14 DAY TRIAL // Following the debacle of the Grace Hopper Celebration and the massive negative media coverage it got, Microsoft CEO Satya Nadella is not yet done apologizing for making anti-feminist comments in what was meant to be an appearance showing the world that he was all about gender equality and the end of discrimination of all kinds.
The Celebration took place almost a couple of weeks ago, and Nadella talked about options to close the gender pay gap and what he would advise women who deserved a raise but weren’t entirely comfortable with asking for it.
Things went downhill from there, because he said they should know better than to ask: just hang in there and have faith in that the system will take care of you, he said.
The backlash was swift and very violent, but Nadella acted quickly
His comments made headlines around the world and generated very negative responses from women – and not only. Even pop star Cher intervened, putting Nadella on blast on Twitter and accusing him of speaking like men used to 5 decades ago. And she hasn’t worked a 9-to-5 job in ages, so you can imagine how angry women who did got.
To his credit, Nadella apologized. And then he apologized some more.
And then he did even better: he sent out a memo to Microsoft employees, detailing his plans to create a company where there was no more disparity and no more discrimination (though there was little of both, by the way, he made sure to stress), through a new policy of inclusion and diversion.
To offer you an idea of the kind of pickle he landed himself into, we should note that he’s apologizing again, this time in an interview with USA Today. You will find that segment of the interview embedded below, at the end of this post.
One more apology, but a better explanation as well
It’s not the fact that Nadella is apologizing this profusely that stands out, as neither do his promises to make a difference really matter – at least, not until he puts his money where his mouth is and changes appear.
What stands out about this new interview is that he’s actually trying to explain why he said those things that offended millions of people: it’s because, for a brief moment, he forgot who he was, and thus, the kind of impact his words would have.
“My answer to that one question, which I interpreted super narrowly, was just wrong, because I answered by my own experience of how I managed my career,” Nadella says. “But the mistake is to take your own personal experience and project it on half of humanity. It's just insensitive.”
He explains that he never asked for a raise himself because that’s what his mentors told him to do, but he admits he was lucky to have his merits compensated accordingly. He also insists that women (and men too) should always come forward and ask for what is their due: if they deserve a raise and they’re not getting it, they should take matters in their own hands, and not just expect the “system” to look out for them.
Nadella also says that mentors should train their protégés to act this way, unlike his did.
Again, until his words translate into hard cold, undeniable facts, this is yet another beautifully worded apology. Seemingly honest, but empty until proven otherwise.