Microsoft’s third CEO appears to be taking a leaf out of the playbook of its first. Today, publisher HarperCollins announced that Satya Nadella is working on a book, due out in the fall of 2017, called Hit Refresh.
The book, according to a release, will focus on three main topics: Nadella’s life, how he’s been changing Microsoft, and how intelligent machines are going to reshape the society. Nadella penned a lengthy op-ed on the latter topic for Slate yesterday, suggesting that we must build “inclusive and respectful” technology, where artificially intelligent machines are just as important as the motivations of the people who build them.
Hyderabad, India-born Nadella has been working at Microsoft since 1992, and took the helm from Steve Ballmer in 2014. Nadella has been credited with revamping the tech giant, which had floundered under Ballmer’s reign, with some in the media even suggesting that the company is “cool again.” Nadella has led Microsoft into new areas, including its first proper laptop, and artificial intelligence—with mixed results.
Much like he has done at Microsoft, Nadella’s book will apparently explore “how people, organizations, and societies can and must transform—hit refresh—in their persistent quest for new energy, new ideas, relevance and renewal,” according to the release.
In 1995, Bill Gates, the founder and then-CEO of Microsoft, wrote his first book, a somewhat prescient but widely read look on the future, called The Road Ahead. It sold over 2.5 million copies. Perhaps Nadella’s first offering will give us a better indication on what we can expect from his tenure at Microsoft, and the next 20 years.