I dunno exactly what a "technical marketing manager" is, but Nadella had a master's in computer science at that point, so I doubt he was just a sales guy.
> I dunno exactly what a "technical marketing manager" is
A TMM/TME is a hybrid role support role consisting of functions of a Dev Advocate, PM, and PMM.
While PMM would own non-technical GTM and enablement, the TMM/TME would own technical GTM and enablement.
It's an older role common in 90s era companies like Cisco, Palo Alto Networks, etc though is has been renamed as Technical Product Management now in most orgs (eg. Lacework, Netskope, etc)
Technical chops make the solutioning and customer relationship part easier.
Whatever tech expertise Nadella has, his EQ and ability to navigate the toxic and vicious politics of Microsoft is his superpower. They aren’t as in your face hostile as Oracle, but they are cutthroat.
Having these kind of roles with a strong technical background is typical for Microsoft. They have a parallel management and technical hierarchy all the way to the top. Everyone should copy this, so much talent is lost by good people going into management where they often aren't even that good.
It sounds like what a police officer described in an AMA; it's possible to move from uniform to plainclothes detective, or stay in uniform on patrol, for one's entire career without penalty to salary. <https://np.reddit.com/r/SouthLAndTV/comments/1di5yq/i_am_cop...>
That's what struck me, too. Here's a guy who looks and talks like some rando young really smart technical dude, like the hundreds I've met over my career. He doesn't appear to have those Ivy Leaguer mannerisms, not some tweed blazer-wearing, popped collar, McKinsey BankingConsultant, who you always expect to end up as all your C-level execs. This guy doing the demo could have been you or I. Yet here I still am in my late 40s still an IC worker bee at the bottom of the org chart, and here he is running the most valuable company in the world. How can you not believe in randomness?
In my opinion the most talented don't always succeed in the wildest ways but they do succeed to a pretty large extent. In an alternative timeline bill gates might not be the richest man heading up one of the largest companies but he would definitely have been a very successful multimillionaire banker, lawyer etc...
This is insightful comment. I feel the same. Impossible level of success is most likely random. But a decent level of success is achievable with sustained effort in their particular domain
