14 DAY TRIAL // The United Kingdom has voted to leave the European Union, but Microsoft doesn’t see this decision as reason enough to make changes to the way it does business in the region.
In a recent statement, CEO Satya Nadella has explained that Microsoft will continue to see the United Kingdom as one of its top markets, so it will keep on investing in the local markets just like before.
At this point, Microsoft has approximately 3,000 employees in the United Kingdom and a total of six offices, with local markets accounting for about 6 to 7 percent of the company’s annual revenue. Additionally, Microsoft operates data centers in the United Kingdom, and a potential exit from the EU would lead to changes that could affect data requests and customer privacy.
Nadella downplays rumors pointing to changes
“When it comes to the U.K., we’ve been there for 30 years and we’re going to continue to invest because it’s a huge market and a place which is pretty core to us. We’re a global company - 55 percent of our revenues are global - so what happens in Britain and (around) the globe matters a lot to us,” Satya Nadella is quoted as saying, adding that no jobs will be cut following the decision to exit the European Union.
But if it were for Microsoft, the United Kingdom wouldn’t leave the European Union, with a company official saying in June that investments might not continue in the case of a possible exit.
“Our view is that the U.K. should remain in the EU,” Microsoft’s UK Chief Executive Michel Van der Bel explained. “The U.K. remaining in the EU supports important criteria for continued and future investment by Microsoft and others.”
And yet, now that the United Kingdom is looking to leave the EU, Satya Nadella downplays all the speculation regarding measures that Microsoft could resort to, as many were afraid that the company might cut investments and lay off local employees.