Alaa Badr shares a story and experiences that show resilience and the power of oneself. As the founder of a successful startup during the "internet gold rush," a key player in Microsoft's cloud revolution, and a leader in the AI era, Alaa Badr shared that his professional journey mirrors the evolution of technology itself.

Beyond the boardrooms and breakthroughs, his personal life is equally rich—filled with stories of spontaneous adventures, heartfelt connections, and a deep appreciation for diverse cultures and cuisines.

Whether navigating a conversation in five languages tackling the challenges of remote work during COVID-19, or exploring ancient ruins underwater, Alaa embodies the spirit of discovery and perseverance.

This is a glimpse into a man's life who promises "not one boring moment"—a philosophy that drives his personal and professional endeavors.

The Egyptian Revolution of 2011

He asked me, “Where are you from?” in German (which I don’t speak but was able to understand), and I said, “From Egypt”. His eyes widened, and he said something: "Ohh, great work in Tahrir Square, the doner kabab is on the house”!

That was March 2011, roughly 1 day after the overthrow of one of Egypt’s notorious dictators who had remained in power for 30 years and had aspirations of having his son take over after his death. Tahrir Square (the Square of Liberation) was the culmination of years of oppression and economic disparity that led to > 1 million people demonstrating peacefully and leading to the departure of the prior regime.

We were all proud; every Egyptian supported this movement however they could and wherever they were. I was in Munich on Microsoft business - a global meeting of Solutions Specialists and Sellers that sold, deployed, and proved the customer value of Microsoft tech. Having a Turkish sandwich shop owner in Munich offer me a free meal was not on the agenda ;-).

We resumed our conversation in a combination of German, broken English, Turkish, Arabic, and hand signals in a way that made us brothers forever, with a big brotherly hug at the end. What many people don’t know is the sophistication of the organization in the Square in Cairo; social media was used to rally support, organize protests, come up with new (and sometimes hilarious) chants, move doctors around where people were hurt, get medical supplies, and generally get stuff done.

This was the first-ever revolution that empowered Facebook, Twitter/X, geolocation services, and Google Docs.

“Not one boring moment”

When I proposed to my wife, she remembers me saying, “Well, I can’t tell you what my plan is” (mainly because one didn’t exist), “but I promise you there won’t be a boring moment in your life.” I was a co-founder in Egypt with three other friends in a new technology company during the Internet “oil rush” era.

We had offers to sell all, or parts of, the company in 6 months….the attitudes were hilarious. Some founders were willing to take $5 and be done (exaggerating the number, of course, but you get it), others felt they had poured heart and soul into it (with all manner of junk food delivery wrappers to prove it), and wanted millions.

The governing factor around startups is one thing only - ECONOMICS. Since we didn’t need to re-invent any wheels and found a buyer willing to pick up all three pieces (systems integration, cloud hoster, and application security services), we went for it. That brought me back to the US to see where the road takes me (and my wife since we had just gotten married) next.

And that’s where Microsoft “happened.” That journey took us from Atlanta - Charlotte - Riyadh - Paris - Toronto to Seattle in ~ 6 years. Yes - there was no boredom…. Technology evolved (invention of Xbox, new versions of Windows, Office, browsers, and early Nokia cell phones), and so did our family (new baby, different home, new food options, very different climates, and lots of moving trucks, ships, and airplanes).

 Suddenly, the World Comes to an End…

I had just accepted a new position with Oracle Cloud Infrastructure - the new “kid” in town for Cloud Services - and met my manager in downtown Seattle. We salute each other with an “elbow bump” (the replacement of the “fist bump”) since it was week one of what the CDC called a “new and unknown strand of virus.”

It was the start of what felt like the ultimate disaster that was going to destroy humanity - COVID-19. The VP of HR met me and said, “Yeah, we are asking everyone to work from home for the next couple of weeks to ensure everyone is safe. Then we’ll all be back - we’ll mail you your laptop”. The first death from COVID-19 in the US was at a retirement home in Kirkland, WA - 10 minutes from where I lived, and the “work from home mandate” lasted for a full 2.5 years.

There are several key lessons that I personally took from COVID:

1. The world didn’t “stop” as some had predicted in the early days; yes, people went crazy and bought toilet paper like it was going out of fashion (and I remember thinking to myself. “In what end-of-world Zombie movie do people die from not having enough toilet paper”). Supermarket shelves became eerily empty, new cars couldn’t be found, and families had to adjust their “home arrangements.”
2. The global economy kept humming—even with the massive supply chain disruptions. Enterprises bought a ton of Cloud in COVID—workloads and applications were moving into data centers like there was no tomorrow; the limiting factor became capacity, not customers' willingness to spend. We had to accelerate new regions globally because of demand.
3. Technology worked! Zoom became the hero of existence, backgrounds became the new fashion statement, and what you ate for snacks became (at least for me and my team - including someone who lived on an island), part of the conversation and a “show and tell” component of our daily standups.
4. Humanity succeeds in finding cures when we work together. That last point gave me (personally) hope for the future. Yes, we had to stick these crazy testers in our brains every time we traveled (when that eventually opened up), but it worked. Airlines now gave extra space by not packing passengers in like sardines (for which they are taking revenge now in 2024).
5. I discovered my favorite personal new invention (and still to this date) - the E-bike! My requirements were simple: I needed a way to feel like I was exercising (while not exercising;-))…..and it has been nothing short of fantastic. COVID also pushed the E-Bike manufacturers to produce bigger batteries with faster output and higher capacity to the point where I can get 50 miles on my latest rev. And, after hacking the controller, you can reach speeds of up to 35 miles per hour on the throttle!
6. People constantly need words of hope, encouragement, and “light at the end of the tunnel” outcomes, so people of faith gathered online and spoke about how they felt, promises in the Quran, and the virtues of patience and remembrance of God during times of trial.

“Meaningful Moments” of Technology Over the Last 20 Years

One of my personal favorite Amazonian leadership principles is “Invent and Simplify”; in my experience, that capability (followed by “Is right a lot”), is amongst the hardest to apply and get right. I will attempt to super simplify my perspective on the last 40 years of technology advancements in chronological order from the time I studied engineering and data comms in Australia to the time my team placed an AI “vision helmet” on Max Verstappen’s Formula 1 car for the Red Bull racing team.

The advent of the PC has to be number 1; Microsoft got it right - no question about it. The mission statement of “putting a PC in every home” was visionary for humans. Computers were (at the time) the privilege of the lucky few. Those people (usually) worked for banks (or IBM ;-), wore suits, knew something called “Cobol,” and used dumb terminals. The PC, in essence, flipped all of that on its head.

The Internet—need I say more? Second, came the invention of the browser—Netscape was way ahead; they defined and foresaw “The Coming of the Internet Tidalwave” (later, a very famous paper at Microsoft was written with that title) that allowed humans to use this new global library called the Internet.

Gaming sprouted alternatives to the PC: critical gaming devices that came out at that time (but still worthy of mention since they were the predecessors to what has become the industry standard of today) are the Sony PS1, Sega Genesis, Nintendo SNES, and Gameboy.

Cell phones and mobile devices became cheaper and more available, and cellular networks got real. Remember the classical Nokia ringtone? And Microsoft Windows Phone (hmmm?)... to today's iPhones and Android devices, including Pixel Phones, Samsungs, and the myriad of choice/power. (As an additional “by the way moment”, the power of today’s phones is 1 million times more - yes, you read that right - than those PCs I spoke about above).

Cloud: the ability to “on demand” bring online computing capabilities and 1000s of additional complementary services rather than building your own data center, which is accurate with Amazon Web Services.

Customer obsession is the number one Amazonian leadership principle. We did everything possible to build AWS to suit Netflix’s unique requirements, which later translated to what most customers wanted. Cloud Services became the analogy to using a public utility company vs. “build your own” well-powered by an animal- connected to your house with a cable-delivering wattage to keep the lights on.

And then AI happened….

The Advent of ChatGPT (and everything else)...

When machines can answer complex questions based on the body of knowledge known as “The Internet” in seconds - things change. Specifically, I don't mean “search results”; I mean machines solving an Algebra 2 exam with a B+ or better or taking a high school Biology 2 exam and scoring ~ 90%.

We are still in day one of this new technology, and companies will have their “own AI,” similar to how companies have their email, X account, and Facebook page. Having delivered on three critical projects over the last 3 years involving the FORMULA ONE racing team (that keeps on winning BTRW ;-), a restaurant chain in the US popular with Gen Z, and a Danish Windmill manufacturer, we can all see where this is headed; more intelligent machines, more efficient cost control, and improved worker efficiency.

In general, technologists have solved the “problem of computing” (think nVidia), and have algorithms (LLMs from various top-notch companies). However, we are still challenged with data _ regarding size and privacy. Data and power availability will become the next frontier for AI progress.

Where Do I go from here…

Funnily enough, I find it hard to sit around pondering…my professional coach told me multiple times over the last 10 years that I needed to “slow down,” and (pre-COVID) she said, “You need just to stop”! She is right on both counts.

Never to be forgotten is my quest for incredible food through travel. On the books is a next-year trip covering 5-6 countries in different climates, diverse cultures, and varying food specialties, starting with Japan.

So here’s what I’m thinking: I will start to produce my own Netflix Anime based on the life of a famous freedom fighter, sailor, and military genius of the Middle Age Ottomans who knew every nook and cranny in the Mediterranean like the “palm of his hand.”

I will also write a personal memoir, maintain my board presence in several companies, advise on all manners of Customer Success for AI tooling/metrics, and - find the lost city of Atlantis. Underwater is where I “find myself,” and making discoveries of ancient human history is the bonus.

Make sure to follow Alaa Badr on his social media where he shares his work, travel experiences and more!