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Satya Nadella Email to Employees: RE: Grace Hopper Conference

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Re: Satya Nadella Email to Employees: RE: Grace Hopper Conference

#81
post #25

Earlier quoted context omitted.

As a person who can't currently view videos where I am, what was the controversial statement that Satya made?

> what was the controversial statement that Satya made "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. And that, I think, might be one of the additional super powers, 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…

No, he's assigning good karma to everyone that places trust in colleagues, managers and 'the system'. Which may seem naive and even incomprehensible, but that does not preclude that he actually believes it and that his belief system is something that is as worthy as any of ours.

Re: Satya Nadella Email to Employees: RE: Grace Hopper Conference

#83
post #74

Earlier quoted context omitted.

I think he means http://www.bothsidesofthetable.com/2010/04/22/never-hire-job... .

Ugh, the post you linked is baffling. "You’re in it more for yourself than your company." Obviously! It's called rational self-interest. It's the company's responsibility to treat their employees well enough that it's in their best interest to work there. If you've spent a lifetime honing your skills, why would you want to work for someone who doesn't understand this or doesn't care?

I like much of Mark Suster's writing, but I agree with you on this point wholeheartedly. Not all companies are built the same. There are lots of unhappy people pissing their life way doing shit they don't like - I don't intend on being one of them.

Re: Satya Nadella Email to Employees: RE: Grace Hopper Conference

#85

Full text below for those who have difficulty accessing the site: All – Today I was interviewed on stage by Maria Klawe at the Grace Hopper Conference – I encourage you to watch the video. It was great to spend time with so many women passionate about technology. I was honored to be a part of it and I left the conference energized and inspired. Toward the end of the interview, Maria asked me what advice I would offer…

For context, here was Satya's first answer: > "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. And that, I think, might be one of the additional super powers, 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 perso…

[deleted]

Re: Satya Nadella Email to Employees: RE: Grace Hopper Conference

#86
post #71

Earlier quoted context omitted.

The takeaway I got from this article is that some women in tech find the very idea of male allies condescending: http://readwrite.com/2014/10/09/technology-sexism-male-allie... What do you think?

jcheng - The problem of gender equality cannot be solved by women alone if that's what the author is insinuating. Of course men can't truly empathize, they aren't women. It's about awareness. Most senior board positions in the corporate world are held by men - they don't think it's a problem at all and the thought doesn't cross their mind. Not all of them need to "get it right" right away but getting them to talk is…

"Most senior board positions in the corporate world are held by men"

Why focus on gender? I think every board should have first-generation immigrants, people of different faiths, different races and genders and most importantly no more than 50% should come from rich backgrounds and prestigious universities.

Re: Satya Nadella Email to Employees: RE: Grace Hopper Conference

#87
On the topic of getting a raise, i wholeheartedly agree with this blog post:

https://www.linkedin.com/today/post/article/20140908150126-7...

TL;DR: The best way to ask for a raise, is to ask your manager/superior "What do I need to do to get a raise?"

Asking what you need to do to receive a raise does the following:

- Maturely suggests that you want one without putting your supervisor on the spot

- Communicates that you are willing to do what is needed to receive one

- Generates clear goals for you to work towards

- Exposes areas where your boss thinks you need to improve

- Foreshadows whether you should be looking for a new job

Re: Satya Nadella Email to Employees: RE: Grace Hopper Conference

#88

Earlier quoted context omitted.

I am not commenting on Satya in this reply, just the idea that either a) all women are treated like chattel in India or b) no women are treated like chattel in India. Neither of which of course is true. Women's lack of equality in India, compared to the UK, are in general I'm afraid pretty appalling, when I was younger I nearly moved to India for a while. But my wife who is of Indian descent was extremely reluctant b…

Again, it's hard to generalize but for the modern woman, I think it's no worse than what you'd find in the western world. Until last year, the most powerful politician in India was an Italian-Indian woman (again this might not mean anything but it shows that it's not ingrained into people). Also, given the population, you might hear more cases of inequality. But please don't let that affect your general view of India…

Have you been to India?

The caste system predates the Buddha (500BC) btw. and is routed in Hindu culture.

The British actually also exploited the difference between Muslims and Hindus, but again didn't create the difference. Yes the Raj used divide and conquer, but they used differences that had existed for thousands of years and still do.

Re: Satya Nadella Email to Employees: RE: Grace Hopper Conference

#89

Earlier quoted context omitted.

I am not commenting on Satya in this reply, just the idea that either a) all women are treated like chattel in India or b) no women are treated like chattel in India. Neither of which of course is true. Women's lack of equality in India, compared to the UK, are in general I'm afraid pretty appalling, when I was younger I nearly moved to India for a while. But my wife who is of Indian descent was extremely reluctant b…

Dude, the distance from the east to the west of India is some 1200 miles, and north to south is around 2000 miles. The idea that you could describe the entire country in such simple cultural generalizations is as wrong as generalizing about people from LA and Kansas. Just the way you're talking about India is, while flattering, very uninformed. The US is also home to lovely and kind people, as well as people capable…

I have visited India multiple times, my in-laws are Indian, it's not a country I'm completely ignorant of and I'm saying nothing out of ignorance, but direct experience of the unequal status of women in Indian society compared to Western society.

You can make generalisations when doing a comparison with cultures, but not when prejudging individuals.

For example the US is wealthier than Algeria. That is a generalisation based on an aggregate (the total GDP), but doesn't reflect the individual status of people within each country. I.e. some Algerians will be wealthier than some Americans.

Re: Satya Nadella Email to Employees: RE: Grace Hopper Conference

#90
post #63

It's sad how every outlet is putting in its headline some form of: "Satya Nadella to Women: Don't Ask for a Raise". But "don't ask for a raise" weren't his words. His actual words were subtly different, and more along the lines that it can be OK not to ask for a raise – you shouldn't have to ask for a raise – when a compensation system is working right. It was sort of a "don't feel too bad" reassurance to women who a…

I think you are doing a good thing by pointing out his exact words. You are right that subtle differences matter. However, Nadella was still incredibly tone-deaf here...and this wasn't the first time. He's been doing this over and over.

And in this case, the compensation system is NOT working right, and he certainly knows that, and the question was clearly asked in that context...the context of what we should do about a failed system which is unequal and unfair.

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