Why Satya Nadella is facing a racist backlash over Super Bowl tweet

Microsoft CEO Satya Nadella found himself at the centre of a social media storm after congratulating the Seattle Seahawks on their Super Bowl victory, with several users questioning his claim of Seattle as his “hometown” and targeting his Indian roots.

Following the Seahawks’ 29-13 win over the New England Patriots at Levi’s Stadium, Nadella took to X to celebrate the moment. “Congrats to our hometown Super Bowl champs @Seahawks! So thrilled for our city and the 12s!” he wrote, referring to the team’s passionate fan base known as the “12th man” — a nod to the crowd’s role as an extra player on the field.

‘Your hometown is Hyderabad, bruh’

While many fans echoed his excitement, others focused on his birthplace in Hyderabad.

Comments such as “Your hometown is Hyderabad, bruh” and “It’s not your hometown” flooded the thread. Some users went further, accusing him of hypocrisy and questioning his identity, with one alleging he was “living off US resources” while maintaining Indian roots. Another user wrote, “Your people are Indians, that is why you discriminate against American workers.”

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Nadella, 58, was born in Hyderabad in 1967 and moved to the United States for higher studies in the late 1980s. He has lived in the Seattle area for over three decades and is widely known to be a supporter of local sports teams.

Rose through the ranks in Microsoft

An alumnus of Hyderabad Public School and the Manipal Institute of Technology, Nadella completed his master’s degree in computer science from the University of Wisconsin–Milwaukee and later earned an MBA from the University of Chicago Booth School of Business. After a brief stint at Sun Microsystems, he joined Microsoft in 1992.

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Rising through the ranks, Nadella became CEO in 2014 and steered the company towards cloud computing, artificial intelligence, and cross-platform collaboration. Under his leadership, Microsoft strengthened its Azure cloud platform and acquired LinkedIn and GitHub, re-establishing itself as a global technology powerhouse.

'Proud of Indian upbringing'

In 2022, he was awarded the Padma Bhushan, India’s third-highest civilian honour.

Nadella has often spoken about how his upbringing in India shaped his leadership style.

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“My upbringing in India, the values, the curiosity, the hunger to learn — it’s a big part of who I am,” he said in a 2014 interview.