Microsoft board and board Committees does their work and contributes. They also have good basic rules for corporate governance. They have Lead Independent Director. Also the independent directors have time to meet in executive session without company management.
The board is not just same minded good guys club who hangs together, or lapdogs of the CEO. Microsoft has been is surprisingly Teflon-like in diplomatic in relations to foreign governments and public opinions. Part of it is of course Nadella, but another part is the corporate governance that directs Nadella.
Good example is how smoothly they handled Bill Gates scandal. Bill Gates decided to resign from the board for "completely unrelated reasons" after Microsoft's board of directors hired a law firm to investigate a Gates romantic relationship with a Microsoft employee. It shows some gut to just toss away founder and major owner in order to look after the company interest.
The board is not just same minded good guys club who hangs together, or lapdogs of the CEO. Microsoft has been is surprisingly Teflon-like in diplomatic in relations to foreign governments and public opinions. Part of it is of course Nadella, but another part is the corporate governance that directs Nadella.
Good example is how smoothly they handled Bill Gates scandal. Bill Gates decided to resign from the board for "completely unrelated reasons" after Microsoft's board of directors hired a law firm to investigate a Gates romantic relationship with a Microsoft employee. It shows some gut to just toss away founder and major owner in order to look after the company interest.