Microsoft committed to deepening ties with China: top executive

By Liu Zheng (chinadaily.com.cn) Updated: 2015-09-22 07:02

To seize the opportunities of the Internet Plus initiative, we are cooperating with industry partners to develop specific solutions for China. For example, in July, we partnered with China Telecom to launch the China Telecom Windows Azure App Store in China, providing a tailor-made, "Internalized" cloud platform with high value SaaS services to help software developers find broader market and profit opportunities.

4. How would you rate your company's performance in China during 2014? Over the next five years, do you see an increase or decrease in China's contribution to your global business? Having said that, do you also foresee any major risks in the China market over the long term?

We are very pleased with our performance in China in 2014 and we look to build upon that success going forward. We are proud to see that our cloud platform Windows Azure, which was successfully launched in China in 2014, now has more than 50,000 clients, including MNCs, SOEs, SMBs and startups. In the meantime, our efforts in building the CTE ecosystem has borne fruit, with 46 CTE partners developing Windows devices that are now available in more than 175 retailers in 53 countries.

We are very confident in China's future development as it is rising as an innovation center and its innovation-driven development has become the new engine for the country's economic growth. China has a world-leading Internet industry, with industry giants such as Alibaba, Baidu and Tencent, as well as an entrepreneurial boom that has created a large number of successful and innovative startups.

With China's energetic ecosystem, down-to-the-market companies, and forward-looking talents, we see China, which will increasingly shape the landscape of global innovations, as a vital part of Microsoft's global business.

5. What's your advice to China's young entrepreneurs? Is it wise to focus so much on online business as so many are doing? What are the most important factors should they watch out for in order to achieve success?

There is no doubt that "Internet Plus" is the trend of the future and cloud will be the most powerful tool and platform to enable them to succeed. But they shouldn't ignore the fact that there are also great opportunities hidden in the transformation and upgrading of traditional industries.

No matter what industry they are in, entrepreneurs should stay humble, stay curious, be innovative and most of all, have a growth mindset. By which, I mean an entrepreneur should be insatiable in his or her desire to learn from the outside world and bring that knowledge into the company, while still innovating to surprise and delight customers.

As the head of a huge company with many branch offices in a variety of sectors, what type of leader do you think you are?

I believe that my leadership style is most defined by Microsoft's mission to reinvent productivity to empower every person and every organization on the planet to do more and achieve more. I carry this mentality into my daily work. It is my goal as a leader to empower my employees to achieve more for the company, our customers and themselves by promoting core values such as cooperation, innovation, creativity and openness.

Having a growth mindset is essential. Always learning, always adapting to new realities. Just as Microsoft strives to reinvent productivity through innovation and new ideas, I am constantly open to listening to new ideas and suggestions, and reevaluating all aspects of the company and myself.

What has impressed you most during your time at Microsoft?

A lot of things have impressed me during my time at Microsoft, but what stands out the most is the innovation spirit and the genuine pursuit of empowerment. This sense of innovation and empowerment can be seen throughout the company and its projects. For example, our newly launched Skype Translator provides translations in numerous languages in real-time conversations on Skype, is based on the technologies our research department has developed over the past 20 years.