Some angry Microsoft employees reportedly blasted their boss Satya Nadella on Thursday after he shared a message touting a “landmark year” at the tech giant — even as executives withheld raises, announced 10,000 layoffs in January and scramble to salvage a $69 billion deal to buy Activision Blizzard.
Nadella lauded the company’s accomplishments in a missive shared on Microsoft’s internal message boards on Thursday — the last day of the company’s 2023 fiscal year, Insider reported.
“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 in the post.
“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,” he added.
The rosy message came despite mounting discord among Microsoft employees, who have been rankled by the company’s cost-cutting moves, including a May announcement that full-time employees would not receive salary hikes this year.
The company also reportedly cut back on bonuses and stock awards.
Elsewhere, a federal judge’s ruling on the FTC’s bid to block Microsoft’s proposed acquisition of Activision Blizzard is imminent — with a hotly anticipated decision expected as soon as Monday. An injunction, if granted, could scuttle the deal entirely.
One disgruntled Microsoft worker received more than 250 upvotes after quipping that a “good way to show gratitude is to unfreeze pay raises,” according to the report.
The worker reportedly noted that top Microsoft executives responsible for the decision were millionaires.
“Here employees take pay cuts as our company and leadership make record profits. It’s not right, no other way to look at it,” added another employee said in a comment that received more than 100 votes of approval.
A third employee lamented working long hours each day despite a halt to pay hikes and rising expenses.
“I wonder where the record profits come from? For myself, I don’t feel privileged at all for working here,” the employee said, according to Insider.
While the “vast majority” of employees who reacted to Nadella’s post gave it positive feedback, roughly half of the 130 comments written by employees were negative, the report said.
The Post has reached out to Microsoft for comment.
The company has a global workforce of more than 200,000 employees.
Microsoft shares have surged to a record high this year, driven by investor optimism over its investment in ChatGPT creator OpenAI. The stock is up more than 42% since January.
In April, Microsoft CFO Amy Hood said the company expected $54.85 billion to $55.85 billion in revenue in its fourth and final quarter of 2023.
Earlier this month, a leaked internal survey obtained by Insider showed that just 47% of Microsoft employees indicated they would stay with the company if they received a comparable offer from a rival firm.
Microsoft isn’t the only tech giant facing pushback from its staffers.
Google employees have slammed management over its plan to track employee badge swipes as part of a return-to-office push.
At Amazon, workers recently staged a major walkout to protest its office attendance requirement and climate policies.
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