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Hit Refresh: The Quest to Rediscover Microsoft's Soul and Imagine a Better Future for Everyone by
adularia25's review against another edition
2.0
Another reviewer says this is "Recommended for only Microsoft employees" but I disagree. This book isn't even for all Microsoft employees, for it leaves out a very large percentage us - the contractors. In fact, I wouldn't have read this book at all if my boss, who is a full-time employee and not a vendor contractor, hadn't picked up a number of these (the Employee Edition was given away on the Microsoft campus for free - but not to contractors) and dispersed them about the team so that everyone could read them.
I do not want to minimize the challenges Mr. Nadella faced and had the strength to write about in the book. He went through some tough times with an optimism that, quite frankly, I'm not sure I would have had in the same situations. That said, I believe it is very hard to change the culture of a corporation when a good number of its employees are treated like second-class citizens. And by no means is Microsoft the only tech company to do so; contractor culture is a problem at Amazon and Google and other tech giants within the industry.
The book mentions wonderful events like the Hackathon, but it is like reading about a feast we can only look at through a window. Contractors can't participate in the Hackathon. It's not that we don't have the coding chops, or lack ideas; it's that we literally do not have access to even sign up for the event. And I understand the reasons behind some of it - NDA agreements, possible access to secrets, leaks could occur. We aren't "real" employees of Microsoft, we just happen to work there doing full-time jobs without the full-time benefits... which only hurts more when all the blue badges go off for a week to create and share awesome prototypes while the rest of us do business as usual because we are still expected to hit our metrics.
To give credit where it is due, being a contractor at Microsoft has improved since 2015, but it still has a long way to go. It is admirable that Mr. Nadella is looking ahead to building economic growth around the world, but perhaps he should look a little closer to home.
I do not want to minimize the challenges Mr. Nadella faced and had the strength to write about in the book. He went through some tough times with an optimism that, quite frankly, I'm not sure I would have had in the same situations. That said, I believe it is very hard to change the culture of a corporation when a good number of its employees are treated like second-class citizens. And by no means is Microsoft the only tech company to do so; contractor culture is a problem at Amazon and Google and other tech giants within the industry.
The book mentions wonderful events like the Hackathon, but it is like reading about a feast we can only look at through a window. Contractors can't participate in the Hackathon. It's not that we don't have the coding chops, or lack ideas; it's that we literally do not have access to even sign up for the event. And I understand the reasons behind some of it - NDA agreements, possible access to secrets, leaks could occur. We aren't "real" employees of Microsoft, we just happen to work there doing full-time jobs without the full-time benefits... which only hurts more when all the blue badges go off for a week to create and share awesome prototypes while the rest of us do business as usual because we are still expected to hit our metrics.
To give credit where it is due, being a contractor at Microsoft has improved since 2015, but it still has a long way to go. It is admirable that Mr. Nadella is looking ahead to building economic growth around the world, but perhaps he should look a little closer to home.
amoalsale's review against another edition
3.0
Being a techie and Linux and Open source enthusiast from my college days, I followed Linux and it’s rival Microsoft closely for almost more than a decade.
By the time, I started following Satya Nadella closely I was already transformed into a balanced follower of both sides. Open source movement and Commercial software makers like Microsoft.
So I could very easily sense the paradigm shift happening during Nadella’s time at Microsoft. From his epic PowerPoint slide saying “Microsoft Loves Linux” to Bash’ porting to Windows operating system, Everything was unbelievable for me.
Satya Nadella reinvented the great Microsoft, that is evident from most of the stats available to laymen like us. Shares of Microsoft have more than doubled since he became CEO.
Hit Refresh is a great reading experience, especially if you are Software Techie.
By the time, I started following Satya Nadella closely I was already transformed into a balanced follower of both sides. Open source movement and Commercial software makers like Microsoft.
So I could very easily sense the paradigm shift happening during Nadella’s time at Microsoft. From his epic PowerPoint slide saying “Microsoft Loves Linux” to Bash’ porting to Windows operating system, Everything was unbelievable for me.
Satya Nadella reinvented the great Microsoft, that is evident from most of the stats available to laymen like us. Shares of Microsoft have more than doubled since he became CEO.
Hit Refresh is a great reading experience, especially if you are Software Techie.
viveknshah's review against another edition
2.0
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.
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.
dunguyen's review against another edition
3.0
Why does Microsoft exist? And why do I exist in this new role? That was the questions Nadella asked of himself when he was offered and appointed as the CEO of Microsoft - only the third CEO in its 40-year history. Why am I writing this book is another question that I think Nadella should have asked himself.
Hit Refresh is according to Nadella, not a biography, nor is it a book solely about himself. It's not really a book about technology although that does feature a lot. Nor is it a book about the challenges of leading one of the most valuable companies in the world. In fact I find it very strange as a book. Nadella wanted this book to be about the transformations happening in him, Microsoft and technology and he half-manages to write about these subjects.
The first few chapters are about him. His upbringing in India where he grew up loving cricket but finding a second love in computers. His move to the US where he worked his way up through Microsoft. And then about how he became a father to three children. It's a very broad picture of his life and clearly he didn't really want to go into details, preferring to skirt through formative years and only mentioning specific events that would portray him in the culture that he wants to bring to Microsoft.
Transformations in Microsoft is also dealt with swiftly and superficially. He acknowledges how Microsoft lost its leadership and have to catch up. This part of the book is partly super interesting material about the inner workings of Microsoft and some of the executive decisions you rarely hear of and part of evangelizing the Microsoft mission. Nadella writes a lot about how he brought a culture change to Microsoft after his appointment as CEO and how quickly it turned around things.
Lastly transformation in technology. Nadella switches to long term thinking and writes how Microsoft is focusing on three particular technologies: mixed reality, AI and quantum computing. This is the part of the book I found most interesting, simply because it seems to be more genuine that the rest of the book. Nadella is clearly passionate about the changes in technologies and how it will affect society.
Overall the book is not really that bad. It's not really that good either. Why it was written, I have no idea. On some level, it seems like a way for Nadella to legitimize his position as CEO as he writes about how his life seemingly brought about the right kind of qualities needed to lead Microsoft. On another level it's a bit of a sales pitch, trying to convince the world that a new Microsoft is here. And for employees it seems like it's written to convince them of the culture which can sometimes be seen as corporate kool aid. I didn't enjoy the parts about his life as it didn't seem like he really wanted to tell the reader about it. The Microsoft politics and executive decisions are really interesting but again, it's very superficial, only mentioning negativity whenever it's something that posterity would agree with Nadella's view (as in the Nokia acquisition perhaps wasn't the best idea). The part I really liked was the forward-looking chapters. This is where Nadella is at his most lucid. In fact, writing an entire book about that would probably have been better than this book.
I would recommend reading the last 4 four chapters and treating it like a really long read on Nadella's vision and thoughts about the future. For Nadella's life and career at Microsoft, hopefully he'll get down to really writing a tell-all biography when he at some point decides to retire.
Hit Refresh is according to Nadella, not a biography, nor is it a book solely about himself. It's not really a book about technology although that does feature a lot. Nor is it a book about the challenges of leading one of the most valuable companies in the world. In fact I find it very strange as a book. Nadella wanted this book to be about the transformations happening in him, Microsoft and technology and he half-manages to write about these subjects.
The first few chapters are about him. His upbringing in India where he grew up loving cricket but finding a second love in computers. His move to the US where he worked his way up through Microsoft. And then about how he became a father to three children. It's a very broad picture of his life and clearly he didn't really want to go into details, preferring to skirt through formative years and only mentioning specific events that would portray him in the culture that he wants to bring to Microsoft.
Transformations in Microsoft is also dealt with swiftly and superficially. He acknowledges how Microsoft lost its leadership and have to catch up. This part of the book is partly super interesting material about the inner workings of Microsoft and some of the executive decisions you rarely hear of and part of evangelizing the Microsoft mission. Nadella writes a lot about how he brought a culture change to Microsoft after his appointment as CEO and how quickly it turned around things.
Lastly transformation in technology. Nadella switches to long term thinking and writes how Microsoft is focusing on three particular technologies: mixed reality, AI and quantum computing. This is the part of the book I found most interesting, simply because it seems to be more genuine that the rest of the book. Nadella is clearly passionate about the changes in technologies and how it will affect society.
Overall the book is not really that bad. It's not really that good either. Why it was written, I have no idea. On some level, it seems like a way for Nadella to legitimize his position as CEO as he writes about how his life seemingly brought about the right kind of qualities needed to lead Microsoft. On another level it's a bit of a sales pitch, trying to convince the world that a new Microsoft is here. And for employees it seems like it's written to convince them of the culture which can sometimes be seen as corporate kool aid. I didn't enjoy the parts about his life as it didn't seem like he really wanted to tell the reader about it. The Microsoft politics and executive decisions are really interesting but again, it's very superficial, only mentioning negativity whenever it's something that posterity would agree with Nadella's view (as in the Nokia acquisition perhaps wasn't the best idea). The part I really liked was the forward-looking chapters. This is where Nadella is at his most lucid. In fact, writing an entire book about that would probably have been better than this book.
I would recommend reading the last 4 four chapters and treating it like a really long read on Nadella's vision and thoughts about the future. For Nadella's life and career at Microsoft, hopefully he'll get down to really writing a tell-all biography when he at some point decides to retire.
lakesidegirl's review against another edition
4.0
I loved the first half of this book about Nadella's life and Microsoft's culture. The second half, with its future of technology visioning, was a little dry.
evilmonkey85's review against another edition
4.0
I have been using Microsoft and Windows products for such a long time that I have even lost count. I Started with Windows 98 and have been through the stages of using Windows XP, Vista the most hated operating system that Microsoft has launched to Win7, Win8, Win8.1 and the latest operating system Windows 10.
After reading a couple of review on book review sites, I totally disagree that this book or E-Book is for Microsoft Employees that would like to know or get to know their CEO. The book looks at his life from growing up in an Indian family in Hyderabad where he also did his education as well as personal life where he and how he met his wife In India leading to difficulties they have faced with two children with difficulties they faced as a family. This lead to him to working for Sun Microsystem, then leading to working as an engineer at Microsoft where he assisted on the Windows NT project that is used all major retail outlets and stored around the world on their billing systems, to taking over from Bill Gates and Steve Ballmer and becoming the Chief Executive Officer at Microsoft.
The book takes you on a voyage like Captains Kirk, Picard, Sisco, and Jane-way did on the USS enterprise in versions of Star Trek. Looking at how Satya Nadella who has led major projects including the company's move to cloud computing and the development of one of the largest cloud infrastructures in the world. Nadella has also changed the way Microsoft does business with its competitors such as IBM, Salesforce, Apple providing Microsoft office for Apple Mac computers, iPhones and IPads and Linux on Microsoft servers as well as joining the Linux Foundation.
Under Nadella, Microsoft has revised its mission statement to "empower every person and organization on the planet to achieve more. In comparison to the founder Bill Gates's "a PC on every desk and in every home, running Microsoft software", Nadella says that it is an enduring mission, rather than a temporal goal. His key goal has been transforming Microsoft’s corporate culture into one that values continual learning and growth.
A book not just for Microsoft Employee who want to know and understand about their CEO. Looking at the life of Satya Nadella personal and professional.
After reading a couple of review on book review sites, I totally disagree that this book or E-Book is for Microsoft Employees that would like to know or get to know their CEO. The book looks at his life from growing up in an Indian family in Hyderabad where he also did his education as well as personal life where he and how he met his wife In India leading to difficulties they have faced with two children with difficulties they faced as a family. This lead to him to working for Sun Microsystem, then leading to working as an engineer at Microsoft where he assisted on the Windows NT project that is used all major retail outlets and stored around the world on their billing systems, to taking over from Bill Gates and Steve Ballmer and becoming the Chief Executive Officer at Microsoft.
The book takes you on a voyage like Captains Kirk, Picard, Sisco, and Jane-way did on the USS enterprise in versions of Star Trek. Looking at how Satya Nadella who has led major projects including the company's move to cloud computing and the development of one of the largest cloud infrastructures in the world. Nadella has also changed the way Microsoft does business with its competitors such as IBM, Salesforce, Apple providing Microsoft office for Apple Mac computers, iPhones and IPads and Linux on Microsoft servers as well as joining the Linux Foundation.
Under Nadella, Microsoft has revised its mission statement to "empower every person and organization on the planet to achieve more. In comparison to the founder Bill Gates's "a PC on every desk and in every home, running Microsoft software", Nadella says that it is an enduring mission, rather than a temporal goal. His key goal has been transforming Microsoft’s corporate culture into one that values continual learning and growth.
A book not just for Microsoft Employee who want to know and understand about their CEO. Looking at the life of Satya Nadella personal and professional.
nanometers's review against another edition
hopeful
informative
reflective
medium-paced
3.5
Some fun and informative parts of culture and innovation. Some less detailed or nuanced discussion on geopolitics that ruined the thoughtfulness for me.
hamaniconee's review against another edition
3.0
I read this book for a leadership class and gleaned lots of leadership nuggets from Satya. All the tech talk, however, was over my head.