We have heard FANG. And FAANG. There is an obvious missing element here — Microsoft.

Microsoft had lost several years of market leadership because of the declining software licensing business and the yet-to-pick-up cloud business. But they are coming back with a roar — with significant leadership focus on Cloud Computing as well as revolutionary focus on AI, ML and Quantum Computing.

I picked up a copy of Hit Refresh because of the very interesting crossroads Microsoft is at and some of the snippets I had heard of and by Satya Nadella had made me curious enough. This may be the one of the fewest business books written while the transformation is in-flight. This also means there is an element of uncertainty in whatever strategy Microsoft as a company, and Nadella as the CEO, have selected for their future.

It is impossible to ignore some of the moves made by Microsoft in the recent years — embracing Linux as an equal or sometimes preferred platform, designing Microsoft’s SQL databases to run on Linux, making Azure front and center and making it seem almost that Azure is the only thing that matters, recent PR around Quantum Computing (before I read this book, I was like what the heck is it).

This is a good book to read about how Nadella’s focus is changing the DNA of the organization and the future of computing itself. If you are hard pressed for time, you can just watch Satya’s keynote at Re-ignite or watch his CNN interview with Fareed Zakaria.