In a recent LinkedIn post, Microsoft CEO Satya Nadella wrote to his employees as a response to the ongoing coronavirus (COVID-19) pandemic, including the work the employees are doing to assist governments, schools, and other commercial customers. The post says that the company is taking all measures to ensure that its tools are up to the task.
In the post, Nadella stated, “I am proud of how we are adopting a first responder mindset across the company, working with so many customers on the front lines, including governments, health providers, schools, food suppliers, and other commercial customers, which is critical to the continuity and stability of services in every country.”
He further mentioned, “Our responsibility is to ensure that the tools we provide are up to the task.”
Expressing concerns, the post highlighted some of the ways Microsoft is currently bolstering critical infrastructure with emerging technology solutions. A significant part of this effort provides telemedicine tools for healthcare providers around the country through Microsoft Teams.
Earlier in March itself, the company began offering its ‘teams premium features’ for free for six months as more companies started switching to work from home, which has led teams to surge to 44 million daily users, a rise from 20 million in November.
He further stated in the post, “It is in times of great disruption and uncertainty that our ability to stay grounded in our sense of purpose and remain true to our identity is of the utmost importance. I’ve reflected on this as I’ve seen the great work across our company and around the world in the past several weeks.”
The post highlighted all the strides Microsoft has been taking — using Microsoft’s healthcare service bot by the CDC for assessing symptoms and risk factors of COVID-19; efforts to stop spear-phishing attacks during this crisis time, attempts to map the immune system’s response to COVID-19, and moves to work together with other industry giants to fight misinformation about the virus.
“These are just a few examples – and are by no means comprehensive – of the heroism across the company, and I want to thank you for your hard work and commitment during these tough times,” Nadella said. “One truth that brings me comfort is just as this virus has no borders, and its cure will have no borders. We are all in this together as a global community.”
