Satya Nadella Faces Racist Backlash Over 'Hometown' Superbowl Tweet: 'Your People Are Indians'

Last Updated:February 11, 2026, 16:56 IST

Despite living in the Seattle area for more than three decades, Satya Nadella faced a wave of discriminatory responses targeting his Indian background.

Microsoft CEO Satya Nadella became the target of racist and xenophobic comments on social media after expressing enthusiasm for the Seattle Seahawks’ Super Bowl victory, as users attacked his Indian heritage and questioned his right to call Seattle his “hometown."

Following the Seattle Seahawks’ commanding 29-13 victory over the New England Patriots at Levi’s Stadium, Satya Nadella posted on X (formerly Twitter), “Congrats to our hometown Super Bowl champs @Seahawks! So thrilled for our city and the 12s!"

The reference to “12s" honors the Seahawks’ famous “12th man" fan tradition.

Despite living in the Seattle area for more than three decades, the tech executive faced a wave of discriminatory responses targeting his Indian background and upbringing in Hyderabad.

“Your hometown is Hyderabad, bruh," one user commented, while another wrote, “It’s not your hometown." Some responses went further, accusing Satya Nadella of hypocrisy and suggesting he was “living off US resources" while maintaining Indian “roots, culture and family ties." One particularly pointed comment stated, “But your hometown is somewhere in India, and your people are Indians. That is why you discriminate against American workers."

A Seattle Resident For Over 30 Years

Satya Nadella has been a fixture in the Seattle technology community since joining Microsoft in 1992. Born in Hyderabad in 1967, Satya Nadella was raised in a Telugu-speaking family. His father was an Indian Administrative Service (IAS) officer and his mother was a Sanskrit lecturer. After attending Hyderabad Public School and earning a bachelor’s degree in electrical engineering from the Manipal Institute of Technology in 1988, he moved to the United States for higher education. He completed a master’s degree in computer science from the University of Wisconsin–Milwaukee in 1990 and later earned an MBA from the University of Chicago Booth School of Business in 1997.

After a brief period at Sun Microsystems, Satya Nadella joined Microsoft in 1992. Over more than two decades, he worked across the company’s enterprise, cloud and platform divisions before being named CEO in 2014.

Satya Nadella has often spoken about how his Indian upbringing shaped his leadership philosophy. In a 2014 interview, he reflected, “My upbringing in India, the values, the curiosity, the hunger to learn – it’s a big part of who I am."

News world Satya Nadella Faces Racist Backlash Over 'Hometown' Superbowl Tweet: 'Your People Are Indians'

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