• Home
  • Latest
  • Fortune 500
  • Finance
  • Tech
  • Leadership
  • Lifestyle
  • Rankings
  • Multimedia
TechMicrosoft

Microsoft hit with gender discrimination suit

By
Leena Rao
Leena Rao
Down Arrow Button Icon
By
Leena Rao
Leena Rao
Down Arrow Button Icon
September 16, 2015, 3:40 PM ET
Microsoft Holds Annual Shareholder Meeting
BELLEVUE, WA - DECEMBER 3: Microsoft CEO Satya Nadella addresses shareholders during Microsoft Shareholders Meeting December 3, 2014 in Bellevue, Washington. The meeting was the first for Nadella as CEO. (Photo by Stephen Brashear/Getty Images)Photograph by Stephen Brashear — Getty Images

Microsoft is the latest technology company to be hit with a gender discrimination lawsuit.

The tech giant is being sued in the Seattle federal court by Katie Moussouris, who worked at the company for over seven years.

She alleged that female technical employees like her earned less than similarly qualified men because of gender bias. She also claimed that the company promoted men over equally or more qualified women and that its managers gave woman lower performance reviews compared with their male peers.

A spokesperson for Microsoft (MSFT) issued this comment:

“We’re committed to a diverse workforce, and to a workplace where all employees have the chance to succeed. We’ve previously reviewed the plaintiff’s allegations about her specific experience and did not find anything to substantiate those claims, and we will carefully review this new complaint.”

Moussouris left Microsoft in 2014 and is now the chief policy officer for HackerOne, a startup that helps companies find bugs in their technology.

“What happened to me is not unique,” she said in a statement. “This case will illuminate the broad patterns of decision-making against women. Fundamentally, this is about fairness and equality.”

Microsoft isn’t the only technology company to be hit with gender discrimination suits in the past six months. Both Twitter (TWTR) and Facebook (FB) were sued in March.

In March, a former Facebook staffer accused the social networking company of gender and racial discrimination as well as sexual harassment. A few weeks later, a former Twitter employee sued Twitter, claiming that the company’s promotion process unfairly favored men.

Additionally, Ellen Pao, a former venture capitalist, sued high profile Silicon Valley investment firm Kleiner Perkins, for what she described as a workplace rife with gender discrimination. She lost that suit earlier this year.

Moussouris’ suit follows remarks last year by Microsoft CEO Satya Nadella, who publicly suggested that women in technology should not ask for raises but trust that the system would reward them. His remarks elicited intense criticism, and he later backpedaled from them.

For more about the gender pay gap, watch this Fortune video:

This story was updated to include Microsoft’s comment.

About the Author
By Leena Rao
See full bioRight Arrow Button Icon

Latest in Tech

AIOpenAI
Bob Iger says Disney’s $1 billion deal with OpenAI is an ‘opportunity, not a threat’: ‘We’d rather participate than be disrupted by it’
By Marco Quiroz-GutierrezDecember 11, 2025
53 minutes ago
ellison
AIearnings
Oracle drops on disappointing cloud sales, more AI spending
By Brody Ford, Ian King and BloombergDecember 11, 2025
1 hour ago
Kushner
Middle EastM&A
Paramount’s Mideast backing likely runs deeper than $24 billion
By Adveith Nair and BloombergDecember 11, 2025
2 hours ago
Late Apple cofounder Steve Jobs
SuccessCareers
Apple’s Steve Jobs told students to never ‘settle’ in their careers: ‘If you haven’t found it yet, keep looking’
By Emma BurleighDecember 11, 2025
2 hours ago
Oracle co-founder, CTO and Executive Chairman Larry Ellison listens as U.S. President Donald Trump speaks to reporters in the Oval Office of the White House on February 03, 2025 in Washington, DC.
InvestingOracle
Oracle’s huge AI bets are spooking Wall Street—a 12% plunge wiped out the market’s early gains
By The Associated PressDecember 11, 2025
2 hours ago
A sign for Time magazine is displayed outside the New York Stock Exchange on Thursday, Dec. 11, 2025 in New York.
AIchief executive officer (CEO)
Time names ‘Architects of AI’ as its 2025 Person of the Year, a year when the tech’s ‘full potential roared into view’
By Mike Catalini and The Associated PressDecember 11, 2025
2 hours ago

Most Popular

placeholder alt text
Success
At 18, doctors gave him three hours to live. He played video games from his hospital bed—and now, he’s built a $10 million-a-year video game studio
By Preston ForeDecember 10, 2025
1 day ago
placeholder alt text
Politics
Exclusive: U.S. businesses are getting throttled by the drop in tourism from Canada: ‘I can count the number of Canadian visitors on one hand’
By Dave SmithDecember 10, 2025
1 day ago
placeholder alt text
Economy
‘Be careful what you wish for’: Top economist warns any additional interest rate cuts after today would signal the economy is slipping into danger
By Eva RoytburgDecember 10, 2025
1 day ago
placeholder alt text
Economy
‘Fodder for a recession’: Top economist Mark Zandi warns about so many Americans ‘already living on the financial edge’ in a K-shaped economy 
By Eva RoytburgDecember 9, 2025
2 days ago
placeholder alt text
Success
Netflix–Paramount bidding wars are pushing Warner Bros CEO David Zaslav toward billionaire status—he has one rule for success: ‘Never be outworked’
By Preston ForeDecember 10, 2025
1 day ago
placeholder alt text
Uncategorized
Transforming customer support through intelligent AI operations
By Lauren ChomiukNovember 26, 2025
15 days ago
Rankings
  • 100 Best Companies
  • Fortune 500
  • Global 500
  • Fortune 500 Europe
  • Most Powerful Women
  • Future 50
  • World’s Most Admired Companies
  • See All Rankings
Sections
  • Finance
  • Leadership
  • Success
  • Tech
  • Asia
  • Europe
  • Environment
  • Fortune Crypto
  • Health
  • Retail
  • Lifestyle
  • Politics
  • Newsletters
  • Magazine
  • Features
  • Commentary
  • Mpw
  • CEO Initiative
  • Conferences
  • Personal Finance
  • Education
Customer Support
  • Frequently Asked Questions
  • Customer Service Portal
  • Privacy Policy
  • Terms Of Use
  • Single Issues For Purchase
  • International Print
Commercial Services
  • Advertising
  • Fortune Brand Studio
  • Fortune Analytics
  • Fortune Conferences
  • Business Development
About Us
  • About Us
  • Editorial Calendar
  • Press Center
  • Work At Fortune
  • Diversity And Inclusion
  • Terms And Conditions
  • Site Map

© 2025 Fortune Media IP Limited. All Rights Reserved. Use of this site constitutes acceptance of our Terms of Use and Privacy Policy | CA Notice at Collection and Privacy Notice | Do Not Sell/Share My Personal Information
FORTUNE is a trademark of Fortune Media IP Limited, registered in the U.S. and other countries. FORTUNE may receive compensation for some links to products and services on this website. Offers may be subject to change without notice.