Microsoft chief Satya Nadella’s son passes away

Microsoft CEO Satya Nadella’s son Zain Nadella, who was ailing from cerebral palsy, died on Monday morning. He was 26 years old.

Microsoft, in an internal email, had reportedly apprised its employees that Zain had passed away. Microsoft executives were also requested to keep Satya Nadella’s family in their thoughts and prayers while providing them space to grieve privately.

“Zain will be remembered for his eclectic taste in music, his bright sunny smile and the immense joy he brought to his family and all those who loved him,” Jeff Sperring, CEO of Children’s Hospital, wrote in a message to his Board, which was shared with Microsoft executives.

Hyderabad-born Nadella, 54, who became the CEO of Microsoft in February 2014, has been instrumental in transforming the company into a tech-age powerhouse. He has led major projects, which included the company’s move towards cloud computing and the development of one of the largest cloud infrastructures in the world. Very recently, he was bestowed with Padma Bhushan, which is India’s third highest civilian honour.

Satya Nadella, in his LinkedIn post mentioned that Zain was born at 11:29 p.m. on August 13, 1996, all of three pounds. He also noted, “Becoming a father of a son with special needs was the turning point in my life that has shaped who I am today. It has helped me better understand the journey of people with disabilities. It has shaped my personal passion for and philosophy of connecting new ideas to empathy for others. And it is why I am deeply committed to pushing the bounds on what love and compassion combined with human ingenuity and passion to have impact can accomplish with my colleagues at Microsoft.