Microsoft executives accused of ‘verbal abuse and sexual harassment’
On Thursday, Insider (via Windows Central) published a report in which Microsoft executives Alex Kipman, Terry Myerson, and Tom Keane were accused of treating employees poorly, including “verbal abuse and sexual harassment.” This news comes just a day after Activision Blizzard employees announced they were forming an anti-discrimination committee to combat the toxic culture at their company.
Though Microsoft CEO Satya Nadella has made some improvements in terms of his own blunders in regards to gendered pay, the Insider article (which is behind a paywall) claims that there are other executives in the company who are treated as “golden boys” who don’t face consequences for their toxic actions.
According to the report, Kipman – who invented Microsoft’s HoloLens headset and is currently in charge of the company’s metaverse exploration – was the main target of the Microsoft sexual harassment accusations. One story from 2016 or 2017 described Kipman using a VR headset that was mirrored on a publicly viewable monitor to watch not safe for work content. Women in the room said they felt “very uncomfortable” during this experience.
“In the video that filled the screen, several young women in skimpy clothing frolicked on a bed; an overtly sexualized pillow fight ensued. An employee who was present, speaking with Insider later, described the scene as ‘VR porn.’ The assembled staffers exchanged confused glances, and a couple of them walked out,” the Insider report said.
Kipman was also accused of fostering “a culture that diminishes women’s contributions.” The Insider report includes allegations of the executive touching women who worked with him even after they seemed to indicate they wanted him to stop and of him having to have an human resources designated chaperone when he attended meetings with women (though Microsoft denied this practice). Additionally, 25 employees contributed to a report about Kipman’s conduct, but no action was taken.
Myerson and Keane had less attributed to them, but Insider still reported that both had issues with their behavior. Myerson left Microsoft suddenly in 2018 and there wasn’t much explanation as to why, though many speculated that it had to do with the failure of the Windows phone or problems with the Windows operating system. But according to Insider, Myerson apparently had an outburst backstage at a Microsoft event shortly before he left where he yelled at the employees there and publicly criticized “everyone.” The incident was apparently so severe that Nadella took notice of it, and three people told Insider that Myerson’s behavior was a big contributor to his departure.
Keane was accused of similar behavior, including making an employee cry during a public meeting and running his departments like a dictator. Kean took an unexplained hiatus in January, after which he was reassigned within Microsoft, where he still manages hundreds of staff members.
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