Microsoft CEO In Hot Water Over Comment On Women And Pay Raises

Microsoft's CEO Satya Nadella found himself suffering backlash over comments he made today about women and pay raises at a conference in Phoenix. When asked how women working in tech should approach the issue of pay raises when they find it uncomfortable, he responded that workers should lend their faith to the system and that it will bestow pay raises in the course of things. Criticism of the comment was swift and harsh, and he has since redacted his statement, clarifying it in a new one.

The comment was made at the Grace Hopper Celebration of Women in Computing conference, where Nadella responded to the aforemention question with: "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."

The backlash was immediate. The person who asked the question was Harvey Mudd College president Maria Klawe, also a Microsoft board member, and she responded at the time, saying among other things that it was "one of the very few things that I disagree with you on." The criticism largely mounted on Twitter, where Nadella later posted a tweet saying he "was inarticulate".

This was followed up a short while later by an email from Nadella to Microsoft employees, which was publicly posted on the Microsoft News website. In it, Nadella said:

Toward the end of the interview, Maria asked me what advice I would offer women who are not comfortable asking for pay raises. I answered that question completely wrong. Without a doubt I wholeheartedly support programs at Microsoft and in the industry that bring more women into technology and close the pay gap. I believe men and women should get equal pay for equal work. And when it comes to career advice on getting a raise when you think it's deserved, Maria's advice was the right advice. If you think you deserve a raise, you should just ask.

SOURCE: Reuters