*By Carlo Versano* *As Cheddar reflects on 2018, we are profiling the most innovative, flamboyant, and often-controversial entrepreneurs and corporate leaders who delivered the year's most memorable moments in business. Of the CEO Class of 2018, who was crowned Biggest Flirt? Class Clown? Most Likely to Succeed? Check [here](https://www.cheddar.com/tags/cheddar-awards) for all the Cheddar Awards and more year-end coverage.* The age of the rock star CEO arguably began with Bill Gates, whose stewardship of Microsoft in the 1980s and 90sー and the personal fortune he amassed ー paved the way for other chief executives to become celebrities in their own right, from Steve Jobs to Elon Musk. But in a year of power defined by brashness and unfettered tweeting, it was the CEO who flew under the radar that showed real leadership. Satya Nadella, the current head of Microsoft ($MSFT) but an unknown to many Americans, rose through the ranks at Microsoft before taking over the top spot from Steve Ballmer (another rock star [CEO](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=I14b-C67EXY)) in 2014, becoming only the third chief executive in the company’s history. His leadership style is at odds with a more mainstream image of successful CEOs.He isn’t flamboyant, eccentric, or loathed by a significant portion of the population. And as Nadella’s cohort of top tech CEOs found itself ensnared in scandal, controversy, and disappointment throughout the yearー from [data breaches](https://www.nytimes.com/2018/03/19/technology/facebook-cambridge-analytica-explained.html) and embarrassing [exposés](https://www.wsj.com/articles/google-exposed-user-data-feared-repercussions-of-disclosing-to-public-1539017194) to pot-smoking podcast [appearances](https://www.cnn.com/2018/10/01/tech/elon-musk-joe-rogan/index.html) and Twitter [meltdowns](https://twitter.com/elonmusk/status/1026872652290379776?lang=en) to [bad press](https://www.nbcnews.com/business/business-news/backlash-already-mounting-over-amazon-s-choices-hq2-n935666) and [missed targets](https://www.businessinsider.com/apple-stop-disclosing-iphone-ipad-mac-unit-sales-quarter-2018-11)ーNadella quietly steered Microsoft back to a symbolic victory: it became the most [valuable](https://www.cheddar.com/videos/microsoft-and-apple-vie-for-title-of-worlds-largest-company) public company in the world for the first time since 2002, and will likely end the year with the crown. For a man whose name would elicit little more than a shrug from most people, that’s a sleeper success story for the ages. Nadella’s keynote addresses have been compared to [homilies](https://www.zdnet.com/article/satya-nadella-microsofts-first-futurist-ceo/), in which he sermonizes about the future of humanity and the role of technology in the world, instead of product releases. Reporters find him hard to cover, struggling to find the easy headlines. President Trump, who has spent the year vilifying tech’s top CEOs, has notably left Nadella off the list. And in Redmond, where it matters most, the 51-year-old Indian immigrant is beloved. A recent survey commissioned by Comparably, a platform that rates companies based on anonymous employee responses, named Nadella the top [CEO](https://www.comparably.com/blog/best-ceos-2018/) of 2018. He received a score of 82 from employees, beating out the also-popular chiefs of Home Depot ($HD)and Google ($GOOGL) for the top spot. As outlined in a recent Forbes profile, Nadella’s leadership philosophy can best be illustrated by how he sought to acquire Github, which he finally executed in 2018 after years of flirtation. Nadella was in the process of acquiring LinkedIn when he [asked a Microsoft employee](https://www.forbes.com/sites/alexkonrad/2018/12/10/exclusive-ceo-interview-satya-nadella-reveals-how-microsoft-got-its-groove-back/#585ec4577acb) about GitHub: “Have we earned their trust?” In an industry built on growth multiples and for a company best known for its voracious appetite for swallowing up competitors, the question indicated that Nadella was a different kind of executive. And in the endー to the surprise of Silicon Valley prognosticators ー Github chose Microsoft over Google; Nadella’s leadership was reportedly a major factor. GitHub is a community of open-source software developers who would have every right to be skeptical of Microsoft's motives. Ballmer once famously called Linux "a cancer," and Microsoft spent years in court with Linux fighting over patents. But the animosity ended under Nadella's reign. He had Microsoft join the Linux Foundation two years ago, paving the way for the GitHub acquisition. Jim Zemlin, the head of the Linux Foundation, [called](https://www.linuxfoundation.org/blog/microsoft-buys-github-the-linux-foundations-reaction/) it “pretty good news for the world of Open Source and we should celebrate Microsoft’s smart move." While Nadella flew under the radar during certain moments, he spoke up in others. When the Trump administration’s child-separation policy exploded into controversy over the summer, Nadella called it “abhorrent” and said Microsoft did not provide services or products for ICE related to the policy. Microsoft employees petitioned Nadella to cancel the contract it did have with ICE, which was mainly for administrative work, according to the company. Nadella has so far not acquiesced to the demand. In carefully choosing his battles, Nadella displayed a quiet, but distinctive leadership style that's a sharp contrast to the way we have come to think of chief executives from the boardroom to the Oval Office. And he reminds us of the virtue of being a sleeper success.

Share:
More In Politics
Biden, Powell Meet on Economy, Inflation as Americans Grapple With Historically High Prices
President Biden and Federal Reserve chair Jerome Powell meet at the White House today for the first time since Powell's renomination to the position. The President and the Fed Chair discussed the economy and historically high inflation, as new data shows inflation may be cooling slightly. Morning Consult economic analyst Jesse Wheeler joins Cheddar News' Closing Bell to discuss how the Biden administration at the U.S. central bank can work together to combat soaring prices for American consumers.
Ark. Gov Hutchinson on Abortion Trigger Law, Possible 2024 Presidential Run
In the second part of Cheddar's talk with Governor Asa Hutchinson, the Republican from Arkansas discussed his state's abortion trigger law and the overturning of Roe v. Wade, the Texas law that would prevent social media platform moderation currently being held up by the U.S. Supreme Court, and rumors of his 2024 presidential run. "I did go to New Hampshire. I am testing the waters out there, so no decision at this point. But we're looking at it," he said, noting that if former President Donald Trump runs, it would not affect his own decision.
Congress Optimistic Bipartisan Gun Reform Is Possible
Cheddar Politics looks at the ongoing efforts to pass meaningful gun safety laws in both Chambers of Congress following multiple mass shootings. Lisa Hagen, senior political reporter for U.S. News and World Report, helps break down why Senators are hopeful that a modest bipartisan gun safety package might be able to overcome a filibuster.
NYC Mayor Calls for Gun Detectors in Subways in Wake of Shootings
After two subway shootings in two months and the more recent mass shootings in Uvalde, Texas, and Buffalo, New York, Mayor Eric Adams is calling for gun detection scanners to be installed in New York City subways. The tech would be similar to that used in sporting arenas, however, experts note multiple difficulties with such a setup including the need for nearby human operators.
Baby Formula Crisis Hits 70 Percent Out-of-Stock Rate Nationwide
With the baby formula in the United States surging to an out-of-stock rate of 70 percent, the FDA has given Abbott permission to reopen its Michigan plant amid the crisis and authorized foreign imports. Professor Peter Pitts, a former FDA associate commissioner and current president of the Center for Medicine in the Public Interest, joined Cheddar News to discuss the ongoing shortage and its wide impact. “As difficult as things is in urban areas, they’re even worse in small communities and tribal areas where parents can't just go to the next store on the corner," he said. Pitts also noted that the Abbott factory was a "disaster" prior to its shutdown and that it would have been "regulatory malpractice" to have left it open.
Load More