When Satya Nadella first took the reins as Microsoft CEO on February 4th, 2014, the company was losing steam fast.
Microsoft Windows 8 had been a disaster. Microsoft employees were constantly battling behind the scenes for supremacy. And all the while, consumers and developers alike were losing the faith.
Times change.
Back in December, Microsoft's market cap had exceeded that of Apple's â something that hasn't happened since President Obama was in office and the Zune was still a thing. It's an exclamation point on Nadella's five-year reign, in which he refocused the company and led it to new heights.
Here's how Satya Nadella came to Microsoft and executed a startling turnaround that led it to be worth more than Apple, with details taken from his book "Hit Refresh" and elsewhere:
This article has been updated since its original publish date in 2016.