Books Recommended by Satya Nadella
The Narrow Corridor
States, Societies, and the Fate of Liberty
Daron Acemoglu
Source: "[About] the real, constant tension between what does a society want, and what does the government want, and you have to find the narrow corridor." - Satya Nadella
Shaping the Future of the Fourth Industrial Revolution
Klaus Schwab
Source: "The prescient topics explored in this book, coupled with the dialogue it sparks at World Economic Forum gatherings, are vital contributions to understanding and solutions." - Satya Nadella
Mindset
The New Psychology of Success
Carol S. Dweck
Source: "Whatever change we’ve been able to achieve is because the cultural meme we picked was inspired by [this book]." - Satya Nadella
The Great Convergence
Information Technology and the New Globalization
Richard Baldwin
Source: "[Satya Nadella] sees analogies to Microsoft’s HoloLens headset, especially as the technology matures and its cost comes down." - Fast Company
Play Nice But Win
A CEO's Journey from Founder to Leader
Michael Dell
Source: "Tells his story, that of his iconic company and the grit required to compete in the ever-growing technology industry." - Satya Nadella
The Boys in the Boat
Nine Americans and Their Epic Quest for Gold at the 1936 Berlin Olympics
Daniel James Brown
Source: "A wonderful illustration of the importance of teamwork, which was a core part of my focus out of the gate as CEO." - Satya Nadella
Competing in the Age of AI
Strategy and Leadership When Algorithms and Networks Run the World
Marco Iansiti
Source: "An important book that explains what's required to rethink the firm and become an AI-first company." - Satya Nadella
No Rules Rules
Netflix and the Culture of Reinvention
Reed Hastings
Source: "The insights in this book are invaluable to anyone trying to create and sustain organizational culture." - Satya Nadella
Nonviolent Communication
A Language of Life: Life-Changing Tools for Healthy Relationships
Marshall B. Rosenberg
Source: "When CEO Satya Nadella took over Microsoft, he started defusing its toxic culture by handing each of his execs [this book]." - Business Insider
Tools and Weapons
The Promise and the Peril of the Digital Age
Brad Smith
Source: "An important book on some of the biggest tech issues of our time and their impact on all of our lives." - Satya Nadella
The Rise and Fall of American Growth
The U.S. Standard of Living since the Civil War
Robert J. Gordon
Source: "Concludes that innovation is the ultimate source of dramatic improvements in the human condition." - Satya Nadella
Masters of Scale
Surprising Truths from the World's Most Successful Entrepreneurs
Reid Hoffman
Source: "The business principles in this book will help you deploy your strategy with creativity, integrity, and realism." - Satya Nadella
Deep Learning
Ian Goodfellow
Source: "The book made such a significant impact on Satya Nadella that he hired co-author Yoshua Bengio." - ThingsCyber.com
Prosperity
Better Business Makes the Greater Good
Colin Mayer
Source: "[Argues that] a corporation finds profitable solutions to the challenges of people and the planet." - Satya Nadella
The Moment of Lift
How Empowering Women Changes the World
Melinda Gates
Source: "Such a valuable contribution to a topic that couldn't be more important to society today." - Satya Nadella
The Great Transformation
The Political and Economic Origins of Our Time
Karl Polanyi
Source: "My father recommended this book long ago." - Satya Nadella
The New Leadership Literacies
Thriving in a Future of Extreme Disruption and Distributed Everything
Bob Johansen
Source: "A fascinating book." - Satya Nadella
Forged in Crisis
The Making of Five Courageous Leaders
Nancy Koehn
Source: "I loved [this book]." - Satya Nadella
FAQ
Did Satya Nadella recommend all these books?
Not necessarily. This book list has Satya Nadella must-read recommendations, but it also has a mix of mentions and suggestions.
How do you know Satya Nadella mentioned these books?
Every suggestion made by Satya Nadella is validated by our editors. You can find the sources to the recommendations linked next to the books.
Did Satya Nadella actually create this list?
No. This reading list was curated by our editors based on confirmed mentions from Satya Nadella, the sources are made available under each recommendation.
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