Microsoft Taps Nvidia Vet for Top Israel Post Amid Cloud Contract Controversy

Nati Amsterdam has been appointed as the new general manager of Microsoft Israel. He comes from Nvidia, where he spent nearly a decade as country director.

Amsterdam's move to Microsoft is seen as a challenging one, given the company's recent setbacks in the Israeli market. In 2026, Microsoft lost the Nimbus cloud tender to Amazon and Google, with government ministries and agencies increasingly moving their systems to these services.

The company also faced backlash when it unilaterally terminated its cloud agreement with IDF signals intelligence unit 8200 due to alleged terms of use breaches. This led to an in-depth investigation into the use of Microsoft's systems by Israeli security forces, which ultimately resulted in the previous general manager Alon Haimovich leaving his post.

Amsterdam brings extensive experience working with large companies, government agencies, and universities. At 51, he is set to tackle the task of preserving Microsoft's standing in Israel during a difficult period for the company.