Microsoft Execs Accused Of “Verbal Abuse And Sexual Harassment" In New Report
Microsoft is under fire in a new report that accuses several high-ranking executives of "verbal abuse and sexual harassment." The lengthy report alleges Microsoft of harboring an executive branch where harassment and misconduct is tolerated, with male bosses facing little to no repercussions for their bad behavior.
Insider (via Windows Central) spoke to several sources within Microsoft about the company’s "golden boys." Alex Kipman, inventor of the HoloLens mixed reality headset and head of Microsoft’s metaverse department, took up a large portion of Insider’s reporting for incidents that took place from as early as 2016.
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In one instance, Kipman was using the HoloLens with the headset’s view mirrored on a nearby monitor. The material Kipman was viewing was described as "VR porn," with young women engaged in a pillow fight while wearing next to nothing. Employees were definitely put off by the display, with "a couple of them" walking out of the room.
Elsewhere in the report, an employee recalled an incident where Kipman continued to rub a woman’s shoulders even after she had become visibly uncomfortable and tried to shrug him off. Kipman was also accused of creating "a culture that diminishes women’s contributions" while HR and managers went to great lengths to avoid bringing women into close contact with him. During meetings, Microsoft HR even assigned Kipman “chaperones” to ensure his behavior didn’t get too out of hand.
In 2021, over 25 employees provided testimony in an internal report on Kipman’s behavior, but no remedial action was ever taken.
Terry Myerson and Tom Keane were also called out in the report. Myerson was the former head of Widows
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