Zain Nadella, the 26-year-old son of Microsoft CEO Satya Nadella', died on Monday, the company said in an email. Zain was born with cerebral palsy. The American technology company has asked its executives to hold the Nadella family in their thoughts and prayers and offer them the space to grieve privately.
Since taking over as CEO of Microsoft in 2014, 54-year-old Nadella has steered the company towards designing products to better serve users with disabilities and cited lessons he learned raising and supporting his son Zain.
In 2021, the Children’s Hospital where Zain received much of his treatment joined the Nadellas to establish the Zain Nadella Endowed Chair in Pediatric Neurosciences as part of Seattle Children’s Center for Integrative Brain Research.
Jeff Sperring, CEO of Children’s Hospital, wrote in a message to his board, “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."