Microsoft’s Nadella Sets Off a Furor on Women’s Pay

If you are a man speaking at a conference celebrating women in computing, it is probably all right to flatter the largely female audience members by telling them they possess “superpowers.” It is probably unwise, though, to imply that they should avoid asking for a pay raise. Just ask Satya Nadella.

Microsoft’s chief executive suggested that women who do not ask for more money from their employers would be rewarded in the long run when their good work was recognized. The comments, made at the Grace Hopper Celebration of Women in Computing in Phoenix, drew swift and negative responses on Twitter. Several hours after his onstage conversation was over, Nadella took to Twitter to backtrack from his comment, suggesting that tact was not one of his own superpowers.