FX.co ★ Seven "smart" books recommended by the Microsoft CEO

The Microsoft CEO Satya Nadella presented a list of seven books you need to read if you want to succeed in the development of your own company and the formation of a successful business promotion strategy. Here, you will find the most effective, according to Nadella, books on history, economics, technology, and management strategy.

«The Great Transformation: The Political and Economic Origins of Our Time». Karl Polanyi

“My father recommended this book long ago,” says Nadella of the 1944 classic by a Hungarian-American writer who chronicles the development of England's market economy and argues that society should drive economic change.

«Deep Learning». Ian Goodfellow, Yoshua Bengio, Aaron Courville

Elon Musk and Facebook AI chief Yann LeCun have praised this textbook on one of software's most promising frontiers. The book fully expounds the mathematical and conceptual foundations of linear algebra, probability theory and information theory, numerical calculations and machine learning.

«The Boys in the Boat». Daniel James Brown

Nadella calls this tale with a local Seattle connection—it involves an underdog University of Washington crew team and the 1936 Berlin Olympics—”A wonderful illustration of the importance of teamwork, which was a core part of my focus out of the gate as CEO.” The book became widely known and was translated into 15 languages.

«The Great Convergence: Information Technology and the New Globalization». Richard Baldwin

In this look at how telepresence and telerobotics will increasingly let people cross international borders from the comfort of their own homes, Nadella sees analogies to Microsoft's HoloLens headset, especially as the technology matures and its cost comes down.

«Mindset: The New Psychology of Success». Carol Dweck

Written by a Stanford psychology professor, this book offers advice on retaining an appreciation for the things you don't yet know and first resonated with Nadella as a father. As Microsoft's new CEO, he aspired to steer the company toward “a culture that allowed us to constantly refresh and renew,” and incorporated Dweck's perspective into his blueprint for change. “Now three years into it, I recognize its power a lot more than I did,” he says.

«Nonviolent Communication: A Language of Life». Marshall Rosenberg

Upon becoming CEO, Nadella confronted Microsoft's legendarily combative culture by urging his new reports to read this book, which preaches the power of empathy, self-awareness, and authenticity in collaboration in the workplace, at home, and beyond. Like many of his favorites, it was first recommended to him by his wife, Anu: “I'm heavily influenced by the books she reads more than the books I read.”

«The Rise and Fall of American Growth». Robert J. Gordon

Covering everything from the combustion engine to the flush toilet—and judging recent breakthroughs with a skeptical eye—this work of economic history “concludes that innovation is the ultimate source of dramatic improvements in the human condition,” says Nadella.