I danced with the road, meandering on my motorcycle through a forest once consumed by fire. Out of charred remains, new shoots of life were already rising – signs of a forest reborn. My own journey has followed a similar path: growth, burn, and renewal. It has never been a straight line, but a meandering pursuit of curiosity, purpose, and meaning.
That search for renewal and meaning traces back to the very start of my career, when I joined Microsoft as a young engineer.
The culture from day one was clear – Intelligent and innovative. The expectation was to be smart and help leaders build groundbreaking platform solutions such as the Windows Operating System. This reflected the deep and expansive thinking of Bill Gates.
Years later, as Microsoft’s innovative edge was not as exciting to me any longer, I decided to pursue other venues of growth. I became fascinated by medical technology. I grew up with a father who suffered from a chronic heart condition. My father passed away earlier the year that I joined an AI-based cardiac imaging startup.
The venture ultimately did not survive. Around that same time, Satya Nadella succeeded Steve Ballmer, and the cloud revolution was taking off with Microsoft and Amazon at the forefront. I felt that it was the perfect time for me to rejoin the technology mainstream.
Satya immediately signaled a new era: he formed once-unthinkable partnerships such as with its biggest competitor, Apple, invested in Minecraft and abandoned Nokia. At the heart of his leadership was not just strategy, but culture.
In his book, Hit Refresh, Satya revealed how his own upbringing and challenges led him to embrace a radical cultural shift, from a fixed mindset to a growth mindset. The transformation centered on empathy, curiosity, collaboration, and the courage to fail, learn, and adapt. It was about rediscovering Microsoft’s soul and purpose. Shifting an entire company’s culture, however, was no small task. Every layer—from executives to middle managers to individual contributors—had to reframe values that had been entrenched for decades.
Gradually, the change took root. Conversations shifted. Managers became more caring, and arrogance lost its appeal. Growth Mindset training was integrated into the ongoing employee training cycle. Visual reminders showed up throughout the company campus. Employee reviews evolved to include peer feedback, requiring us to demonstrate collaboration, empowerment, and impact beyond our own work.
The goal was no longer to appear flawless but to foster shared learning and innovate iteratively.
Microsoft had regained its sparkle. Bill Gates’ original vision was to have a computer in every home. Satya modernized Bill’s vision, while retaining its original purpose, and extended it to empower every person and organization on the planet to participate in the ongoing technology revolution. We again felt innovative, energized and proud to be Microsofties.
For me, Growth Mindset opened the door to new domains. I moved from cloud infrastructure and cybersecurity to conversational AI, and eventually toward my true passion: Sustainability. On my motorcycle camping trips in the Pacific Northwest, I saw firsthand the devastating scale of forest fires. In parallel with Microsoft’s cultural rediscovery of purpose, I realized I needed to align my own work with making a difference. This realization led me to complete UCSD’s Sustainable Business Practices program. As soon as I graduated, I came upon a perfect opportunity within Microsoft. I joined the Microsoft Sustainability Manager product team, where I could cultivate purpose while contributing to the company’s environmental impact.
Today, my journey has taken new turns. As I ride into uncharted roads, I carry with me the lesson that Growth Mindset is not just a corporate mantra, but a way of navigating life itself.
-Eyal
After decades in the tech world, Eyal Schwartz is following the road back to himself. Once a technology leader at Microsoft in Seattle, he is now embracing a path filled with curiosity and renewal. Based in Los Angeles, he explores music, writing, and his passion for traveling on his motorcycle.