Microsoft Corp. said Zain Nadella, son of Chief Executive Officer Satya and his wife Anu, passed away Monday morning. He was 26 years old and was born with cerebral palsy.
The software maker told its executives in an email that Zain had passed away. The message asked executives to keep the family in thoughts and prayers while also giving them space to grieve privately.
Since Nadella took on the CEO role in 2014, Nadella has focused the company on designing products to better serve users with disabilities and has cited lessons learned from educating and supporting Zain. Last year, the Children’s Hospital, where Zain received much of his treatment, co-founded the Zain Nadella Endowed Chair in Pediatric Neurosciences with the Nadellas, as part of the Seattle Children’s Center for Integrative Brain Research.
“Zain will be remembered for his eclectic taste in music, his radiant, sunny smile and the immense joy he brought to his family and all who loved him,” Jeff Sperring, CEO of Children’s Hospital, wrote in a message to his board. board, which was shared with Microsoft executives.
