Executive Spotlight: Who Is Kevin Scott, Microsoft's Chief Technology Officer?
Kevin Scott is Chief Technology Officer of Microsoft. Microsoft's leadership page says he leads the company's technical vision and works to make Microsoft an exceptional place for engineers, developers and researchers.
Microsoft named him CTO on January 24, 2017, shortly after it acquired LinkedIn, where he had been a senior vice president. Earlier he worked at Google and AdMob.
This page uses public professional information only.
Current role and company
Microsoft's newsroom lists his title as Chief Technology Officer. When he was appointed in 2017, Fortune reported that he reported to CEO Satya Nadella and that his first task was to get LinkedIn and the Office 365 and Dynamics 365 teams working together. In May 2025 he appeared with Nadella in the Microsoft Build keynote.
- TitleChief Technology Officer, Microsoft (per Microsoft).
- AppointedJanuary 24, 2017 (per Fortune).
- BoardShopify (per Microsoft's bio page).
- AlsoHost of the Behind the Tech podcast and author of Reprogramming the American Dream.
Career path
- Academia. He completed most of a Ph.D. in computer science at the University of Virginia, after a master's in computer science at Wake Forest University and a bachelor's at Lynchburg College.
- Google. He held leadership roles in search and ads engineering, then oversaw mobile ads engineering, including the integration of Google's $750 million acquisition of AdMob, per Microsoft.
- AdMob. He was responsible for engineering and operations of its mobile monetization platform. Microsoft's page gives no dates for these roles.
- LinkedIn. Senior vice president of engineering and operations. Microsoft says he helped build the engineering teams and led the company through its IPO and six years of rapid growth.
- Microsoft CTO. Named to the role in January 2017, after Microsoft acquired LinkedIn.
What he is known for
- Technical vision. Microsoft describes his job as leading the company's technical vision.
- Connecting LinkedIn and Microsoft. His first assignment as CTO, per Fortune, was to bring LinkedIn and Microsoft's business-software teams together.
- Public voice on technology. He hosts the Behind the Tech podcast, which Microsoft's bio says he also founded as a nonprofit, and wrote Reprogramming the American Dream.
- Patents and awards. He is a co-inventor on several patents on search and information extraction and has received a Google Founder's Award, an Intel Ph.D. Fellowship and an ACM Recognition of Service Award.
Leadership style and philosophy
Microsoft's bio says he focuses on making the company an exceptional place for engineers, developers and researchers to work and learn, and notes a 20-year career spanning academia and industry. We have not quoted his talks directly; his Microsoft Build 2025 keynote with Satya Nadella is listed on his newsroom page for readers who want his own words.
Key numbers
Figures describe Microsoft and are company-reported in its fiscal 2026 fourth-quarter release of July 29, 2026.
- Fiscal year 2026 revenue$331.8 billion, up 18% (twelve months ended June 30, 2026; company-reported).
- Fiscal year 2026 operating income$155.2 billion, up 21% (company-reported).
- Q4 FY2026 revenue$90.0 billion, up 18% (three months ended June 30, 2026; company-reported).
- Q4 FY2026 Microsoft Cloud revenue$59.3 billion, up 27% (company-reported).
What to watch next
Worth tracking: how Microsoft's technical direction shows up at its next developer keynotes, and his continuing public conversations on the Behind the Tech podcast.
Questions people ask
Who is Kevin Scott at Microsoft?
He is Microsoft's Chief Technology Officer, per Microsoft's newsroom leadership page.
When did Kevin Scott become Microsoft's CTO?
Microsoft named him CTO on January 24, 2017, per Fortune.
What did Kevin Scott do before Microsoft?
He was a senior vice president of engineering and operations at LinkedIn, and earlier worked at Google and AdMob, per Microsoft.
Where did Kevin Scott study?
Microsoft's bio lists an M.S. in computer science from Wake Forest University and a B.S. from Lynchburg College, plus most of a Ph.D. at the University of Virginia.
What is Behind the Tech?
A podcast he hosts; Microsoft's bio also lists him as founder of the Behind the Tech nonprofit.
Sources
- Microsoft Source: Kevin Scott · Title, bio, career, boards, photo
- Fortune: Microsoft taps LinkedIn exec as CTO (Jan 24, 2017) · Appointment and first assignment
- Microsoft Investor Relations: FY2026 Q4 earnings release · Company figures
Facts were read from the linked pages on October 31, 2026, partly through a fetch tool that returns summaries, so confirm details on the original pages. The hero photo is Microsoft's official headshot, centered on a card. This page covers public professional information only.
Top photo: Microsoft (news.microsoft.com/source/exec/kevin-scott)