Read by Satya Nadella, Tobias Lütke, Chip Wilson and 5 others
What books does Satya Nadella recommend?
Since remaking Microsoft around cloud computing and empathy, Satya Nadella has treated books as leadership tools, and his book recommendations trace the ideas behind that transformation. The company's Chairman and CEO has shared 21 titles here, sourced from his memoir Hit Refresh, official LinkedIn reading lists, Fast Company interviews, and book endorsements. Society and politics, history, science and technology, and psychology recur across the list. Carol Dweck's Mindset is a defining top pick; Nadella credits it with giving him "the intuition to describe the culture we want to create - a culture of learn-it-alls as opposed to know-it-alls." On becoming CEO he urged his reports to read Marshall Rosenberg's Nonviolent Communication for "the power of empathy, self-awareness, and authenticity." From The Boys in the Boat to poetry by T.S. Eliot, the list reflects a technologist who reads widely for perspective.
Last updated January 2026 · Every recommendation cited to its original source.
Mindset: The New Psychology of Success
How We Can Learn to Fulfill Our Potential
byCarol S. Dweck
2006320 Pages“The view you adopt for yourself profoundly affects the way you lead your life. [This book] gave me the intuition to describe the culture we want to create—a culture of learn-it-alls as opposed to know-it-alls.”
— Satya Nadella
Source: Hit Refresh / Microsoft Official Communication
Nonviolent Communication
A Language of Life: Life-Changing Tools for Healthy Relationships
byMarshall B. Rosenberg
2015264 Pages“Upon becoming CEO, I urged my new reports to read this book, which preaches the power of empathy, self-awareness, and authenticity in collaboration.”
— Satya Nadella
Source: Fast Company Interview
Read by Satya Nadella
The Boys in the Boat
Nine Americans and Their Epic Quest for Gold at the 1936 Berlin Olympics
byDaniel James Brown
2013404 Pages“A wonderful illustration of the importance of teamwork, which was a core part of my focus out of the gate as CEO.”
— Satya Nadella
Source: LinkedIn Official Reading List
Competing in the Age of AI
Strategy and Leadership When Algorithms and Networks Run the World
byMarco Iansiti, Karim R. Lakhani
2020288 Pages“Iansiti and Lakhani have written an important book that explains what's required to rethink the firm and become an AI-first company. Anyone interested in the impact of AI should read this book.”
— Satya Nadella
Source: Official Book Endorsement (Blurb)
Read by Satya Nadella
Tools and Weapons
The Promise and the Peril of the Digital Age
byBrad Smith, Carol Ann Browne
2019352 Pages“An important book on some of the biggest tech issues of our time and their impact on all of our lives—and well worth reading.”
— Satya Nadella
Source: Satya Nadella Verified Twitter
Read by Ray Dalio, Satya Nadella, Richard Thaler and 1 others
byReed Hastings, Erin Meyer
2020320 Pages“I had the privilege of learning from Reed personally and studying the Netflix culture. The insights in this book are invaluable to anyone trying to create and sustain organizational culture.”
— Satya Nadella
Source: Official Book Endorsement (Blurb)
Read by Peter Thiel, Satya Nadella, Arianna Huffington and 4 others
AI Superpowers: China, Silicon Valley, and the New World Order
China, Silicon Valley, and the New World Order
byKai-Fu Lee
2018272 Pages“Kai-Fu Lee's smart analysis on human-AI coexistence is clear-eyed and a must-read. We must look deep within ourselves for the values and wisdom to guide AI's development.”
— Satya Nadella
Source: LinkedIn Official Reading List
byWalter Isaacson
2017624 Pages“Isaacson's biography is based on the Renaissance master's personal notebooks, so you know we're going to be taken into the creative mind of the genius.”
— Satya Nadella
Source: LinkedIn Official Summer Reading List
byMatthew Desmond
2016432 Pages“A powerful and heartbreaking book about the housing crisis in America.”
— Satya Nadella
Source: LinkedIn Official Summer Reading List
Read by Satya Nadella
The Narrow Corridor
States, Societies, and the Fate of Liberty
byDaron Acemoglu, James A. Robinson
2019592 Pages“There's a fantastic book I recently read called The Narrow Corridor. It's about the real, constant tension between what does a society want and what does the government want.”
— Satya Nadella
Source: World Economic Forum / Davos Interview
Read by Satya Nadella
Forged in Crisis
The Power of Courageous Leadership in Turbulent Times
byNancy Koehn
2017517 Pages“I loved 'Forged in Crisis'. It looks at five prominent people and what they have in common.”
— Satya Nadella
Source: Fast Company Interview
Read by Satya Nadella
The Great Transformation
The Political and Economic Origins of Our Time
byKarl Polanyi
2001360 Pages“My father recommended this book long ago. It's a fascinating read on the rise of the market economy.”
— Satya Nadella
Source: Economic Times Interview
byT.S. Eliot
194356 Pages“The poem 'Little Gidding' has always stuck with me. 'We shall not cease from exploration...' It captures the essence of what we are trying to do at Microsoft.”
— Satya Nadella
Source: Hit Refresh (Authored Book)
The Moment of Lift
How Empowering Women Changes the World
byMelinda French Gates
2019304 Pages“It's such a valuable contribution to a topic that couldn't be more important to society today. I've always learned so much from the stories [Melinda has] shared.”
— Satya Nadella
Source: Satya Nadella Verified Twitter
Read by Satya Nadella
Netherland
A Novel
byJoseph O'Neill
2009272 Pages“O'Neill describes the beauty of the game... I think of that metaphor of the cricket team now as a CEO when reflecting on the culture we need in order to be successful.”
— Satya Nadella
Source: Hit Refresh (Authored Book)
Read by Satya Nadella
The Great Convergence
Information Technology and the New Globalization
byRichard Baldwin
2016329 Pages“Explains how the new age technology has shaped the way of life in terms of business.”
— Satya Nadella
Source: LinkedIn Official Reading List
Read by Satya Nadella
Dawn of the New Everything
Encounters with Reality and Virtual Reality
byJaron Lanier
2017368 Pages“Lanier is one of the most original thinkers of our time. His book is a personal journey through the history of virtual reality.”
— Satya Nadella
Source: LinkedIn Official Summer Reading List
Read by Satya Nadella
Philosopher of the Heart
The Restless Life of Søren Kierkegaard
byClare Carlisle
2019368 Pages“I was reminded of my mother's diary when reading Clare Carlisle's biography of Søren Kierkegaard. 'The goal of reflection is to arrive at immediacy.' It struck me as the core of leadership.”
— Satya Nadella
Source: Fast Company 2021 Reading List
The Alignment Problem
Machine Learning and Human Values
byBrian Christian
2020496 Pages“Informs my current thinking on leadership, technology, and the future.”
— Satya Nadella
Source: Fast Company 2021 Reading List
Read by Satya Nadella
Utopia or Oblivion
The Prospects for Humanity
byR. Buckminster Fuller
1969448 Pages“We have to learn from the past and be inspired by what's possible in the future.”
— Satya Nadella
Source: Fast Company 2021 Reading List
Read by Satya Nadella
Shaping the Future of the Fourth Industrial Revolution
A Guide to Building a Better World
byKlaus Schwab, Nicholas Davis
2018288 Pages“The prescient topics explored in this book, coupled with the dialogue it sparks at World Economic Forum gatherings, are vital contributions.”
— Satya Nadella
Source: Official Book Endorsement (Blurb)
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Frequently asked questions
What books does Satya Nadella recommend?
His 21 recommendations include Mindset, Nonviolent Communication, The Boys in the Boat, Competing in the Age of AI, and The Narrow Corridor, spanning leadership, culture, technology, and public policy.
What is Satya Nadella's favourite book?
Carol Dweck's Mindset is a top pick. Nadella says it gave him "the intuition to describe the culture we want to create - a culture of learn-it-alls as opposed to know-it-alls," a phrase central to his leadership.
Where do Satya Nadella's book recommendations come from?
They are drawn from his memoir Hit Refresh, his official LinkedIn reading lists, Fast Company interviews, remarks at Davos, and endorsements he has written for books on technology and management.
Has Satya Nadella written a book?
Yes. He authored Hit Refresh in 2017, a memoir and reflection on Microsoft's transformation that also cites works he admires, including T.S. Eliot's Four Quartets and Joseph O'Neill's Netherland.
Which book on empathy does Satya Nadella recommend?
Marshall Rosenberg's Nonviolent Communication. Nadella says that upon becoming CEO he "urged my new reports to read this book, which preaches the power of empathy, self-awareness, and authenticity in collaboration."
All 21 Books Satya Nadella Has Recommended
- Mindset: The New Psychology of Success · Carol S. Dweck
- Nonviolent Communication · Marshall B. Rosenberg
- The Boys in the Boat · Daniel James Brown
- Competing in the Age of AI · Marco Iansiti
- Tools and Weapons · Brad Smith
- No Rules Rules: Netflix and the Culture of Reinvention · Reed Hastings
- AI Superpowers: China, Silicon Valley, and the New World Order · Kai-Fu Lee
- Leonardo da Vinci · Walter Isaacson
- Evicted: Poverty and Profit in the American City · Matthew Desmond
- The Narrow Corridor · Daron Acemoglu
- Forged in Crisis · Nancy Koehn
- The Great Transformation · Karl Polanyi
- Four Quartets · T.S. Eliot
- The Moment of Lift · Melinda French Gates
- Netherland · Joseph O'Neill
- The Great Convergence · Richard Baldwin
- Dawn of the New Everything · Jaron Lanier
- Philosopher of the Heart · Clare Carlisle
- The Alignment Problem · Brian Christian
- Utopia or Oblivion · R. Buckminster Fuller
- Shaping the Future of the Fourth Industrial Revolution · Klaus Schwab