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Hit Refresh: The Quest to Rediscover Microsoft's Soul and Imagine a Better Future for Everyone Hardcover – September 26, 2017

by Satya Nadella (Author), Greg Shaw (Author), Jill Tracie Nichols (Author),
4.3 4.3 out of 5 stars 4,732 ratings
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“At the core, Hit Refresh, is about us humans and the unique quality we call empathy, which will become ever more valuable in a world where the torrent of technology will disrupt the status quo like never before.” – Satya Nadella from Hit Refresh

“Satya has charted a course for making the most of the opportunities created by technology while also facing up to the hard questions.” – Bill Gates from the Foreword of Hit Refresh

The New York Times bestseller Hit Refresh is about individual change, about the transformation happening inside of Microsoft and the technology that will soon impact all of our lives—the arrival of the most exciting and disruptive wave of technology humankind has experienced: artificial intelligence, mixed reality, and quantum computing. It’s about how people, organizations, and societies can and must transform and “hit refresh” in their persistent quest for new energy, new ideas, and continued relevance and renewal. 

Microsoft’s CEO tells the inside story of the company’s continuing transformation, tracing his own personal journey from a childhood in India to leading some of the most significant technological changes in the digital era. Satya Nadella explores a fascinating childhood before immigrating to the U.S. and how he learned to lead along the way. He then shares his meditations as a sitting CEO—one who is mostly unknown following the brainy Bill Gates and energetic Steve Ballmer. He tells the inside story of how a company rediscovered its soul—transforming everything from culture to their fiercely competitive landscape and industry partnerships. As much a humanist as engineer and executive, Nadella concludes with his vision for the coming wave of technology and by exploring the potential impact to society and delivering call to action for world leaders.

“Ideas excite me,” Nadella explains. “Empathy grounds and centers me.” Hit Refresh is a set of reflections, meditations, and recommendations presented as algorithms from a principled, deliberative leader searching for improvement—for himself, for a storied company, and for society.

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  1. Print length
    288 pages
  2. Language
    English
  3. Publisher
    Harper Business
  4. Publication date
    September 26, 2017
  5. Dimensions
    6 x 0.97 x 9 inches
  6. ISBN-10
    0062652508
  7. ISBN-13
    978-0062652508
  8. See all details
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Editorial Reviews

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“In this thoughtful debut, the Indian-born Nadella tells the story of his personal life and his work as a change-making leader, and he explains the coming importance of machine intelligence. The author emerges as a modest, likable individual from an accomplished family… A valuable blueprint for techies and others in a culture-change state of mind.” — Kirkus Reviews

About the Author

Satya Nadella is Chairman and CEO of Microsoft. Before being named CEO in February 2014, Nadella held leadership roles in both enterprise and consumer businesses across the company. Joining Microsoft in 1992, he quickly became known as a leader who could span a breadth of technologies and businesses to transform some of Microsoft’s biggest product offerings. Most recently, Nadella was executive vice president of Microsoft’s Cloud and Enterprise group. In this role he led the transformation to the cloud infrastructure and services business, which outperformed the market and took share from competition. Previously, Nadella led R&D for the Online Services Division and was vice president of the Microsoft Business Division. Before joining Microsoft, Nadella was a member of the technology staff at Sun Microsystems. Originally from Hyderabad, India, Nadella lives in Bellevue, Washington. He earned a bachelor’s degree in electrical engineering from Mangalore University, a master’s degree in computer science from the University of Wisconsin – Milwaukee and a master’s degree in business administration from the University of Chicago. Nadella serves on the board of his alma mater the University of Chicago, as well as the Starbucks board of directors. He is married and has three children. 

Product details

  • Publisher ‏ : ‎ Harper Business; Illustrated edition (September 26, 2017)
  • Language ‏ : ‎ English
  • Hardcover ‏ : ‎ 288 pages
  • ISBN-10 ‏ : ‎ 0062652508
  • ISBN-13 ‏ : ‎ 978-0062652508
  • Item Weight ‏ : ‎ 15.2 ounces
  • Dimensions ‏ : ‎ 6 x 0.97 x 9 inches
  • Customer Reviews:
    4.3 4.3 out of 5 stars 4,732 ratings

About the authors

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  1. Greg Shaw

    Greg Shaw

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    Greg Shaw is the founding publisher, writer, and editor of Clyde Hill Publishing. He is author, co-author, and ghostwriter of more than a dozen bestselling, award-winning books.

    See more on the author's page
  2. Jill Tracie Nichols

    Jill Tracie Nichols

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    Jill Tracie Nichols is founder and chief executive officer of the Tracie Group - a boutique communications agency for visionary leaders.

    Prior to founding the Tracie Group, Jill was chief of staff to Microsoft’s new CEO, Satya Nadella. She spearheaded Nadella’s transition and launch, led the Office of the CEO and was accountable for all of Nadella’s global communications. Jill also partnered closely with Nadella and his leadership team to drive culture change. Before this, Jill directed Steve Ballmer’s communications while leading a cross-company strategy and media influencer team. Prior, Jill spent about 10 years in Human Resources at Microsoft, Avaya and Lucent Technologies where she designed and implemented a variety of people programs and led broad scale global change initiatives.

    Jill grew-up in Edison, NJ and holds a Bachelor of Arts from Houghton College where she studied Creative Writing and Communications. She is co-author of Hit Refresh: The Quest to Rediscover Microsoft’s Soul and Imagine a Better Future for Everyone. Years ago, Jill adopted two teenage girls and developed a passion for helping young women reach their full potential. Jill and her husband Mike currently call Seattle home.

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  3. Satya Nadella

    Satya Nadella

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    Satya Nadella is a husband, father and the chief executive officer of Microsoft – the third in the company’s 40-year history.

    On his 21st birthday, Nadella emigrated from Hyderabad, India to the United States to pursue a master’s degree in computer science. After stops in America’s Rust Belt and Silicon Valley, he joined Microsoft in 1992 where he would lead a variety of products and innovations across the company’s consumer and enterprise businesses. Nadella is widely known as an inspiring, mission-oriented leader who pushes the bounds of technology while crafting creative and sometimes surprising deals with customers and partners globally.

    Nadella’s life is a journey of learning deep empathy for other people, which he brings into all he does personally and professionally. As much a humanist as an engineer and executive, Nadella defines his mission and that of the company he leads as empowering every person and every organization on the planet to achieve more. In addition to his role at Microsoft, Nadella serves on the Board of Directors for Fred Hutchinson Cancer Research Center and Starbucks. Satya and his wife, Anu, personally support Seattle Children’s Hospital as well as other organizations in the Seattle area that serve the unique needs of people with disabilities.

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Customer reviews

4.3 out of 5 stars
4.3 out of 5
4,732 global ratings
Hit Refresh - a must read to understand Microsoft's transformation and importance of having a growth mindset
5 Stars
Hit Refresh - a must read to understand Microsoft's transformation and importance of having a growth mindset
Hit Refresh: The Quest to Rediscover Microsoft’s Soul and Imagine a Better Future for Everyone – By Satya Nadella”First as an Ex Micrsoftie, I am in absolutely love with Microsoft and I take so much pride in talking about how the years that I spent in MS has helped me shaping my career. While some may disagree, but I firmly believe that impact that Microsoft had on our daily lives is beyond any other technology company. Not just the software, Microsoft clearly were the first company that provided the platform, tools and more importantly the inspiration to dream and design a digital world, as it we know today. Over the time, other tech companies came to their age and outsmarted Microsoft in multiple key areas including Search, Social and Mobile. And then Satya Nadella came to helm he embarked on a journey to re-discover the lost soul of company and make it relevant (and Cool) again.‘Hit Refresh’ is primarily divided into three partsFirst is Satya’s personal story coming from India and arriving at Microsoft in 1992Second is story of Microsoft transformation and steps Satya took to curate the ‘Growth Mindset’ in employeesThird (and favorite) part of where Satya talks about the disruptions and transformation that technology is going to create, which will overcome the existing limits of physics and chemistry and ultimately better the mankindAuthor has been extremely honest and open in talking about the strengths of his competitors and acknowledges the need find the smart ways to partner with companies to learn from each other perspective. There are multiple places in book that made me realize that Satya is a leader who has no fear of being authentic and vulnerable. He actually talked about his biggest fumble at Grace Hopper conference and how working with ‘Frenemies’ Microsoft created more growth opportunities like Office for Mac!The key take away the book offers to its readers is to stay optimistic about what’s to come. As the technology is advancing, the world is changing faster then ever. One definite ways master this change is have a “Growth Mindset”“Don’t Be a Know-It-All, Be a Learn-It-All – Satya Nadella”
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PARESH RATHOD
5.0 out of 5 stars Hit Refresh(Satya) has charted new age leadership principles (a fresh breath) that requires in transformational digital age.
Reviewed in the United States on September 26, 2017
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With Hit Refresh, Satya has charted new age leadership principles (a fresh breath) that requires in transformational digital age.

" When Satya Nadella told me he was working on a new book about the future of technology, I couldn’t wait to read it. “Hit Refresh” is a thoughtful guide to an exciting, challenging future." These are the words of the great Bill Gates.

Satya has certainly share many insight with this book. I couldn't wait to read and immediately order an audio book. The book highlights the core issues including organisational change (mainly strategies and culture), change management (old school-boys club to new age leaders rather than managers) and the current-future trends in technologies. Along with these insights - he also managed well to explain his role within.

Here are few nuggets (credits to Jena McGregor, The Washington Post):
How did Satya convince to Microsoft Board for next CEO?
"When they asked if I wanted to be CEO, I said only if they thought I could be a good CEO. The feedback I got was 'look, if you want to be a CEO, you've got to really want it.' But that's not who I am. That's not how I'm wired. I told Steve [Ballmer] that and he said you're right, you're not. You should be who you are. Ultimately the board did what every good board should do. They looked far and wide and then finally made the call and appointed me CEO"

Microsoft was a siloed place, one with many fiefdoms, how did you break that up?
"The difference between a startup and a successful company is you really achieve that lock. If you get the concept right and you get the capability right and you get the culture right and they're all reinforcing each other, you've got your hit.

Now the challenge is what happens ultimately when that concept that you so loved and is such a big hit is no longer driving growth. You've got to come up with a new concept. You've got to enter a new category. In order to do that you need new capabilities and in order to build that you need a culture that enables you to go after the new concept rather than killing it. That's the challenge of any successful company."

What did you learn from your effort (for example women in tech)?
"Okay, what is the thing that I, as the CEO of a company, need to do to to create that system, which allows everybody to feel that we're able to do their best work? The cultural work on a 'growth mindset' [at Microsoft] was in place before [the Grace Hopper conference]. But the fact that I could stumble and make that mistake, it got me to think, 'wow, this is really something you've got to think about much more deeply.' My responsibility has become much more clear to me."
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boy.kurantov
4.0 out of 5 stars To know future is to build it by yourself
Reviewed in the United States on September 28, 2017
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I have been working for a Microsoft partner company for nearly 15 years, and for almost 30 years I'm dealing with IT, most part of that closely working with Microsoft technologies. I have been admiring the transformation from the concept of putting personal computer to each and every home in 90s to mobility and service models nowadays. I passed 25+ Microsoft exams and have certificates, signed by all Microsoft CEOs. For all those years I have been sharing the values Microsoft was transmitting to its partner and client community - and I'm very glad to see its incredible transformation within last years, when Satya came to power. Somehow he managed to turn a huge corporation, running behind the market trends, into a vendor that forms and creates those trends, in just a few years.

So, I was very much interested in this book to get more information on how this transformation is taking place. Those who were following Satya and e.g. his speeches on opening keynotes of Microsoft events will certainly recognize his style of presenting the information - humble, honest but inspiring. The book tells you three transformation stories: how Satya relocated to US, how he managed to develop himself to Microsoft CEO within 20 years and finally - how current transformation takes place in corporation.

This is not memories' of the past - for those type of books only the past events are described. The book has its thrill and value exactly because the author puts reader in today's present environment, without knowing the final outcome, and trying to guess together what will be the future. This book is about making the future. If you want to be little closer to the understanding of future, this book is for you.
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Mark Goulston
5.0 out of 5 stars Making the Case for ROE (Return on Empathy)
Reviewed in the United States on October 2, 2017
Verified Purchase
"Hit Refresh" makes an inspiring and compelling case for how a company can deliver ROE (Return on Empathy). To those who poo-poo empathy as too soft and who will need convincing, that can only will come from Microsoft's results and to the truly hard-nosed, will come from an increase in its stock price.

I truly hope that Satya and Microsoft do succeed because empathy is the only hope for the world.

Satya talks about going from a “know it all” fixed mindset to a “learn it all” growth mindset. That reminds me of a quote from the Dalai Lama who said: “When you talk, you are only repeating what you already know. But if you listen, you might learn something new.”

I hope what follows will entice you to learn more as opposed to my merely coming off as a “know it all.”

And as a psychiatrist, neuroscientist and author of: "Just Listen" Discover the Secret to Getting Through to Absolutely Anyone, I will tell you why empathy is so critical to the future of humanity.

Empathy increases oxytocin, the hormone associated with bonding AND psychological safety. Antipathy increases cortisol, the hormone associated with stress and psychological danger. They have a reciprocal relation to each other. The higher your oxytocin, the lower your cortisol and vice versa.

The higher your cortisol, the more difficult it is to listen with an open mind and the more likely you will look at the world corrupted by your subjective filters that will cause you to seek confirmation to support your biases.

The higher your oxytocin, the more you feel safe, lower your guard and can listen with an open mind. And more than that, if your oxytocin has increased because someone has cared about you, the more inclined are you to “pay it forward” and care about others.

Satya's approach also reminds me of the concept of approaching life with a Beginner's Mind. It also reminds me of the late British psychoanalyst Wilfred's idea that the purest form of listening is to listen without memory or desire. By that he meant when you listen with memory, you have an old (personal) agenda that you're trying to plug someone into. When you listen with desire, you have a present or future (personal) agenda that you're trying to plug people into. In neither case, are you listening to the other person's agenda.

Satya espouses and lives not just listening to his people, his customers and the world, but listening into them, getting where they (and we) are coming from and then caring about everyone when he gets there.

Bravo, kudos and Godspeed Satya!

EPILOGUE: After reading “Hit Refresh” I remembered something I had long ago forgotten – and wanted to forget - which has to do with one of the worst days in my training as a psychiatrist and with when, why and how I discovered the need to develop empathy. I was in my psychiatry residency training at UCLA and I was serving as a consultant and liaison to the oncology unit at the UCLA Medical Center. I was paged by one of the oncology residents who told me I needed to come up to the intensive care unit and okay their orders for soft restraints (wrist and leg restraints) and write orders for an anti-psychotic medication for a patient, I will call Mr. Smith, with AIDS (just after if first became discovered) who was highly agitated and pulling at his IV’s and the respirator tube that was inserted through his throat and prevented him from speaking.

When I entered his room, Mr. Smith was already in those restraints and had been given an injection of Haldol (an anti-psychotic medication) AND he looked at me with wide eyes that looked like saucers. All the time he was grunting at me and seemed to be wanting to tell me something, but couldn’t speak because of the tube going down his throat.

I kept saying to him, “What is it? What are you trying to tell me?” All he could do was grunt and moan. I put a pen in is restrained right hand and told him to write down what he was trying to tell me and all he could do was scribble illegibly. So in spite of my believing that he was trying to tell me something, but I then thought that maybe he was just psychotic which is what the oncologists had told me about him.

I then calmly looked into his eyes wide open and said, “We had to restrain you arms and legs and give you a medication to calm you down, because you have been pulling at your IV’s and the respirator tube. Pretty soon you will calm down and when that happens we will remove the restraints.” All the time he just kept staring at me, holding my eyes with his eyes and groaning with a message that I was not understanding. I then left to attend to my other patients.

A day later, one of the Oncology Residents paged me and said: “Mr. Smith is off the respirator and out of restraints and he asked us to page YOU to come and see him.”

When I entered Mr. Smith’s room, he was sitting up in his bed without his respirator tube and without the restraints. As soon as he saw me, he again grabbed onto my eyes with his eyes and told me firmly, “Take a seat!” and then he literally sat me in a chair using his eyes.

He kept his riveting stare into my eyes and said in no uncertertain terms, “What I was trying to tell you yesterday was that a piece of the respirator tube had broken off and was stuck cutting into my throat. And you do know that I will kill myself before I have to go through that again! Do YOU understand me?”

I was horrified and quiet and continue to look into the vice grip of his eyes I replied, “I am so sorry that happened to you and that I wasn’t able to understand what you were trying to tell me. And yes, I do understand that you will kill yourself before you have to go through something like that again.”

And at that moment, I discovered the critical importance of empathy instead of presuming something that isn’t so and reminded me of another quote by Will Rogers:

“It isn't what we don't know that gives us trouble, it's what we know that ain't so.”
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Laxminarayan
5.0 out of 5 stars Hit Refresh: A Refreshing Take on Leadership
Reviewed in India on January 17, 2024
Verified Purchase
If you're looking for a book that blends insightful leadership lessons with an insider's view of corporate reinvention, then Satya Nadella's "Hit Refresh" is a must-read. As someone inspired by Nadella's approach, here's what I found particularly compelling:

1. Empathy at the core: The book dives into Nadella's core belief in empathy as a driving force for leadership. It's not just about understanding customers, but fostering it within teams and creating a culture of collaboration. This resonated with me, especially seeing how it contributed to Microsoft's shift towards a more open and customer-centric company.

2. Growth mindset & learning: Nadella's emphasis on "growth mindset" resonated deeply. He encourages embracing challenges, continuous learning, and a willingness to adapt. This resonated with Microsoft's transformation, where they moved beyond their comfort zone and embraced new technologies and markets.

3. Putting people first: The book highlights Nadella's focus on empowering employees and fostering a diverse and inclusive environment. This shift in culture is palpable within Microsoft today, creating a more engaged and productive workforce.

4. Embracing the future: Nadella's vision for the future of technology is both inspiring and thought-provoking. He explores artificial intelligence, mixed reality, and quantum computing, offering a glimpse into a world full of possibilities.

Overall, "Hit Refresh" is a refreshing and insightful read. It's not just a leadership book for corporate executives; it's a story of transformation that holds valuable lessons for anyone navigating change and innovation in any field.
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massimiliano de angelis
5.0 out of 5 stars happy of spend my time reads this book
Reviewed in Italy on June 5, 2023
Verified Purchase
great man ,reads your story is a must
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Vintage Kerry
5.0 out of 5 stars Interesting read
Reviewed in Canada on February 19, 2021
Verified Purchase
One can surmise from the content of this book why Microsoft has experienced a renaissance. Thoughtful and articulate with a viewpoint that shifts from microscope to telescope and back rather seamlessly.
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Peter de Toma sen.
5.0 out of 5 stars Satya Nadella – Hit Refresh-Rediscover Microsoft’s Soul – reflections on IBM
Reviewed in Germany on October 16, 2020
Verified Purchase
James Cortada in his new book “IBM The Rise and Fall and reinvention of a Global Icon” published in 2019, writes correctly the following without elaborating this phase of IBM’s history in details – original quotes:
Pg. 379: Over time, it became clear that the disappointing story of IBM’s PC mirrored the declining performance of the entire company.
Pg. 398: Known to few outside of IBM and Microsoft, in mid-1986 Gates had offered to sell IBM a portion of his company. He needed cash to fund development of new operating systems. … Bill Lowe (IBM) declined the offer, making what was perhaps the second-biggest mistake in IBM’s history up to that time, following his first one, not insisting on proprietary rights to Microsoft’s DOS operating system or similarly for the Intel chip used in the PC. … In fairness to Lowe, he remained nervous that such an acquisition might reactivate the U.S. Department of Justice’s antitrust concerns.
Pg. 407: Sam Palmisano (IBM chairman and CEO 2002-2011), commenting on the performance of IBM’s rivals, admitted, “They really outexecuted us.”
My comments (MC in the following review):
First, Microsoft’s offer became known to the public in 1993: “Big Blues - The Unmaking of IBM” Pg. 118/119/131.
Second, Microsoft was a company of fewer than a dozen employees in 1978; in 1980, when IBM approached Microsoft to produce or provide software for the forthcoming IBM PC, Microsoft at that point had only 31 employees!
Third, Palmisano was wrong: Microsoft & Co did not outexecute IBM, they, especially Bill Gates, outsmarted the whole IBM executive team working with Microsoft!

Now you can imagine how interesting it is, to re-read or read Satya Nadella’s very interesting book and reflect on the ways Microsoft versus IBM went along.
Below you will find original quotes taken from Nadella’s book with my comments (MC) in context with IBM’s way of doing business:
Pg. 002: So when I was named Microsoft’s third CEO in February 2014, I told employees that renewing our company’s culture would be my highest priority.
MC: Virginia Rometty became the nineth IBM CEO if you start counting with Thomas Watson Sr., what I am doing here – deviating from James Cortada. The IBM culture was not on her agenda, her first top agenda was the shareholder-value focused Roadmap 2015 – 20$ Earnings per Share (EPS) per year end 2015. This goal – far from any chance to achieve this futile goal - was abandoned in October 2014!
Pg. 045: By 2008, storm clouds were gathering over Microsoft. PC shipments … had leveled off. …
Meanwhile, Amazon had quietly launched Amazon Web Services (AWS), establishing itself for years to come as a leader in the lucrative, rapidly growing cloud services business. … The PC Revolution of the 1980s, led by Microsoft, Intel, Apple, and others, had made computing accessible to homes and offices around the world.
MC: Besides the fact, that Nadella does not mention IBM in the PC business, you would not find cloud computing on IBM CEO Palmisano’s agenda – he retired 2011.
Pg. 046: By June 2008, Amazon already had 180,000 developers building applications and services for their cloud platform. Microsoft did not yet have a commercially viable cloud platform. … Pg. 047: “You (Nadella) should think about it, though,” Steve (Ballmer, Microsoft CEO) added. “This might be your last job at Microsoft, because if you fail there is no parachute. You may just crash with it.”
MC: who told Rometty, IBM CEO 2012-2020, retiring this year, something like that? What is the marching order for Arvind Krishna and Jim Whitehurst starting as IBM CEO and IBM President respectively after the very expensive acquisition of Red Hat in 2019 and the forthcoming split of IBM into two separate companies?
Pg. 053: In late 2010, Ray Ozzie announced in a long internal memo that he was leaving Microsoft. He wrote in his departure e-mail, “The one irrefutable truth is that in any large organization, any transformation that is to ‘stick’ must come from within.” While Red Dog was still in incubation and had booked little revenue, he was correct that the transformation of Microsoft would come from within. … Steve had already proclaimed that the company was all-in on the cloud, having invested $8.7 billion in research and development, much of it focused on cloud technologies. Right around that time, Steve asked that I lead server and tools business (STB), which today has evolved into Microsoft’s cloud and enterprise business. … Pg. 054: When I took over our fledgling cloud business in January 2011, analysts estimated that cloud revenues were already multi-billions of dollars with Amazon in the lead and Microsoft nowhere to be seen.
MC: IBM was in a similar position. Instead of innovation from within IBM under Palmisano and Rometty focused on innovation by acquisition, starting with the acquisition of the privately held company SoftLayer for $2Billion; crowned with the acquisition of Red Hat for 34B$! IBM’s innovation from within despite leading US Patent List for 26 years in a row???
Pg. 055: Shortly after I took over, the company issued this statement: “Nadella and his team are tasked with leading Microsoft’s enterprise transformation into the cloud and providing the technology roadmap and vision for the future of business computing.” Pg. 057: It was important that the transformation come from within, from the core. It’s the only way to make change sustainable.
MC: IBM CEO Rometty did not take over any such responsibility, she focused on the Roadmap 2015, innovation by acquisition and blowing up the balance sheet with “Goodwill”. 2011: Good Will/Total Assets: 26.213M$/116.433M$ - 2019: 58.222M$/152.186M$ - see Red Hat acquisition in 2018/2019.
Pg. 061: We changed the name of the product from Windows Azure to Microsoft Azure to make it clear that our cloud was not just about Windows. … Today Microsoft is on course to have its own $20 billion cloud business.
MC: this was written in 2017; “IBM to acquire Red Hat in a deal valued at $34 billion” was the CNBC headline on CNBC.com October 28th, 2018. Lora Kolodny reported:
IBM announced plans to acquire Red Hat in a deal valued at about $34 billion.
Prior to the acquisition, Red Hat's market capitalization stood at approximately $20.5 billion.
The acquisition is by far IBM's largest deal ever, and the third-biggest in the history of U.S. tech.
According to a joint statement, IBM will pay cash to buy all shares in Red Hat at $190 each.
Shares in Red Hat closed at $116.68 on Friday before the deal was announced. Red Hat earned $259 million on revenue of $2.92 billion.
Pg.062: The cloud business taught me a series of lessons I would carry with me for years to come. Perhaps the most important is this: A leader must see the external opportunities and the internal capability and culture and all of the connections among them – and respond to them before they become obvious parts of the conventional wisdom. It’s an art form, not a science.
MC: with almost countless acquisitions since 2002 the question is, what is the inside IBM staff versus the staff acquired? What is the current business culture applied and lived within IBM?
Pg. 072: A few months after I became CEO, the Nokia deal closed, and our teams worked hard to relaunch Windows Phone with new devices and a new operating system that came with new experiences. But it was too late to regain the ground we had lost. We were chasing our competitors’ taillights. Months later, I would have to announce a total write-off of the acquisition as well as plans to eliminate nearly eighteen thousand jobs, the majority of them because of the Nokia devices and services acquisition.
MC: will the already announced split of IBM into two separate companies trigger a careful analysis of the Good Will in the balance sheet and with which consequences?
Pg. 094: I had essentially asked employees to identify their innermost passions and to connect them in some way to our new mission and culture.
MC: The new IBM CEO, the new IBM President and their teams are facing this challenge now, while there is the IBM Corporation on one side and Red Hat owned by IBM on the other side, both companies have different missions and culture – so far. See the book “The Open Organization” by Jim Whitehurst, CEO of Red Hat, published in 2015!
Pg. 126: Every company is becoming a digital company, and that process begins with infusing their products with intelligence. Experts estimate between 20-50 billion “connected thins” will be in use by 2020.
MC: I hope and assume, that IBM is well prepared to be successful in this business.
Pg. 140: Here is one way to think about the convergence of these coming technology shifts. With mixed reality we are building the ultimate computing experience … Artificial Intelligence powers every experience, augmenting human capability. … Finally, quantum computing will allow us to go beyond the bounds of Moore’s Law. Pg. 160: … quantum computing … Among those racing to understand it are Microsoft, Intel, Google, and IBM as well startups … Pg. 161: Today we have an urgent need to solve problems that would tie up classical computers for centuries, but that could be solved by a quantum computer in a few minutes or hours. It would take a classical computer 1 billion years to break today’s RSA-2048 encryption, but a quantum computer could crack it in about a hundred seconds, or less than two minutes. Pg. 166: Don’t imagine that one day a quantum computer will take the form of a new stand-alone, super-fast PC that will sit on your desk at work. Instead, a quantum computer will operate as a co-processor, receiving its instructions and cues from a stack of classical processors. It will be a hybrid device that sits in the cloud and accelerates highly complex calculations beyond our wildest dreams. … Experimental development of qubits has progressed to the point where scalable qubit technology now exists. Looking ahead to the next few years, we can expect so see the development of small quantum computers. Pg. 183: We live in a time of what David Gelernter calls the “mirror worlds”; the physical world is mirrored in an online world where data is accumulating and taking on more and more significance. How big is our data becoming? So called Big Data – information stored and analyzed in the cloud – is on track to reach 400 trillion gigabytes by 2018. Pg. 198: AI will fail if it can’t complement its IQ with EQ.
Pg.204: Cynthia Breazeal at the MIT Media Laboratory said, “After all, how we experience the world is through communications and collaboration. If we are interested in machines that work with us, then we can’t ignore the humanistic approach. Pg. 208: In their first report, Artificial Intelligence and Life in 2030, the study panel noted that AI and robotics will be applied “across the globe in industries struggling to attract younger workers, such as agriculture, food processing, fulfillment centers and factories.” The report found no cause for concern that AI is an imminent threat to humankind. “No machines with self-sustaining long-term goals and intent have been developed, nor are they likely to be developed in the near future.” Pg. 225: … by 2020 just 16 percent of people in the world’s poorest countries and only 53 percent of the total global population will be connected to the Internet. At this rate, universal Internet access in low-income nations won’t be achieved until 2042. And with no Internet access, there is no cloud access. Pg. 237: We’ve invested more than $15 billion in constructing thirty of the world’s most sophisticated regional data centers, positioning them to support local entrepreneurship and public sector services in North America, South America, Asia, Africa, and Europe.
MC: IBM today and again is here in a very tough head-to-head competition with Microsoft; IBM is very well focused and positioned in the areas of Artificial intelligence and Quantum Computing. On 20th August, 2020, IBM announced that it had doubled last year's quantum volume 32 to a quantum volume of 64 using one of its newest 27-qubit Falco processors. Arvind Krishna, 58 years old, with a PhD in electrical engineering and Indian roots – like Satya Nadella – runs IBM since April 6th, 2020. The IBM – Microsoft race is on – again!
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Alexandre González Rodríguez
5.0 out of 5 stars Encuadernación perfecta, contenido espectacular
Reviewed in Spain on June 6, 2020
Verified Purchase
Es increíble ver la transformación por la que ha pasado Microsoft, en parte gracias a Satya. Sin embargo, lo interesante de este libro es la visión personal de Satya, no solo se centra en el trabajo y de hecho deja claro muchas veces que no es lo más importante.
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