‘It’s Not Right:’ Microsoft Employees Blast CEO Satya Nadella over Pay Freezes, Reduced Bonuses

Internal messages show Microsoft employees are angry with CEO Satya Nadella after he thanked them for a “landmark” fiscal year while they deal with a pay freeze and reduced bonuses. One worker said, “I wonder where the record profits come from? For myself, I don’t feel privileged at all for working here.”

As Microsoft is expected to report record-breaking revenues, CEO Satya Nadella thanked employees on the company’s internal message boards on Wednesday, which elicited negative responses from staffers who are frustrated over pay freezes and reduced bonuses, according to messages obtained by Business Insider.

“As we approach the end of FY23, I want to express my sincere appreciation to everyone working hard across the company for a strong close,” Nadella wrote. “The innovation and creativity you continue to show have made this a landmark year not just for Microsoft, but for our customers, partners, and communities around the world.”

The Microsoft went on to express his appreciation for the sense of “community” he feels at the company, and encouraged employees to “ground ourselves in our mission and culture.”‘

While roughly 200,000 people saw Nadella’s message and the vast majority of them reacted to the post with an upvote, a number of employees responded to the CEO’s thank-you post with frustration.

One employee wrote that a “good way to show gratitude is to unfreeze pay raises,” and then pointed out that the senior leaders who made the pay decision were worth many millions. That comment reportedly received more than 250 upvotes.

“Here employees take pay cuts as our company and leadership make record profits. It’s not right, no other way to look at it,” another employee wrote in a post that received more than 100 upvotes.

“I wonder where the record profits come from? For myself, I don’t feel privileged at all for working here,” commented a third employee, who went on to lament over working 14 to 16 hour days while facing stagnant wages.

Meanwhile, a recent internal Microsoft poll showed that more employees are now saying they would leave the company if they got another comparable offer, Business Insider reported.

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