Microsoft CEO Satya Nadella’s son Zain dies at 26

The tech boss credited his empathetic leadership style with caring for his son

Microsoft CEO Satya Nadella, right, with son Zain and his wife Anu (Microsoft and Seattle Children’s)

Microsoft CEO Satya Nadella is in mourning after the death of his son Zain at the age of 26.

The Seattle-based tech giant announced Zain’s death in an email to senior executives on Monday, and asked them to hold Mr Nadella and his wife Anu in their prayers, while giving them space to grieve.

Zain was born with cerebral palsy after suffering asphyxia in utero. He weighed just 1.3kgs (3 pounds) at the time of his birth and spent much of his life being cared for at the Seattle Children’s Hospital.

In his 2017 book Hit Refresh, Mr Nadella wrote how Zain’s birth had initially “devastated” him.

“Thankfully, Anu helped me to understand that it was not about what happened to me. It was about deeply understanding what had happened to Zain, and developing empathy for his pain and his circumstances while accepting our responsibility as his parents.”

Zain enjoyed a broad taste in musical genre, from Abba to Leonard Cohen, but would become frustrated at not being able to communicate what he wanted to listen to, his father said.

When students at a local high school heard about this they offered to build an app which allowed Zain to flick through music by tapping his head against a sensor on the side of his wheelchair, GeekWire reported.

After Mr Nadella became CEO of Microsoft in 2014, he placed empathy at the heart of his personal philosophy, he later wrote.

He recalled visiting his son in intensive care in hospital and seeing medical devices running Windows, and gaining a newfound appreciation of the importance of the company’s role in helping transform society.

Since then Microsoft has been at the forefront of developing tech aids for people living with disabilities.

Satya and Anu, who have two younger daughters, donated $15m to establish the Zain Nadella Endowed Chair in Pediatric Neurosciences and support neurosciences and mental health care.

“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,” wrote Jeff Sperring, CEO of Seattle Children’s Hospital in an email to the company’s board.