Yesterday, Microsoft announced it’s new CEO bringing to an end months speculation. Satya Nadella has been given charge. This 22 year old veteran had suddenly become front runner in the last few weeks. Indians naturally were over the moon. One of their own had been chosen to lead perhaps the most important firm in the world. Times of India ran a headline “India makes a power point”. Every Indian, usually a very cynical lot, probably takes this as yet another vindication of our values, and the importance given to education. No doubt, it’s a very proud day for us. But for me, the real story is how America is still holding to tag of being the Land of Opportunity and that the American Dream is for everyone. Its biggest and most important organisation, can so easily hand over its fate to an immigrant from half way across the globe. And that in corporate America, it’s your work that defines you rather than you roots, color. Compare this to India, and you see the stark contrast. In India, the top job at an organisation is hardly every handed to an outsider. Family always comes first, and this is expected and largely accepted. If we had handed over the reigns of our organisation to an outsider, there would have been a serious debate as to why we couldn’t find someone amongst are own for the job. Just look at Infosys, how a couple of bad years/ results, and they had to rush in a get back Narayan Murthy. Even his son was welcomed into Infosys.

So if I were the editor at Times of India, I would make the headline – America makes a power point!