Hit Refresh audiobook

This is a story about how Satya Nadella, CEO of Microsoft sought to change Microsoft’s culture and rediscover it’s soul. It makes for interesting reading, especially with his emphasis on empathy being the bedrock of his thinking – trying to move public perception of Microsoft being a big uncaring giant falling behind competitors like Apple, to a more forward-looking organisation which invests in research, it’s people and it’s culture. The culture change which Satya talks about does come across as real and significant especially if you have a close view of the industry. He talks of his learnings of empathy from his personal life (with a child with special needs) and the progression of his thoughts and plans for Microsoft. While the theme of empathy seems to repeat too often through the pages, it is certainly an important one – especially for large organisations.The other theme is one of a collaborative ecosystem – working together with competitors where necessary. The discussion around privacy in the later part of the book (where Microsoft stood on the same side as Apple) makes for interesting reading. And there is the episode he describes where he walks onto the stage at an event holding an iPhone (he does soften the blow by saying most of the applications on the phone were from Microsoft!). Microsoft’s new approach to how it deals with it’s competitors, is now seeing it develop more and more solutions which run on iOS and Android. I wish there was more material on how he sees Artificial Intelligence will pervade our personal lives and businesses. While there is a bit of that, it is mostly public knowledge. It would have also been good to read more about his earlier years in Microsoft.Overall, a book I liked for it’s simplicity and especially the values it emphasises.

As a current Microsoft employee I now like Satya even more after reading his book: Hit Refresh. He comes across as more humble and thoughtful than any other current CEO in the tech sector, yet is just as driven and intelligent. I particularly like his mantra of having empathy for our customers and colleagues. Listen first and seek to understand before making any judgement, but be willing to challenge long held beliefs. Satya convinced me changing culture from the top-down and bottom-up is critical to Microsoft's future growth and success. Genius technical and strategic decisions from the top is not enough.Anecdotes about Satya's severely disabled son, mother and wife's sacrifices, and employees with disabilities really illustrated Satya has learned the importance of empathy. I was particularly struck by one anecdote when he first interviewed at Microsoft. He was asked "Imagine you see a baby laying in the street, and the baby is crying. What do you do?". As a young engineer without children he answered the question exactly as I would have 10 years ago: "You call 911". I love the interviewers response: "You need some empathy, man. If a baby is laying on the street crying, pick up the baby." This is a "yeah, duh!" moment where Satya started to learn the importance of empathy.On the literary side of things the book wasn't quite as strong. Some of the themes felt forced as he bluntly repeated certain phrases over and over from chapter to chapter without much finesse. Obviously, I'll cut him some slack as writing books isn't his full-time job and he's an engineer at heart (or at least a cricket player).His technical vision also worried me a bit due to lack of details and questionable insight when talking about the future of AI. I thought the three big bets of AI, mixed reality, and quantum were excellent choices but I would have liked more details. What the heck is "topological quantum computing"? It would have been nice to at least have some sort of high level overview or analogy instead of just throwing out a term I've never heard and say "Microsoft's doing this and it's going to be incredible, trust me!". I also thought his glossing over of the singularity was off when he described it as "the moment when computer intelligence will surpass human intelligence, [which] might occur by the year 2100". Um, almost all singularity proponents think it will almost certainly happen by 2100, the question is more will it happen by 2050. It then becomes a much more pressing issue, especially when it comes to jobs displacement which Satya covered extensively. Finally, this statement with no further explanation baffled me: "A worthy target for quantum will be advancing AI's ability to truly comprehend human speech and then accurately summarize it." I've never heard any credible AI researcher say quantum computing would be necessary, let alone useful, for doing such a task. As far we know the human brain doesn't use quantum computing and we can do that task just fine.Even with Satya's questionable understanding of what technological singularity proponents/alarmists like Ray Kurweil, Elon Musk and Stephen Hawking are saying, I really like his paraphrasing of Alan Kay that he believed we should "Stop predicting what the future will be like; instead, create it in a principled way." That's the most important sentiment and I suspect as AI advances even faster than Satya realizes he'll quickly adapt with his growth mindset. That combined with his empathy and belief that "We can't do business effectively in 190 countries unless we prioritize the creation of great local economic opportunity in each of those countries", I think Microsoft and the world will be just fine. Satya is a great CEO and he makes me proud to work for Microsoft.

Really loved the first half of this book. Overall information was really good but it got a little too technical and regulation based in the back half.

I'm a Microsoft employee, but this opinion is my own. This book describes three topics, at a high level: - Satya Nadella's career and personal life: from a student in India to becoming the CEO of Microsoft, and everything in between, including his personal challenges- Microsoft's transformation under Satya's tenure- Industry trends, policies, regulations and how tech companies should enable people to become more productiveSatya's story is encouraging. This is the true story of someone who is talented, works very hard and gets to the top of one of the most influential companies of our times. He explains how his parents influenced him and how his passion for cricket helped shape his leadership style. Then he elaborates on his move to the United States and how none of this could have happened in case his wife (who was his girlfriend back then) did not get a visa. In fact, Satya went as far as giving up his green card to make this happen. I learned a lot from his examples and felt encouraged to take on challenges if that is what my heart tells me I need to do. On the Microsoft transformation, if you follow Microsoft (as an employee, enthusiast or any other role) it is super fun to see the internals on how the CEO search went from his point of view, and the inside stories on projects like HoloLens, Office for iOS, the quantum computer and others. Satya took a 180 degrees turn with the company focusing on a massive culture change that encourages us all to have more empathy, ask more questions and learn more (be a learn-it-all, not a know-it-all). He describes how partnerships with companies like Samsung, Adobe and Apple strengthened recently and gives the company a clear focus on three big technology trends: artificial intelligence, mixed reality and quantum computing. The last part of the book focuses on regulations and how our laws need to be modernized in a digital world. He cites how Microsoft Chief Legal Officer, Brad Smith, describes that laws that were written when a simple "adding machine" was available. The same way technology evolved, our laws need to respond to that evolution and it makes no sense to apply centuries-old laws on our current reality. We all need to care about public safety and security, but writing backdoors into software is like giving authorities a master key to all safes ever built. Satya gives guidelines on what those policies should look like and where to start. In summary, there's lots to learn from this book. I recommend it to anyone interested in the future of technology, in leadership, and to any Microsoft enthusiast.

Satya Nadella is the third CEO at Microsoft, following Bill Gates and Steve Ballmer. “Hit Refresh” is his story and journey, one that is in the middle of still being told. It covers his physical journey included growing up in India, college in Wisconsin, early jobs in Silicon Valley, and finally his long-term career at Microsoft, from engineer to leader to CEO.It covers his philosophical journey of discovery through personal pain and family challenges that truly understanding diversity and inclusion brings humility, respect, and unity. It covers his personal quest to lead real cultural change at Microsoft; to rediscover the soul and focus that it’s founding fathers had to make the world a better place for everyone.It covers his future vision of technology, which includes the synergistic melding of mixed reality, artificial intelligence, and quantum computing to shift our economies and society.Does it include an underlying layer of self-promotion for a Microsoft comeback to its glory days? Yes, but at the same time, Nadella is fairly honest about his company’s mistakes and lessons learned. He was more open and honest than I expected, and I respect him for that. I was especially interested in how he addressed the need to Harnish technology in way that tackles society’s greatest challenges – climate, cancer, and providing people with productive and meaningful work as more and more jobs are eliminated through automation. Chapters eight and nine were more than worth the price of the book alone. More importantly, the truth this book reveals feels almost like an oxymoron - Nadella is a people person leading a technology company. A company famous for previous leaders being known for understanding computer language more than social skills. Although I prefer fiction to non-fiction, this was an excellent read. Although I didn’t fully understand most of mixed reality and quantum computing, I came away with a greater understanding of Nadella’s leadership and vision of a better society, not only through technological advancements, but by being better humans. I was moved by his optimistic outlook and influenced enough to share his insight with others in my circle of influence and friendship. Hopefully, you will too.

This had been my breakfast companion for a month. Loved to start the day with some positivity and insights on Microsoft's mental shift.Satya sounds true to his name and has candidly expressed his opinions, strategies, beliefs and changes that he wanted to manouvre in Microsoft. Writing in hindsight is always easier, but here he has taken up the challenge to write in present-tense.... in spite of being well aware of how much of the stuff could backfire.One unique thing that captured my fancy was having two titles per chapter - sort of heading and sub heading, which makes it very easy to recollect and reference prior instances.Enjoyed reading this.

For the first time in 2016 Microsoft offered a free upgrade to Windows 10. That was surprising to me as I had never seen Microsoft offer anything for free. But at that time I didn't pay much attention to the fact and happily upgraded to Windows 10 and encouraged others to do so as well. I checked out the new Internet Explorer and Bing for a month before I decided to switch back to Google Chrome and Google search. I now realize that unwittingly, I was a part of the Microsoft's new campaign and I am not sad I was.What gripped me from the beginning of this book was the tone of honesty and integrity with which the transformation story of Microsoft was narrated. Satya Nadella is a candid writer and has a deep grasp of Microsoft and it's history. He brings forth the challenges facing Microsoft when he took over as the CEO and in a totally uncharacteristic and 'unMicrosoft' way he picks out Culture as the starting point of change. The people angle he brings out has deep set roots in his brought up and his own personal experience as a father, a husband and a son and above all a human being. All the while one can see the humanitarian working in the foreground with a hint of the technologist at the back ground.Don't mistake Satya as a humanist without a grasp on technology. As Satya outlines his personal challenges and how his specially abled Son was able to use Microsoft's technology to his advantage, you see how deeply Satya understand technology and it's utility in human transformation. Later on when he outlines Microsoft's strategic plan, he focuses on those areas where Human Computer Interactions are bringing about transforamtion. Satya has his eyes set out on AI, ML and the Cloud and he has taken strides to propel Microsoft to take concrete steps in that direction. These chapters read like a technologists vision while the humanitarian always remains in the background.From a managerial point of view, Satya, brilliantly outlines and weaves both his humane approach and his technological vision into a profitable business strategy that has propelled Microsoft into the frontlines in technology and is transforming it into a leader that it once was. In the process we discover some of the brilliant projects that weren't paid attention to earlier and the leading edge that Microsoft could get, if they begin using the same and weave into its strategic pattern.Finally, Satya talks about building sustainable business by helping both Private and Public Sector enterprises and Governments. His discussion on Privacy is deep and some of his solutions truly are a balance between legal requirements and user privacy. I am thrilled to know that Satya reads Science Fiction and there are many books we've read in common. Some of the ideas that he has enjoyed and thought possible were enjoyed by me too. It's a good book, although it gets into a skim read towards the end. Recommended for those who are interested to read business strategy, tech savvy enthusiasts and those who want to know where Microsoft is headed in the near future

Full review on: FLIPPING THROUGH THE PAGESThis book is not for everyone. It is for those who understand technology a bit and are interested in knowing the inner workings of an organization like Microsoft. Not just about Microsoft, you need to learn what a person Satya Nadella is how is reached from a small place in India to where he is today.Now let’s move to the probable reasons as to why you should read it.1. To know Satya Nadella’s journey from India to MicrosoftSatya Nadella’s journey is encouraging as well as powerful. His story shows us that how hard work and talent can lead you to the places you only dream about. Satya belongs to a middle-class Indian family. He talks about his life and friends in India and how his parents shaped his future to be a better human being. He was and is a big cricket enthusiast and he explained how the game of Cricket actually helped him to learn the qualities like leadership and empathy. The part where Satya told about his initial move to the US was very moving. His wife was having trouble in getting the visa and he was ready to give up his green card in case she did not get it. But luckily she got it. I was surprised to know that their first child is disabled. I can understand the difficulties that they would have faced. There were so many things to learn from Satya’s examples. He encourages you to take challenges and to listen to your heart sometime. He tells the importance of family and how it helps make your future.2. If interested in knowing more about Microsoft and how actually Microsoft did “hit refresh”It was fun to know the internal working of Microsoft. When Satya became the CEO, and even the years before that, Microsoft was going downwards. He took many decisions which not only changed the face of Microsoft but allowed them to transform the Microsoft completely. The decisions were not at all easy, but it was important to take those. Satya Realised that except Office, none of their products were selling as they had speculated because of the competition going on in the market from the rivals like Amazon and Apple.Satya did many changes in the company’s culture and took a complete 180 degrees turn (Hit Refresh) to not only encourage the employee’s satisfaction but also encouraged them to have more empathy. He encouraged them to learn more, to ask questions and to participate fully.3. If you want to know what actually goes behind successful companies and their strugglesThis is not a hidden fact that so much politics go inside big companies like Microsoft. It was amazing to know the work culture of Microsoft, its various work programmes, its team divisions and inside details. If you are someone who likes to join Microsoft someday or is simply fascinated by it, you would find it particularly interesting. It doesn’t matter how big is an organization. There is always a room for more improvement and growth. Microsoft was too lenient a few years ago and employees were unsatisfied. Satya tried to change this and thus helped Microsoft to come out of the difficult phase.4. If you are a tech person or love technologyOh yes! If you simply love technology you should read this whether you are in a technical field or not. Satya has talked about many technologies which I was amazed to hear for the first time. There was seriously so much to learn about the new products that Microsoft is making or the current projects they are working on. I had heard many of the names before, but I had never gone into the details of things like quantum computing and artificial intelligence. But Satya’s words will take you on that amazing journey. As per him, currently there are three big technology trends: artificial intelligence, mixed reality and quantum computing and they have to work towards making a hold on those.5. If you want to learn the basic importance of leadership, empathy, equation of trust etc.This was my favourite part of the book. It was more like a moral teaching. Satya told that in today’s world we should try to make friends even with our enemies. He describes how partnerships with companies like Samsung, Adobe and Apple have provided benefits to Microsoft and have given future alliances to strengthen themselves with a clear focus. With making the enemies friends (fre-enemies) often we can get profits in some fields, if not at all. He talked about the importance of leadership and how that leadership quality helped him to overcome the failure that Microsoft was going towards.Final ThoughtsThere is a lot to learn from this book. Not only you can learn many things about Satya himself, but also about the Microsoft’s journey and the changes, it incorporated in order to survive. This book can get a little technical in between. But if you are a technology enthusiast you should definitely read this. You should read this to understand how technology is going to change and is going to affect YOU and what role you can play into this.Blog | Facebook | Twitter | Instagram | Pinterest | Amazon

Mixed Reality, Artificial Intelligence and Quantum Computing. These are the three most passionate exhortations one finds in "Hit Refresh" by Satya Nadella, the CEO of Microsoft. An autobiography subtly disguised as an expression of the current cultural ethos prevailing inside the world's largest tech behemoth, "Hit Refresh" is an alarmingly thought provoking book. Emphasising his reluctance in writing a memoir ("I'll save that for my dotage"), Satya Nadella briefly traces his origins and adolescence spent primarily in the South Indian City of Hyderabad. The son of an Economist father (a believer in Marxism) and a scholarly mother, Nadella - as is invariably the case with a teeming multitude of Indians - was strongly addicted to the thralls and throes of cricket. Representing his school as an off spin bowler, Nadella egregiously confesses his adoration for M.L.Jaisimha, a former Indian batsman known for his languid grace and flamboyance, both on and off the pitch. The hustle and bustle of Hyderabad makes way for the serene environs of Redmond as Nadella leaves India at the age of twenty to chart his destiny in the United States of America. A move to Microsoft exposes him to the turbulence and tumult of the advancements in technology and he soon becomes absorbed, assimilated and seeped into the cauldron of innovation. "Hit Refresh" lends itself to impression at various levels. Citing his own personal experience, Nadella elucidates how technology can play a pivotal role in improving the quality of life. Zain, his first born was an unwilling victim of a complication at birth, which led to him suffering from Cerebral Palsy. However, exponential leaps in technology has ensured that even when wheelchair bound, Zain enjoys a quality of life that is refreshing, cheery and almost happily bespoke. Nadella expresses his beliefs, vision and hopes in an ingenious fashion by taking recourse to self devised equations. For e.g.(Education + Innovation) * Intensity of Tech Use = Economic Growth;E + SV +SR = T/t which translates to Empathy + Shared Values + Safety and Reliability = Trust over time.But the racy part of the book is reserved for what seems to be Nadella's three pet peeves - Mixed Reality; Artificial Intelligence and Quantum Computing. Conjuring heady possibilities if these three concepts that could have a profound influence on mankind in the future, Nadella left me reeling with exultation and fear! We are at a crossroad where paradigm shifts in technology assumes moralistic, ethical, social, scientific and cultural challenges that determine our very existence. Nadella without shying away from the hard and harsh facts pulls all punches to reassure us that when computer learning equals or even transcends human learning, we will come face to face with euphoria rather than calamity. He makes his point by choosing as his accomplices an eclectic mix of books and movies. Notable examples being "Machines of Loving Grace" by John Markoff, Rod Sterling's "The Twilight Zone"; "Westworld" starring Yul Brenner and Disney's "Big Hero 6".Quoting Goethe, Nadella writes "he who does not know foreign languages does not know anything about his own". We can safely say that by reading "Hit Refresh", one can certainly know that mankind now knows that there is still a lot more left to know!

It is difficult capture how one speaks in one's writing. Satya, however, does exactly that; he has a distinct composure when he speaks in public; he does not rush over sentences, or become overtly enthusiastic with his facial expressions; he conveys his emotions through the eloquence of his speech to the way his eyes "light up" when he is talking about his passions. If you've ever heard any of Satya's speeches, you can literally hear his voice while reading "Hit Refresh". He writes with the same literal elegance as he talks, and his composure is expressed through his philosophical take on what it means to build an institution that lasts, to create a culture of empathy, and to persevere through the hardest times. A good leader draws not only from their own personal experience, but from the experiences of the greats who came before; Satya is standing on the shoulder of giants, from cricket players to German philosophers to Austrian poets to MIT professors. At the same time, he is a great expository writer, explaining the concepts of Distributed Systems and Quantum Computing so clearly that anyone with a basic understanding of English can comprehend. Lastly, Satya values empathy, and he makes an active effort to illustrate his point about empathy in leadership. One of his reasoning behind the new Microsoft mission statement is that Microsoft does not strive to be that "cool" company with brilliant people who are all geniuses, closed off from the world; rather, Microsoft wants to be the company that makes things to help other people make things and make things happen. G.K Chesterton once said, “There is a great man who makes every man feel small. But the real great man is the man who makes every man feel great.”. Satya is the real great man.

Satya became one of my favorite CEOs after reading this book. This book gives you a great glimpse into how he thinks, why he does what he does and how he transformed Microsoft into the company that it is today, compared to what it was 4 years back. His stories on personal career path, culture transformation at Microsoft, his battle with raising children with special needs, building partnerships, working on philanthropic and innovative projects and more make this a compelling read! Overall, I'd recommend reading this to get a glimpse of where Microsoft is headed.

The story of how Microsoft changed from an universaly hated ugly duckling of the Windows 95 era to the developer friendly company of the 2020s is to me one of the most interesting ones in the modern tech industry's history. And apparently, this was in no small part thanks to Mr. Nadella and the change of Microsoft's culture he championed. Therefore, I enjoyed quite a bit reading about his opinions and perspectives. If you are interested in this story of a ship turned around and crave more insight, definitely go grab it.

Satya's views on most things are very deep! He details his own personal evolution in an absolutely honest manner. I could connect with his emotions at many places and that made reading this book even more personal for me. And as a new hire at Microsoft, I found the book very informative and encouraging. I recommend it to all who want to be leaders in any technical field.

An inspiring book, and unusual content for a tech CEO. He (of course) describes emerging technologies and their impact, but the recurring theme was empathy. His success at making Microsoft relevant again is obvious, and his willingness to think heretical thoughts (Office on iOS!) is an important part of that success.A small thing kept bothering me as I read the book - I appreciate hearing Mr. Nadella's voice telling his story. It is compelling, and (as I said) inspiring. The nagging thought - I wanted to hear from Microsoft employees about what THEY thought of his leadership and initiatives. Maybe there will be an outsider who will write that book.