in its commercial cloud computing business helped lift Microsoft Corp's quarterly revenue above Wall Street's expectations, sending the technology company's shares up more than 4 per cent in after-hours trading. The new and growing cloud business - essentially selling computing services and storage in its data centers to corporate customers - is one of the priorities for Chief Executive Satya Nadella, who took the helm of the world's largest software company in early 2014 Nadella has refocused the company on cloud and mobile in the face of stagnation in its traditional PC-based Windows business. "Only two companies are setting the tone of enterprise computing, Microsoft Azure and Amazon AWS," said Trip Chowdhry, managing director of Global Equities Research, referring to Amazon.com Inc's web services unit. "These are the only two initiators in the whole enterprise space that are going to see growth in excess of 80 per cent year-over-year for at least two or three years.” Microsoft's revenue in what it calls its "intelligent cloud" businesses, which includes the Azure cloud platform and server software, rose 7 per cent to $6.7 billion. Revenue for Azure - which customers can use to host their website, apps or data - grew 102 per cent, but Microsoft did not say what the actual revenue figure was. That makes an annual "run rate" of $12.1 billion for cloud-related revenue, up sharply from over $8 billion a year ago. Microsoft calculates run rate by multiplying revenue in the final month of the quarter for its cloud businesses by 12. Despite the surge in revenue, Microsoft is still struggling to increase profit in the capital-intensive cloud business. It said operating profit in its intelligent cloud businesses fell 17 per cent to $2.19 billion in the quarter. Microsoft said the drop was mainly due to higher research, development, sales and marketing costs, as it makes investments and acquisitions to "drive cloud sales capacity and innovation." COMING OUT OF DIP Overall, Microsoft posted revenue for its fiscal fourth quarter ended June 30, adjusted for some one-time items, of $22.6 billion, up 2 per cent from a year ago. That beat Wall Street's average forecast of $22.1 billion. It reported net income of $3.1 billion, or 39 cents per share, compared with a loss of $3.2 billion, or 40 cents per share, a year earlier. In the year-ago quarter it took a $7.5 billion charge to write down the value of its purchase of Nokia's handset business. Excluding one-time items in the latest quarter, Microsoft reported earnings of 69 cents per share. That was ahead of analysts' average forecast of 58 cents. Sanford Bernstein analyst Mark Moerdler said Microsoft is finally making headway shifting Microsoft Office software clients onto subscription-based cloud services. Office consumer products and cloud services were up 19 per cent and Office 365 increased subscribers to 23.1 million during the quarter. "People looked at Office as a product that was going to be in decline," said Moerdler. "We saw a dip, last quarter we came out of that dip, and now we're accelerating out of the dip." Nadella, who announced the company's largest-ever deal last month, striking a deal to pay $26.2 billion for LinkedIn Corp, has staked Microsoft's future on mobile and the cloud. So far his plan has been well received by investors. Microsoft shares are up 64 per cent since his predecessor as CEO Steve Ballmer announced his plan to retire, in August 2013. The S&P 500 is up 31 per cent in the same time. Microsoft shares were up 4.35 per cent at $55.40 in extended trading on Tuesday. (Reuters)

Growth in cloud computing business helps lift Microsoft Corp's quarterly revenue

Microsoft Corp agreed to buy LinkedIn Corp for $26.2 billion in its biggest-ever deal, combining the software giant&#39;s fast-growing cloud services business with the world&#39;s largest online network for professionals. 
 
The offer of $196 per share represents a premium of 49.5 per cent to LinkedIn&#39;s Friday closing price. 
 
LinkedIn&#39;s shares jumped by 48 per cent to $194.28 before the opening bell on Monday. Microsoft&#39;s shares were down 3.3 per cent. 
 
&quot;Today is a re-founding moment for LinkedIn,&quot; Reid Hoffman, chairman of LinkedIn&#39;s board, said in a statement. 
 
Jeff Weiner will remain chief executive of LinkedIn, reporting to Microsoft CEO Satya Nadella. 
 
&quot;I have always had a great admiration for LinkedIn,&quot; Nadella said in a video on Microsoft&#39;s website. &quot;I have been talking with Reid and Jeff for a while ... I have been thinking about this for a long time.&quot; 
 
The deal is expected to close in 2016, the companies said in a joint statement. 
 
Microsoft said it would issue new debt to fund the deal. 
 
After the deal, LinkedIn will become part of Microsoft&#39;s productivity and business processes unit

There has been speculation that the next acquistion target could be Twitter

Microsoft Corp agreed to buy LinkedIn Corp for $26.2 billion in its biggest-ever deal, combining the software giant's fast-growing cloud services business with the world's largest online network for professionals. The offer of $196 per share represents a premium of 49.5 per cent to LinkedIn's Friday closing price. LinkedIn's shares jumped by 48 per cent to $194.28 before the opening bell on Monday. Microsoft's shares were down 3.3 per cent. "Today is a re-founding moment for LinkedIn," Reid Hoffman, chairman of LinkedIn's board, said in a statement. Jeff Weiner will remain chief executive of LinkedIn, reporting to Microsoft CEO Satya Nadella. "I have always had a great admiration for LinkedIn," Nadella said in a video on Microsoft's website. "I have been talking with Reid and Jeff for a while ... I have been thinking about this for a long time." The deal is expected to close in 2016, the companies said in a joint statement. Microsoft said it would issue new debt to fund the deal. After the deal, LinkedIn will become part of Microsoft's productivity and business processes unit

Microsoft to buy LinkedIn for $26.2 billion in its biggest-ever deal

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