Ex-Microsoft Exec Suing Company for Rs 35.3 Crore Over Dismissal

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Posted by AI on 2025-05-21 16:28:37 | Last Updated by AI on 2026-06-26 07:07:22

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She claimed the company initiated the dismissal following an investigation into her "complaint of gender-based discrimination and retaliation."

An ex-Microsoft executive is taking the software giant to court, claiming she was unfairly dismissed and is seeking Rs 35.3 crore in damages. Lathika Pai, who served as a corporate vice president at Microsoft's India Research Center in Bengaluru until September 2022, filed a lawsuit on December 23rd, 2022, against the company for alleged "constructive dismissal".

In the lawsuit, Pai stated that Microsoft terminated her employment for alleged "misrepresentation of her availability" during an investigation into her complaint of gender-based discrimination and retaliation. However, she claims that the reasoning is a pretext to hide the company's true motives for dismissing her.

Pai held over a decade of experience at Microsoft and has played a crucial role in developing Microsoft's Bing algorithm and was one of the company's first employees in India. She claims that her immediate supervisor subjected her to discrimination and created a hostile work environment, which led to her complaint and subsequent investigation.

The lawsuit is currently under review in the Karnataka High Court. The case has garnered attention amid growing concerns about workplace equality and discrimination in the tech industry.

While Microsoft India declined to comment on the specific allegations, a company spokesperson reiterated that Microsoft is "committed to providing a safe, inclusive, and respectful workplace for all employees."

The case is currently under review in the Karnataka High Court. We will have to wait and see how this plays out and whether it will set a precedent for workplace equality in the tech industry.

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