Meet Microsoft’s ‘first lady’, Anupama Nadella: Satya Nadella’s wife is a philanthropist with an architecture degree, and has fought through visa battles and the loss of a child
Satya and Anupama’s fathers were in the Indian Civil Service; the couple met in college and faced visa trouble after marrying, and later lost their son, who suffered from cerebral palsy
Last year, Microsoft CEO Satya Nadella made headlines for receiving a salary bump of more than US$30 million for the financial year that ended in June 2024. Most of it came in the form of stock after Satya asked for a reduction in the cash portion of his salary, security issues having triggered US government alarm bells.
However, Satya and his wife Anupama have been open about raising their son, Zain, who was born with severe disabilities. After Zain’s death in 2022, they also shared what their son’s life had taught them and how they navigated the painful loss.
Affectionately known as Anu, Satya’s wife has been the backbone of the family while he has focused on business. Here is what you need to know about Microsoft’s first lady.
Anupama Nadella had a high-profile father
It’s been widely reported that Anupama’s father was an Indian Administrative Service (IAS) officer. An IAS officer is a respected and highly paid civil servant who works with the Indian government at different levels, including local, state and national. Anupama’s father worked under former Indian Prime Minister P.V. Narasimha Rao.
She studied architecture
According to the Financial Express, Anupama has a degree in architecture from India’s Manipal University. Satya’s father was also an IAS officer and the two were contemporaries. As a result of their fathers’ connection, Anupama and Satya met at college, marrying in 1992.