Microsoft isn’t trying to be trendy, it’s trying to make others cool

Microsoft, unlike Apple and Google, isn't considered "cool" and trendy by most. And that's okay, it's not trying to be the same.

Intrinsic to the nature of the tech industry is a sense of pushing boundaries, introducing new ideas, providing new opportunities and positioning users on the edge of "what is" and "what's next" by equipping us with inspiring tech gadgets. It is the latter, those state of the art tech gadgets companies put in our hands, that gives consumers an exciting view of where we are and where we're going.

This perception is complemented by consumer-focused marketing by companies like Apple, Google, and Samsung and further augmented by the tech media that focuses on the low-hanging "consumer-technology" fruit that excites the masses. The popular tech in our hands is used by companies and the tech media as a springboard to launch enticing narratives about technology's next steps which further captivates an already enthralled audience. This possession of mainstream tech while we hang precipitously on the cusp of "now" as we anticipate the "next" iteration of our beloved devices, as aggressive marketing and tech media narratives reinforce our collective allegiance to brands is the nature of "cool" in the tech industry.

Apple and Google with popular smartphone platforms, emerging smart speakers, recognized digital assistants, and more have this in spades. Microsoft? Not so much.

Apple's former CEO Steve Jobs created a company that is virtually synonymous with cool. And Google's pop culture impact was manifest in the motion picture The Internship where the company's culture, innovation, and youthful nature resonated with the trendy term. Despite rivals' success, Microsoft CEO Satya Nadella isn't chasing an Apple- or Google-esque definition of cool. His mission for Microsoft is to make its brand a pervasive, intricate, and in many regards, a behind the scenes presence that helps make others cool.

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