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If you are a man speaking at a conference celebrating women in computing, it is probably all right to flatter the largely female audience by telling them they possess "superpowers." However, it is probably unwise to imply they should avoid asking for a pay rise. Just ask Satya Nadella.
On Thursday, the Microsoft chief executive suggested women who didn't ask for more money from their employers would be rewarded in the long run, when their good work was recognised. The comments, made at the Grace Hopper Celebration of Women in Computing in Phoenix, drew swift and negative responses on Twitter.
Nadella's comments come at a time when the information technology sector, viewed as unfriendly to potential employees who are women or from minority groups, has started diversifying its workforce. Microsoft and other companies have sought to support organisations encouraging women to study technology.
Several hours after his comments, Nadella took to Twitter to backtrack, suggesting tact, at least on Thursday, wasn't one of his superpowers. A company spokesman said Nadella had commitments immediately after he left the stage, which prevented him from responding earlier.
"Was inarticulate re how women should ask for raise," Nadella wrote in a Twitter post. "Our industry must close gender pay gap so a raise is not needed because of a bias."
In an email to Microsoft employees on Thursday night, he went a step ahead. "I answered that question completely wrong…If you think you deserve a raise, you should just ask."
Nadella's initial comment came during a conversation with Maria M Klawe, president of Harvey Mudd College and a Microsoft board member. During the discussion, she asked Nadella for advice for women who were uncomfortable seeking promotions and career advancement.
Nadella said his thinking on the matter had been influenced by Mike Maples, a former Microsoft executive, who had a memorable saying about how human resources systems were inefficient in the short term and efficient in the long term. "It's not really about asking for the raise, but knowing and having faith that the system will actually give you the right raises as you go along," Nadella said, according to a webcast of the event.
"That, I think, might be one of the additional superpowers that, quite frankly, women who don't ask for a raise have…because that's good karma. It'll come back because somebody's going to know that's the kind of person I want to trust, that's the kind of person I want to really give more responsibility to. And, in long-term efficiency, things catch up," he added.
Nadella isn't known for being tone-deaf on women's issues. At the beginning of the discussion on Thursday, Klawe, a prominent advocate for women in technology, said she "adored" Nadella, calling him "amazing" and saying she loved him. For most of his time on stage discussing a wide range of issues, the audience seemed to approve, applauding frequently.
After Nadella's statement about pay rises, Klawe politely told him, "This is one of the very few things I disagree with you on." Her comment was followed by a round of applause from the audience.
At large technology companies, men far outnumber women. Last week, Microsoft reported 29 per cent of its global workforce was female. That ratio is roughly in line with other big technology companies such as Google, Twitter and Yahoo!, which reported their figures earlier this year.
Even with the imbalance in the workforce, the pay gap between men and women in some parts of technology isn't as pronounced as in others. According to data from Claudia Goldin, a Harvard University labour economist, female computer scientists earn 89 per cent of what men in the same field do. While women in finance earn 66 per cent of what men do, those in medicine earn 71 per cent.
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