Notably, Nadella hasn't been quick to join other companies' boards. His only other major board membership is at the Fred Hutchison Cancer Research Center, which he joined in 2016.

Just how this will influence Starbucks' strategy isn't clear. Nadella is a board member, not an executive, so he won't be directly calling the shots. However, board memberships have a habit of influencing what companies do -- Apple's Tim Cook has been on Nike's board since 2005, remember. While you probably aren't about to order a grande latte with your HoloLens any time soon, it won't be surprising if Nadella nudges Starbucks toward more extensive uses of tech.