Satya Nadella’s coming, but he doesn’t want to make a splash

Satya Nadella’s coming to Hyderabad on Monday, but don’t fret if you haven’t heard anything about the high-profile visit yet. That’s how the Microsoft CEO wants it to be.

He will be visiting T-Hub, billed as the country’s largest technology incubator, to meet about 100 start-ups housed there. The start-ups naturally are excited about the opportunity to meet one of the most powerful men in the technology world, but Nadella agreed to undertake this trip only after he was given assurance by the T-Hub management that it would be a low-key affair.

Microsoft, which has a huge development centre here, is also keeping the visit of its CEO under wraps. Nadella, who grew up in Hyderabad, will spend about an hour with the young entrepreneurs at the T-Hub. Telangana IT Minister K T Rama Rao will also be present.

“He will have a quick trip around the T-Hub and interact with the start-ups,” Rama Rao told BusinessLine . The Minister had met Nadella in Seattle during a visit to the Microsoft headquarters earlier this year. He had then told Nadella about the T-Hub, which is being developed as the country’s biggest incubator.

With Nadella insisting that his visit remain low key, the incubator’s management has not even initiated any registration for the event. “It is completely a private event. No outsider will be invited,” said a government official, who did not want to be named.

The Telangana government had big plans for Nadella’s visit. It wanted to unveil its first IT Policy in his presence in a large auditorium. But it has shelved the idea.

The government was also restrained by impending polls to GHMC (Greater Hyderabad Municipal Corporation) and the Legislative Council. The Model Code of Conduct bars the government from announcing any policies. The Microsoft CEO is likely to meet Telangana CM K Chandrasekhara Rao.

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