Inspiration to Obama, Nadella to Attend State of Union Address

CEO of Microsoft Satya Nadella will be one of the 24 people to attend Obama’s final address from the first lady’s box

Microsoft CEO Satya Nadella. (Photo: PTI)

Satya Nadella, Microsoft’s Chief Executive Officer, will be among the “many Americans who have inspired Barack” watching President Barack Obama’s final State of the Union address Tuesday from the First Lady’s Box.

Twenty-three special guests will attend Obama’s annual address to the Congress with First Lady Michelle Obama. According to the press statement released by the White House, the special attendees “represent the progress” POTUS has made in the past seven years. Their stories also “highlight where [POTUS] has been and where America is going in the future, and building on what [America] has to offer.”

Originally from Hyderabad, India, Nadella joined Microsoft in 1992, becoming its CEO in February 2014.

The Indian-American CEO will be one of the 24 people to attend President Barack Obama’s final State of the Union address from Michelle Obama’s viewing box. (Photo: Reuters)

<p> In October 2015, under Satya’s leadership, Microsoft increased its paid leave benefits by eight weeks and now includes 20 weeks of paid leave for new mothers and 12 weeks for non-birth parents.</p>

<b><a href="https://www.whitehouse.gov/the-press-office/2016/01/10/white-house-announces-guests-first-ladys-box-state-union-address">White House press statement</a></b>

Among other special guests will be Braeden Mannering, a 12-year-old boy who “after attending the White House Kids’ ‘State Dinner,’ started his own nonprofit to provide healthy food to homeless and low-income individuals in his community.”

US President Barack Obama (Photo: Reuters)

For his final address, Obama plans to skip the traditional “laundry list” of legislative proposals, new policies and presidential appeals in favour of a broad overview of what he has accomplished since 2009 and what is undone in his final year in office.

Obama, who is making a strong push for common sense gun control measures has also decided to keep one of 24 guest seats empty, to symbolize victims of gun violence.

He will give his assessment of what the country looks like in 2016 and the direction he hopes it will take in the future, aides said.

<p> In September, the company announced a new $75 million effort to expand computer science education, including opportunities for engineers from Microsoft and other companies with teachers to team-teach computer science</p>

Obama, according to his chief of staff, Denis McDonough would argue that “we’ve brought America back” citing achievements like the nuclear deal with Iran, restoration of diplomatic relations with Cuba, a global climate pact and an Asia-Pacific trade deal.