Satya Nadella’s Lightning-Fast Response
Microsoft CEO Satya Nadella recently appeared on Dwarkesh Patel’s YouTube podcast. The interview gained traction after Patel disclosed how he secured Nadella’s participation—a simple “cold email.”
Patel, known for interviewing prominent figures, noticed Nadella was a subscriber to his newsletter. Capitalizing on this, he sent a concise email.
The Email That Worked
Patel’s email, with the subject line “Wanna come on my podcast?”, expressed appreciation for Nadella’s subscription and extended the invitation, specifically mentioning AI and Microsoft’s future.
The email read:
“Hi Satya, saw your email on my newsletter subscriber list. Appreciate you tuning in! Would you be interested in coming on my podcast?… I’m keen to hear how you’re thinking about AI (and Microsoft) over the next 3/10/25 years,”
To Patel’s surprise, Nadella replied within four minutes, enthusiastically accepting the offer.
Key Takeaways
During the podcast, Nadella shared a vital career “lesson” and offered advice to newcomers. He emphasized the value of direct communication:
“Kids, don’t underestimate the power of a cold email,” Nadella stated.
He also reflected on a critical historical oversight for Microsoft—failing to foresee the dominance of search as the primary web business model. This allowed Google to capture a significant market share.
“We missed what turned out to be the biggest business model on the web because we all assumed the web is all about being distributed. Who would have thought that search would be the biggest winner?” Nadella reflected, highlighting the impactful shifts in business models.
