Hit Refresh: The Quest To Rediscover Microsoft's Soul And Imagine A Better Future For Everyone Quotes
"I joined Microsoft in 1992 because I wanted to work for a company filled with people who believed they were on a mission to change the world."
"As a twenty-four-year veteran of Microsoft, a consummate insider, the caricature really bothered me."
"I told them I was committed to ruthlessly removing barriers to innovation so we could get back to what we all joined the company to do—to make a difference in the world."
"Microsoft has always been at its best when it connects personal passion to a broader purpose."
"Fear: of being ridiculed; of failing; of not looking like the smartest person in the room. And arrogance: I am too important for these games."
"I told them that we spend far too much time at work for it not to have deep meaning."
"My personal philosophy and my passion, developed over time and through exposure to many different experiences, is to connect new ideas with a growing sense of empathy for other people."
"If a baby is laying on a street crying, pick up the baby."
"Being a husband and a father has taken me on an emotional journey."
"I am not particularly religious, but I was searching and I was curious why so few people in India have been followers of Buddha despite his origins."
"My passion is to put empathy at the center of everything I pursue—from the products we launch, to the new markets we enter, to the employees, customers, and partners we work with."
"In the end, one brilliant knock, or three deftly bowled balls, can change the complexion of a game."
"Leadership means making choices and then rallying the team around those choices."
"The key is to not have the top leaders infuse fear or panic but to help foster the actions that fix the issue at hand and the learning from it."
"We are investing in and improving these new products, building new muscle as a service provider, and embracing Linux and other open-source efforts, all while keeping focus on our customers."
"A leader must see the external opportunities and the internal capability and culture—and all of the connections among them—and respond to them before they become obvious parts of the conventional wisdom."
"To be a leader in this company, your job is to find the rose petals in a field of shit."
"Our industry does not respect tradition. What it respects is innovation."
"It’s not really about asking for the raise but knowing and having faith that the system will actually give you the right raises as you go along."
"We are at our best when we actively seek diversity and inclusion."
"Creating that kind of culture is my chief job as CEO."
"When we talk to customers, we need to listen. It’s not an idle exercise. It is about being able to predict things that customers will love."
"Culture is how an organization thinks and acts, but individuals shape it."
"The key to the culture change was individual empowerment."
"We can have all the bold ambitions. We can have all the bold goals. We can aspire to our new mission. But it’s only going to happen if we live our culture, if we teach our culture."
"I like to think that the C in CEO stands for culture. The CEO is the curator of an organization’s culture."
"The diversity of our workforce must continue to improve, and we need to include a wide range of opinions and perspectives in our thinking and decision making."
"Partnering is too often seen as a zero-sum game—whatever is gained by one participant is lost by another. I don’t see it that way. When done right, partnering grows the pie for everyone."
"Securing the liberties of the people is never a simple matter, and social, cultural, and political factors can play unpredictable roles in shaping the rights that people take for granted."
"History shows that the tension between public safety and individual liberty is often heightened in moments of national crisis."
"We should create new processes and laws that promote public trust by facilitating timely access to data while ensuring appropriate privacy protections for individuals."
"In today's conflicts, we can learn from history lessons that tell us about the importance of balancing public safety with individual liberties."
"The biggest problem is antiquated laws that are ill-suited to deal with modern technological challenges."
"Information technologies have put the First and Fourth Amendments on steroids—computers can spread freedom of expression at lightning speed."
"A poetic vision of democracy and individual freedom is hiding in plain sight in the Bill of Rights, but we have forgotten how to look for it."
"Empathy, education, and creativity will be invaluable skills in the human-AI world."
"In an era of AI, we need to set ambitious goals that go beyond what can be achieved through incremental improvements to current technology."
"To ensure a beneficial growth of AI, we need to move beyond the frame of machines versus humans."
"The future of AI isn't about pitting good vs. evil, but examining the values instilled in those creating the technology."
"We have a moral obligation to continue to innovate, to build technology to solve big problems and to be a force for good in the world."
"The trajectory of AI and its influence on society is only beginning and requires in-depth analysis and a multi-constituent approach."
"In a world full of smart machines, the best way to answer hard questions about control is by understanding the values of those building these systems."
"AI must be designed to assist humanity, be transparent, maximize efficiencies without destroying dignity, and embody intelligent privacy."
"Technology diffusion and its impact on economic outcomes are crucial in understanding how we can make technology work for everyone."
"To spread economic growth and opportunity, we need policies that encourage rapid and intensive use of new technologies."
"Innovative technology, plus a workforce trained to use it productively, can lead to economic growth and productivity."
"Creating a more accessible and equitable economic playing field won't come true automatically; it requires a network of alliances and collective action."
"A better world is better for business—we need to think about the impact of our actions on the world and its citizens long into the future."