Microsoft CEO Satya Nadella Reportedly Calls 2 Different CEOs Every Day — and Has 2 Favorite Questions Microsoft's CEO asks staff to set up two calls a day with leaders of other companies, from Perplexity CEO Aravind Srinivas to former NFL coach Pete Carroll.

^{This article originally appeared on Business Insider.}

Satya Nadella's daily routine consists of waking up at 7 a.m., practicing mindfulness exercises, and, in a new twist, apparently making multiple phone calls to different CEOs.

The Microsoft CEO asks staff to set up two calls a day with other executives of various companies, The Information said in a report detailing Nadella's networking strategies.

The report says he talks to major AI players, such as Perplexity CEO Aravind Srinivas, to leaders in non-tech fields, such as Pete Carroll, the former head coach of the Seattle Seahawks.

While Nadella's consistency with these daily phone calls is noteworthy, fostering connections with high-profile industry leaders isn't uncommon among corporate elites.

Sam Altman, the CEO of OpenAI — which has reportedly received over $13 billion from Microsoft — often hosts gatherings for his friends and colleagues. He's even said that the ChatGPT maker emerged from a series of dinners.

Rebecca Arnold, a leadership coach and the founder of Root Coaching & Consulting, told Business Insider that a lot of the leaders she's worked with "feel like they lack a kind of affinity group" — "people to really bounce ideas off of who will straight talk them."

She advised other leaders to turn to third parties for guidance, though she noted that it's important to be aware of possible biases and echo chambers that can develop.

Arnold said executives should remain conscious of the context of the feedback they're receiving and how they use it "in conjunction with other types of feedback from within their organization."

"What's your purpose? What are you getting from it? How are you taking the advice? What are you finding?" she said. "And then how is it playing into your wider thinking about your organization?"

Nadella seems focused on expanding his network and keeping his finger on the pulse of budding companies.

The Information said that Nadella likes to ask two questions when speaking to venture capitalists or CEOs: "What new startups are you excited about, and what new people have you met that would be good to know?"

And it seems that his strategy has been successful. His frequent calls reportedly laid the foundation for crucial partnerships, including with Mustafa Suleyman, the cofounder of both DeepMind and Inflection AI, the latter of which Microsoft has invested in. Nadella, who reportedly remained in close contact with Suleyman for several years, eventually hired him to head up Microsoft AI.

Microsoft has also invested in various startups, including participating in a $675 million funding round in the humanoid robotics startup Figure AI and another $1.5 billion for the UAE-based AI company G42, in just the past year.

There's a good chance a phone call from Nadella came first.