Review: Hit Refresh

Hit Refresh by Satya Nadella
My rating: 2 of 5 stars

Hooter: Satya Nadella's view of Microsoft journey from his perspective in the driving seat looking forward.

While the initial part tracks Satya's personal journey from India to the US, his family and the mixed feelings an immigrant can have moving about, it then moves into him taking reins of Microsoft and the thought process behind the decisions he took. This could be an extremely long memo for Microsoft employees wondering why certain things are happening in a certain way, gives some insights on what defines Microsoft culture from Satya's perspective and some fire fighting examples.

He does try to share his thinking process on why he decided to steer course for the company - hoping to justify it to the reader and the wider public. It doesn't try to inspire, doesnt deep dive into a technical vision but meanders in between with leadership challenges, regulatory hurdles and dealing with trust issues.

This book is a glimpse into his thought process and pretty much that. Maybe a better read for Microsoft employees. Though the title finally makes it at the end as he gives takeaways asking everyone to hit refresh and take bigger strides just like how he has managed to bring MIcrosoft back into the big leagues from the pessimism of its future around the time he got onboard as CEO.

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