The people behind the technology
Often times we talk about technology as though things just happen by the magic of the touch of a button. We need to pause for a moment and discuss the people that are behind successful technologies.
Satya Nadella took over the mantle of leadership from the noisy Steve Ballmer just over a year ago. During the short time that he has been directing the Microsoft ship, Nadella seems to have found the route to success. Nadella’s philosophy is perhaps embraced in Windows 10; Windows will now host most of the apps that make Google Android popular with mobiles.
By offering free upgrades to Windows 10 for current Windows 8 and 7 users, Nadella will surely reclaim all the disgruntled Windows users. Microsoft Windows and Office productivity software popularity is almost legendary, the problem was that the company migration to mobiles was slower. Nadella is different from Ballmer in that the former is a Facebook generation kid and seems to understand the dynamics that makes today’s technology.
It may not happen this year, but with the direction that Satya Nadella has taken, Microsoft is on its way back to its glorious days.
While Microsoft may be eying the peak of the mountain, Apple has been there for some time now. This is very surprising because it may as well have looked like this would end with the demise of the man behind it all; Steve Jobs. Steve Jobs was the DNA of Apple.
Steve Jobs made sure that blood flew in Apple’s veins by pushing people to achieve their best. He articulated Apple design principals so religiously. However, the man behind those flawless designs was Jonny Ive, now the chief design officer (CDO) for the company. Jonny is the mastermind behind the Apple watch which has been described as the benchmark for future Smartwatches.
Lei Jun, Cofounder and chief executive officer of Xiaomi is another man that is making a great impact in the technology world. Lei designs high quality smartphones yet keeps margins low. The company has recently entered the wearable device, Tablet and smart TV markets.
Lei Jun’s business style enables the masses to afford quality gadgets at inexpensive prices.
Jeff Bezos has been around as founder and CEO at Amazon as early as 1994. Jeff ’s philosophy has been opting for expansion by adoption of new technologies other than profits. Jeff goes with the tide and not against it
Amazon escaped the dot.com burst scare because it always innovated. Bezos took care of the other things and money took care of itself; Jeff is a high ranking billionaire in the technology sphere.
Paul Eremenko, the engineering director at Google is a very creative person. Eremenko is currently working on a design for a modular and fully customizable smartphone whose components can be swapped in and out. Apple has a similar project called project Ara. At the end of the day, the final products will determine who is a better designer between Jonny Ive and Paul Eremenko.
There is an innovative person behind every successful technology, let us once in a while recognize them.
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