The following transcript is taken from the interview with CEO of the Resources Development Administration, Anuj Nadella
Mikael Carlyle: Welcome, everyone. My name is Mikael Carlyle, and sitting with me today is the CEO of the RDA, Anuj Nadella. Anuj, how are you? We chatted a bit in the green room about your family, but I know our two billion viewers are eager to hear how the CEO of the biggest company in the solar system is holding up.
Anuj Nadella: [laughs] Well, my pulse is holding steady at seventy beats per minute, and I've got a little more gray at the temples than the last time we sat down, which was… how long ago was that? Two years? Has it really been that long?
Carlyle: Three actually!
Nadella: Ha! Three years really flies. But no, I'm doing great. Honestly, better than I probably deserve.
Carlyle: That's fantastic to hear!
Nadella: Thanks. Oh, and we're also expecting our first grandchild soon.
Carlyle: Wow! Congratulations. That's a big milestone for your family, I'm sure.
Nadella: It is. I can't tell you enough how we're over the moon right now but thank you.
Carlyle: You're welcome. If you do not mind, I'm gonna shift gears a bit because right now, there's a big rumor floating around.
Nadella: Oh, a big rumor, huh? What happened to the small ones?
Carlyle: This one's been creating quite the buzz.
Nadella: Well… let me just say that we at the RDA don't usually comment on rumors. They often don't reflect our actual plans, and, honestly, the real surprises? They're better kept under wraps. For when the people are ready to hear us out. You know what I mean?
Carlyle: Totally get it. But you don't want to give us just a little something?
Nadella: That important, huh?
Carlyle: To our audience? Absolutely. For me? Eh, not so much. [laughs]
Nadella: [grinning] Oh, I see it in your eyes, you're dying to know.
Carlyle: Hah! Guilty.
Nadella: Alright, give it to me straight then—what have you been hearing?
Carlyle: The word on the extranet is that the RDA is ramping up on returning to Pandora.
Nadella: Hmm. That's not really breaking news, is it? I mean, we've been dropping hints here and there, just to gauge public sentiment. But nothing concrete, nothing too loud—more like... sprinkling breadcrumbs to see who's paying attention.
Carlyle: So, no major marketing push yet?
Nadella: No, not yet, but the feedback we've seen so far has been promising. People seem intrigued, curious you might say but cautious.
Carlyle: Ahh the classic corporate-speak. "Yes, it's happening, but we're not telling you what it is."
Nadella: [chuckles] That's pretty much how it works. You know, I've been CEO for sixteen years now, but the groundwork for Pandora started long before I ever took this position. The previous CEO, Robert, was sixty-eight when he greenlit the first colony plans without ever announcing what the RDA was going to do with Pandora. A lot of people were unsure what the RDA was going to do. It placed doubt in our company. And there was this heavy dark cloud hanging over everyone when he kept the best secrets close to his chest. So when it was finally announced what we were going to do, everyone was excited but sadly, he didn't live to see what we've accomplished. He was only a hundred and twelve when he passed but he past the torch to us. To make sure we finish what he started, and we're barely getting started.
Carlyle: If I remember right, wasn't that the same day RDA's stock skyrocketed?
Nadella: Fifty-five percent, to be exact. That's why timing is everything when it comes to announcements.
Carlyle: So, no announcements just yet?
Nadella: Only that we're looking to return to Pandora.
Carlyle: Why? I mean, the RDA was kicked off the moon.
Nadella: Kicked? No, no. We weren't kicked.
Carlyle: Then how do you respond to Parker Selfridge, the civil administrator on Pandora, who claimed the Na'vi attacked the colony?
Nadella: Mr. Selfridge was—and still is—a dedicated employee. He did everything in his power to keep our people safe when we made the decision to leave Pandora.
Carlyle: Decision? Are you saying the RDA left Pandora on your orders?
Nadella: That's exactly what I'm saying. Let's not pretend the Na'vi defeated us. They attacked, yes. They even laid siege to our colony. We responded accordingly and neutralized their base of operations. When the attacks continued, we launched what we believed to be a proportional offensive.
Carlyle: But it wasn't enough.
Nadella: Look, I'm not here to sugarcoat it. We lost good people. People I would call friends. There are families still grieving to this very day because of what the Na'vi did and that includes me. But let's be clear about one thing: we weren't forced off Pandora. The decision to leave was mine. I ordered it to prevent further bloodshed. Without that call, the losses on both sides would've been catastrophic. It was the only way to ensure that there can be room for peace when we return.
Carlyle: So this… Jake Sully. A former Marine who supposedly led a raid against the RDA. What can you tell me about him?
Nadella: I don't know who you're talking about.
Carlyle: Our sources claim the RDA brought him in to replace his brother, an avatar driver who died on Earth.
Nadella: We've had plenty of avatar drivers over the years, but none of them were ever "replaced." If a driver dies, the avatar is useless. It's destroyed. That's standard protocol.
Carlyle: So you're saying Jake Sully was never selected?
Nadella: I'm saying there is no Jake Sully. If his brother died, that would've been the end of the story. We don't go looking for replacements—it's impossible. The avatars are genetically linked to their drivers. And bringing in some random sibling with zero training? That's a recipe for disaster. We don't do that.
Carlyle: So you're certain there's no one named Jake Sully leading the Na'vi against the RDA?
Nadella: Absolutely.
Carlyle: Then how did the Na'vi manage to fight back against the RDA?
Nadella: The Na'vi know how to fight, sure, but they didn't understand what they were up against. They weren't prepared for our tech, not even close. That's part of why I made the call to pull our people out. Total annihilation wasn't the outcome we wanted but with our weapons, it was the only direction things were heading.
Carlyle: You're a far generous man than your predecessor, Mr. Nadella.
Nadella: Thank you.
Carlyle: One last question: what does the future look like for humanity, Earth, and Pandora?
Nadella: I see Pandora as humanity's safeguard, a world our future generations can turn to if, God forbid, Earth ever becomes uninhabitable. And before anyone thinks we will abandon Earth, allow me to clear the confusion: what we do and what we have planned isn't about abandoning Earth. Far from it. Our research on Pandora has already given us the tools to heal our planet. We've made breakthroughs in extending life, curing cancer, and even reversing damage to our oceans and land. Soon, we'll be able to bring back extinct species, restoring Earth to something close to what it was before we—well, before we messed it up. But this time, humanity and nature will work as one—an unstoppable force. So, no, we're not leaving Earth to die. This is our home, and we're going to revive her, make her better than ever. At the same time, Pandora will be our next chapter, the next step in our journey to the stars. A daughter to our Mother Earth, if you will.
Carlyle: Anuj Nadella, everybody! A poetic man! [laughs]
Nadella: I try not to be.
Carlyle: Thank you for coming.
Nadella: Thank you for having me on.
