Akhtar Badshah

I am in Tunis -- this is where the Arab Spring got launched in December 2010. I have had the privilege of being in the Arab world for the last two weeks meeting and having discussions with youth and young entrepreneurs about how they perceive their future. The Arab Spring...

The aftermath of any revolution is quite messy and life never turns out as expected. On my second night of a recent visit to Cairo I had dinner with some colleagues and friends and as expected the conversation eventually turned to the revolution and upcoming presidential election.

At the...

I landed in Cairo earlier today expecting to see significant changes. In many ways everything has changed, yet on the drive from the airport to the hotel in Zamalek across the Nile, Cairo still appeared the same. The wonderful energy, the crazy traffic with cars moving in a slow dance...

There are 1.2 billion young people on our planet today -- more than ever before and the numbers continue to grow with projections of 1.5 billion young people by 2035. Many of them are doing amazing things. They are innovating, they are inspiring and they are driving real impact.

During the World Economic Forum, I had the pleasure of spending time with Dominik Tomičević from Croatia; Jason Wakizaka from the United States; Francisco Perez from Ecuador; and Mohammad Lu'ay Alazzam from Jordan. All four were in Davos for two primary reasons, firstly to participate in a roundtable Microsoft hosted...

On my recent trip to China I visited the Non Profit Incubator (NPI), which is a nonprofit that promotes social innovation and cultivates social entrepreneurs in China by providing crucial support to start-up and small- to medium-sized grassroots NGOs and social enterprises. I was very impressed that in...

I am in Bangkok and have been very impressed with the work our local team is doing in delivering needed supplies to people that are still living in water and who have not received any help and many of them are in this situation for two months.

During a...

11/1/11 is a special day in Washington state.

The state exports more goods and resources internationally than any other state in the nation. One in every three jobs in our state is, in some way, tied to foreign trade. The state exports nearly $40 billion worth of goods and services...

As Microsoft approaches the eighth anniversary of its Community Technology Skills Program (CTSP), I have been taking some time to reflect on the opportunities imagined and realized, the amazing things we've learned about running a global community investment program, and how all of that will guide our work...

Monday evening, while millions of Americans tuned in to watch the Tampa Bay Buccaneers play the Indianapolis Colts on Monday Night Football, I watched a slightly different kind of competition that showcased the potential to touch the lives of millions in a way much more impactful than a touchdown.

Last week at the Clinton Global Initiative Annual Meeting in New York City was at once a most exhilarating and tiring week. President Clinton continues to bring his star power, his deep concern around global development, and his expertise to energize all of us to do more. After a week...

Let's say you are a recent college graduate with a computer science degree, and you are passionate about education. Would you follow your passion by choosing a job in the classroom if you knew your starting salary would be approximately half the salary of a job in the technology industry?

Throughout my tenure at Microsoft, our approach to our social and philanthropic work has reflected our approach to business being grounded in strong partnerships. If you want to have to work with communities and have sustainable positive economic impact you must develop strong local partnerships. Partners can vary in size...

Today we are making a number of updates to our global software donations program designed to give more nonprofit organizations access to the technology they need, when they need it. We're currently reaching more than 40,000 organizations around the world each year -- translating into over $3.9 billion of donated...

Wednesday in New York student teams from over 70 countries celebrated the winners of the 2011 Imagine Cup - a competition that challenges students to use technology to solve the world's toughest problems. This is the ninth year of the Imagine Cup and the innovation, ingenuity and creativity of these...

Last week I arrived in Sao Paulo for the first time in three years to find an amazing sense of optimism. President Lula’s government managed to lift a quarter of the country’s poor people out of poverty and the current government is expanding that program to reach the most vulnerable....

On May 2 as part of MIT's 150 year anniversary celebrations I will be speaking to students who have entered the MIT IDEAS Competition and Global Challenge -- which support innovation and entrepreneurship as a public service. This year more than 80 teams have entered ideas that address...

This year's Council on Foundations Conference ended with a unique session that placed the entire field of philanthropy on trial. The charge: Philanthropy is not fulfilling its mission of advancing the common good. Gara LaMarche, president and CEO of The Atlantic Philanthropies, represented the prosecution, and Ralph R. Smith, executive...

I had a pleasure of moderating a discussion with Arunas A. Chesonis, the Chairman, President and Chief Executive Officer of PAETEC, founded in 1998. I sought to understand why he -- as a CEO and business leader -- invests in the city of Rochester, New York, and why he has...

Yesterday I had the opportunity to meet with an incredible group of smart, creative, students who are here in Redmond competing at the U.S. finals of the Imagine Cup. I shared with them my view that passion is simply not enough to succeed.

Every day at least one person tells...