Satya Nadella Hopes AI Rivals Keep Microsoft Fit, Not Dead Like Novell
KEY POINTS
- â˘Satya Nadella spoke from Davos on Wednesday, saying AI competition keeps Microsoft sharp and competitive.
- â˘He reminisced about Novell, once Microsoftâs biggest rival in 1992, before it faded and was acquired in 2011.
- â˘Nadella cited Bill Gates and Steve Jobsâ views to underscore the benefits of competition for technologyâs economic impact.
Microsoft CEO Satya Nadella dropped truth bombs from his Davos throne on Wednesday, calling the AI race an 'intense but healthy competition' dance party. Back in 1992, his chief nemesis was Novell, a Utah-based software relic that went from tech titan to a museum exhibit by 2011. Nadella, citing rivalries like Apple and the ghost of Novellâs existence, insisted that new competitors each decade keep Microsoft shaking off the rust. Channeling Bill Gatesâ 2005 wisdom and Steve Jobsâ 1997 reunion tour, Nadella spun competition like it was the secret sauce for GDP growth, not just office politics or brutal power struggles. Meanwhile, heâs busy ignoring Peter Thiel's advice and focusing on customer needs instead of prepping a tech Hunger Games.
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Satya Nadella thinks fierce AI competition is good for tech like CrossFit is good for muscles, but Novell's ghost still wonders how it got left out of the apocalypse.
Novell in 1992 was Microsoftâs Voldemortâfeared, then forgotten like your old MySpace album.
Nadella sees AI rivalry as fitness boot camp for Microsoft, when really they just want to survive the Silicon Valley Hunger Games.
Source: Businessinsider | Published: 1/22/2026 | Author: Shubhangi Goel
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