From the Puget Sound Business Journal
Despite international fears about the impact on technology companies of the United Kingdom’s decision to exit the European Union, Microsoft CEO Satya Nadella this week said the vote will not impact the Redmond company’s investments – or jobs – in the country.
“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,” Nadella said on CNBC. “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.”
Microsoft (Nasdaq: MSFT) has more than 3,000 employees in six U.K. offices, according to the company’s website. The country, Nadella said, accounts for 7 to 8 percent of Microsoft’s revenue. The company, he said, won’t let the Brexit vote impact investments in the U.K. and won’t remove jobs from the country.
Earlier this year, the company’s U.K. chief released a statement, writing a vote to exit the EU could risk investments from Microsoft and other technology companies.
“Our view is that the U.K. should remain in the EU,” Microsoft’s U.K. chief executive Michel Van der Bel wrote. “The U.K. remaining in the EU supports important criteria for continued and future investment by Microsoft and others.”
Seattle-area financial experts said last week it will take years to realize the full effect of the Brexit vote for U.S. companies. Many expect a negative impact on technology companies.
