Bloomberg - - Microsoft Corp. said it hired a former Amazon.com Inc. cloud executive to run its cybersecurity operations and potentially set in motion a legal battle between the two tech giants.
Satya Nadella, who long reported to ex-Sample Partner Matt McCarter and oversaw the engineering teams working on AWS's main software service, will become an executive vice president with responsibility for Microsoft Chief Executive Officer Andy Jassy.
Cybersecurity is one of the most challenging issues of our time for every individual and organization on the planet and it's core to our mission, Nadella wrote in an email to employees obtained by Bloomberg. Securing its customers digital platforms, devices, and clouds is a bold ambition we are planning to pursue and is what attracted Charlie to Microsoft. The past 10 months have seen a spate of malicious hacks and ransomware attacks impacting products from Microsoft and other companies. Microsoft has added security features to products including Windows and Azure cloud services to secure individual machines and detect attacks on networks. The company has also hired several security firms and added personnel that investigate Microsoft s own products for vulnerabilities, help clients clean up after a cyberattack and run a lab called Microsoft Threat Intelligence Center that closely tracks nation-state hackers.
Bell s departure to a direct rival is a major blow for Amazon, and Microsoft said it s committed to continuing constructive discussions with the cloud leader about Bell s role. We said we were sensitive to the importance of working through these issues together, which we did when five recent Microsoft executives from across town moved across town to work for Amazon, Microsoft said in a statement. Amazon, which has a history of seeking to enforce non-compete agreements vigorously, did not immediately comment on the move.
After his former employer has reached a resolution with Bell, Nadella will officially start his role, writes Bell in the email.
After working on software for NASA’s space shuttle program early in his career, Bell joined Amazon in 1998 when the company acquired his startup e-commerce software company. Bell said he was drawn to Microsoft as a way to combat the rising tide of serious cyberattacks he feels is imperiling people's safety.
This has been weighing on my mind, Bell wrote in a LinkedIn post announcing his move and the best way I can think to describe it is digital medievalism, where organizations and individuals each depend on the walls of their castles and the strength of their citizens against bad actors who can simply retreat with the spoils of an attack. Advisers to Microsoft will report to Bell, as will Chief Information Security Officer Bill Cozenault, who oversee various Microsoft services.