Microsoft CEO Satya Nadella issued an apology Thursday for remarks he made at a women in computing conference that seemed to have offended the gender everywhere. He said that his comments about women not needing to ask for a raise and should simply trust the system to pay them well were wrong.
Here was his initial statement when asked what his advice would be for women who feel uncomfortable asking for a raise:
“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.”
“And that I think might be one of the additional superpowers that, quite frankly, women who don’t ask for a raise have. Because that’s good karma. It’ll come back, because somebody is going to know that is the kind of person that I want to trust.”
The Grace Hopper Celebration of Women in Computing conference interviewer, Maria Klawe, disagreed with Nadella’s advice, which generated a huge applause from the crowd. Instead, Klawe recommended that women should study the salary information and skills required to justify a raise.
Nadella was vehemently criticized throughout social media Thursday. Microsoft published a memo on its website in which Nadella noted that he was “completely wrong” in his answer and he supports equal pay among genders. He added that if you think you deserve a raise then you should proceed with asking.
Nevertheless, those outraged by the remarks alluded to the reports that suggest men dominate the technology industry and women are paid far less than men, though the ladder’s validity has been questioned on numerous occasions.
This year, various tech titans have released workplace diversity reports that highlight what genders and races the company is made of. Microsoft’s workforce is currently comprised of 29 percent females.
Nadella’s comments come as Sarah Silverman released a video saying women suffer from the “vagina tax” and are owed billions of dollars because they haven’t earned the same amount of money as their male counterparts.
The issue of women asking for raises has been the subject of much debate and research. For instance, 2014 Toronto mayoral candidate John Tory created local headlines when he observed that women don’t negotiate their wages and ask for pay raises.
“The women don’t come as often to complain. The men do, so my experience is a little different in that I do think that more men put a fuss up about their money,” he told CP24 host Stephen LeDrew earlier this year.
Although this drew the ire of some officials and women’s groups across the city, there is scientific evidence to back the former Ontario Progressive Conservative leader’s claim. A University of Chicago study discovered that men are likelier to negotiate their salaries and ask for a raise than women. Also, the report found that women have conceded to feeling a great amount of apprehension when negotiating their pay. Other studies have verified this.
Nadella replaced Steve Ballmer earlier this year and currently earns an annual salary of $1.2 million. He could earn close to $5 million because of potential bonuses.