Nati Amsterdam Appointed CEO of Microsoft Israel After Leading Nvidia's Local Business
Translated & summarized from Ynet by baba
Microsoft has named Nati Amsterdam, former Nvidia Israel business head, as CEO of Microsoft Israel starting October. His appointment follows a leadership gap after Alon Haimovitch's resignation amid controversy over Microsoft's cloud services used by Israeli Intelligence Unit 8200. Amsterdam brings extensive tech leadership experience and will lead Microsoft Israel's business operations.
The story in 6 lines · by baba
- Nati Amsterdam appointed CEO of Microsoft Israel, starting October 2026.
- Amsterdam previously led Nvidia's business in Israel since 2017.
- Alon Haimovitch resigned in May 2026 after four years as CEO.
- Haimovitch's departure linked to controversy over Unit 8200's use of Microsoft Azure.
- Microsoft blocked Unit 8200's access to some cloud services after a 2025 investigation.
- Avi Yosha continues as Microsoft Israel's Chief Technology Officer.
Microsoft has appointed Nati Amsterdam, former head of Nvidia's business operations in Israel, as the new CEO of Microsoft Israel. Amsterdam will assume the role in October and oversee the company's local business activities. Avi Yosha, who served as interim CEO following Alon Haimovitch's departure, will continue as Microsoft Israel's Chief Technology Officer.
Amsterdam brings nearly 30 years of senior leadership experience in Israel's tech sector, including a previous tenure as CEO of VMware Israel. He joined Microsoft from Nvidia, where he established and led the company's Israeli business since 2017. Amsterdam holds a bachelor's degree in business administration from Ruppin Academic Center and an MBA from Ben-Gurion University, and he served in the Israeli Air Force's communications and encryption unit.
The CEO appointment follows a two-and-a-half-month period without a permanent leader after Haimovitch announced his resignation in early May, ending his four-year term. Haimovitch's sudden departure sparked speculation, largely due to controversy surrounding Microsoft's involvement with Israeli Intelligence Unit 8200. This issue escalated in September 2025 after a British Guardian investigation revealed Unit 8200's extensive use of Microsoft's Azure cloud services for surveillance and data processing.
In response, Microsoft conducted an urgent external review and subsequently blocked Unit 8200's access to certain storage and artificial intelligence services by the end of September 2025. Amsterdam's appointment marks a new chapter for Microsoft Israel amid ongoing scrutiny of its ties to Israeli intelligence operations.
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