Zain Nadella is the son of CEO Satya Nadella and his wife Anu. He died early Monday morning. He was 26 years old and had cerebral palsy from birth. He was born on August 13, 1996, at 11:29pm, weighing three pounds. The baby didn’t move as much as usual in Anu’s 36th week of pregnancy. A regular medical visit rapidly turned into an emergency Caesarean surgery.

Zain was taken to Seattle Children’s Neonatal Intensive Treatment Unit (NICU) as soon as he was born to get life-saving care. In 2021, the family gave the hospital $15 million to fund its efforts in brain medicine and mental health treatment.

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Zain had considerable damage from in utero asphyxiation, and he would need a wheelchair due to severe cerebral palsy. He was unable to speak and was completely reliant on his parents. Zain was legally blind.

In a blog post published in 2017, the Microsoft CEO discussed his son’s birth and upbringing, as well as how it affected him.

“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”.

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“And it is why I am deeply committed to pushing the bounds on what love and compassion combined with human ingenuity and passion to have an impact can accomplish with my colleagues at Microsoft.”

Satya Nadella has prioritised accessibility in product development efforts, from essential features in Windows 10 like Narrator to breakthroughs like Hearing AI.

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Under Nadella’s leadership, the firm also recruits persons with special needs through programmes such as the Autism Hiring Program and the Supported Employment Program to ensure proper representation in the organisation.