Satya Nadella Reveals the One Skill You Need to Beat AI and Land Your First Tech Job
In an age where artificial intelligence is reshaping the software industry, Microsoft CEO Satya Nadella has a piece of grounded advice for anyone starting out in tech: focus on the fundamentals.
During a recent conversation with tech YouTuber Sajjaad Khade, Nadella emphasized that despite the growing power of AI in writing code and automating tasks, core software engineering principles—like computational thinking and system design—remain irreplaceable.
“Just getting real fundamentals of software, if you’re a software engineer, matters a lot,” Nadella said. “To me, having the ability to think computationally is important.”
When asked what single piece of advice he would give to newcomers entering today’s AI-driven tech world, Nadella didn’t hesitate to highlight the value of understanding core programming logic and architecture. According to him, even though AI tools like GitHub Copilot can write code, it still requires a human engineer to think clearly, design systems thoughtfully, and offer structured direction.
He explained, “The path to being that software architect gets speeded up. All of us are going to be more software architects.”
To support this, Nadella shared a personal anecdote about a recent coding bug he resolved using GitHub Copilot. He recalled using the AI assistant not as a crutch but as a collaborative tool to enhance his own understanding. “The issue was I did a filter, which was basically a percentile… I could recount what is SQL, right?” he said, underlining the importance of human insight even in AI-assisted workflows.
The Microsoft chief sees the future of programming as a collaboration between human architects and AI assistants. While AI handles repetitive coding tasks, the real challenge—and opportunity—lies in thinking critically, breaking down complex problems, and building scalable solutions.
This balance is already transforming Microsoft’s own development environment. In a conversation with Meta CEO Mark Zuckerberg earlier this year, Nadella revealed that AI now contributes between 20 to 30 percent of the code in Microsoft’s repositories. In some cases, entire projects are being scaffolded by AI—but always under human supervision.
Expanding on the future of AI, Nadella highlighted the rise of “agentic AI” at Microsoft Build 2025. “The agentic web is reshaping the entire tech stack,” he said, noting how autonomous AI agents are creating fresh opportunities for developers across multiple layers of the digital ecosystem.
In alignment with this vision, Microsoft has launched a sweeping skilling initiative in India. Partnering with the Ministry of Electronics and Information Technology (MeitY), Microsoft aims to skill 500,000 students, educators, developers, women entrepreneurs, and government officials by 2026.
Key components of the program include:
- AI Catalysts, an AI Centre of Excellence for promoting rural innovation and nurturing a network of 100,000 AI developers.
- 20 AI Productivity Labs across ten states to provide hands-on training at National Skill Training Institutes (NSTIs) and NIELIT centers.
- Training 20,000 educators in essential AI concepts to ensure long-term capacity building.
For Nadella, the message is clear: AI will evolve, but success in tech will always hinge on strong fundamentals. Those who combine human creativity with technical depth and an ability to work alongside intelligent systems will be best positioned to shape the future of software.
“AI might write the code,” Nadella concluded, “but it’s still up to us to decide what that code should do.”
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