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Microsoft CEO Satya Nadella's 26-year-old son Zain passed away on February 28, 2022. He was reportedly born with cerebral palsy and succumbed to the health complications associated with his condition.
According to Bloomberg, the news of his demise was announced by Microsoft in an emailed statement to its executives. The company asked employees to keep the family in their thoughts while giving them space to grieve in private.
Jeff Sperring, CEO of Seattle Children’s Hospital, wrote that Zain will be remembered for his bright smile and his love for music:
“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.”
The 26-year-old reportedly suffered from utero asphyxia at birth that later led to his cerebral palsy. Zain spent the majority of his life undergoing treatment and care at Seattle Children’s Hospital.
In 2021, the Nadella family donated $15 million to the hospital with the aim of supporting its work in mental health care and neurosciences medicine. They also helped establish the Zain Nadella Endowed Chair in Pediatric Neurosciences as part of the hospital’s Integrative Brain Research.
Twitter mourns the loss of Satya Nadella's son
Satya Nadella and his wife Anu welcomed their son Zain in 1996. The child suffered extreme damage at birth due to utero asphyxiation and was rushed to the intensive care unit at Seattle Children’s Hospital.
He was later diagnosed with severe cerebral palsy that affected his speech and vision and left him dependent on his parents and caregivers. Following Zain’s tragic death, several people took to Twitter to offer their condolences to the Nadella family:
As tributes continue to pour in online, it is certain that Zain will be missed by his loved ones. He leaves behind his parents and two sisters, Divya and Tara Nadella.
Satya Nadella opened up about Zain in his book
Since becoming the CEO of Microsoft in 2014, Satya Nadella has extensively worked towards highlighting accessibility in product development. He has focused on designing products that can serve specially-abled users better.
Under his leadership, the company also started hiring specially-abled people through initiatives like the Autism Hiring Program and the Supported Employment Program for better representation.
In a 2017 blog post, Nadella mentioned that his personal lessons with his son reflected on his professional endeavours:
"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."
That same year, the Microsoft CEO also opened up about Zain in his bestselling book Hit Refresh. He shared how he slowly accepted his responsibility as Zain’s father despite being devastated by his condition at birth:
“I was devastated. But mostly I was sad for how things turned out for me and Anu. 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.”
Satya Nadella also recalled visiting his son after being appointed Microsoft CEO in 2014 and noticing all the medical devices running through Windows:
“It was a stark reminder that our work at Microsoft transcended business, that it made life itself possible for a fragile young boy. It also brought a new level of gravity to the looming decisions back at the office on our cloud and Windows 10 upgrades.”
He even wrote about Zain’s love for music in his book. Nadella shared that at the time, three high school students developed a Windows application to help Zain control music on his own by tapping his head against a sensor on the side of his wheelchair:
“Zain loves music and has wide-ranging tastes spanning eras, genres, and artists. He likes everything from Leonard Cohen to Abba to Nusrat Fateh Ali Khan and wanted to be able to flip through these artists, filling his room with whatever music suited him at any given moment.”
Meanwhile, in his blog, Satya Nadella called Zain the “joy” of the family, whose “strength and warmth” inspired and motivated him to push the boundaries of technology.
