Satya Nadella’s son Zain Nadella no more; recounting Microsoft CEO’s take on empathy, life-experiences

Microsoft Chairman and CEO Satya Nadella’s son Zain Nadella is no more.

Zain was Nadella’s first child. Zain, 26 was born with cerebral palsy. A couple of years ago, Nadella had in an interview shared that empathy and learning from lifes experiences are mantras that play a crucial role in determining the success of individuals and organisations.

In 2017, when Nadella was, on a two-day visit to promote his book Hit Refresh, he had shared how Empathy and learning from lifes experiences are mantras that play a crucial role in determining the success of individuals and organisations.

The tech titan, in a free-wheeling chat with former cricketer Anil Kumble, had alked about the importance of empathy and its significance in personal and professional lives. Nadella described how the birth of his son Zain, who was born with severe cerebral palsy had a “deep impact” on him and was his Hit Refresh moment.

He recounted that he was 29 when he and his wife, Anupama, had their first child. He reminisced being both excited and nervous at that time, and struggling thereafter to come to terms with their sons condition.

“…for the first multiple years I struggled with it…it was only in watching Anu (his wife) and what came much more naturally to her…seeing her giving him the best shot is when I realised that…I needed to step up as a parent,” he said in a chat with former cricketer Anil Kumble.

A person is a culmination and combination of ones life experiences, Nadella said adding that he had also come to deeply appreciate the value of empathy in life and workplace.

“There is no way we are going to succeed in something like that if we dont have deep sense of empathy. I think of empathy as not just as something nice to have, but core to innovation agenda in a company,” he added.