Latest news with #Gitpod
Daily Mail
30-05-2025
- Business
- Daily Mail
Female exec at 'tech bro' software firm was sacked because she wasn't a 'leader', boss tells tribunal as he disputes claims she was fired because she got drunk on Austria work trip
A high-flying female executive who claims she was sacked for getting drunk on a work trip in Austria was actually fired because she wasn't a 'leader', her boss has told an employment tribunal. Shannon Burns - who was on £220,000 a year - is suing for sex discrimination after complaining of the rampant 'tech bro' culture at the 'male-dominated' software firm that hired her. She alleged that after a work trip to Austria, she was sacked for getting too drunk - despite insisting other men were getting more drunk than her. But the CEO of Gitpod, Johannes Landgraf, disputed allegations made by Ms Burns that she was fired from her role as vice president of engineering for her behaviour on the work trip. The tech boss said Ms Burns was in fact sacked because she was not a 'leader' and had 'fallen far short of the performance expected from a vice president'. And while he claims what happened on the work trip had nothing to do with her dismissal, Mr Landgraf disputed her version of events that the men were more drunk than her. Mr Landgraf told an employment tribunal he had a shot of a 'Swiss pine liquor' with 'trailblazing' Ms Burns - then saw her pour herself a 'large glass of wine', before proceeding to get more drunk than anyone. He claims she displayed 'concerning' behaviour - including losing her room key and having to stay in a sauna room. He said she also lost her iPad and AirPods - and looked 'disheveled' the morning after. Birmingham Employment Tribunal heard she had been headhunted and took on her job with the promise of a six figure salary and an equity package potentially worth over £30million. But soon after joining in January 2023, Ms Burns said she became aware of a problematic culture. She said she had heard Mr Landgraf had a reputation of being a 'Tech Bro who liked to surround himself with fellow tech bros', the tribunal was told. She added it was a 'male dominated' company. At the centre of the tribunal hearing was an 'off-site' work trip in Lofer, Austria, in April 2023. Ms Burns said Mr Landgraf offered her a shot and he had 'several drinks' by this point and was 'slurring his words and struggling to stand'. Ms Burns said she was invited to partake in a 'game' which involved asking 'difficult' questions to one another about work. The executive said the line of questioning from Mr Landgraf implied that she was not doing her job adequately. She alleged that following trip she was sacked for getting too drunk in Austria despite other males getting more drunk than her. Now, Mr Landgraf has told the tribunal he 'does not accept her versions of events'. In a joint statement with Gitpod's Head of People Eva Hyder presented to the tribunal, he said: 'At the last night of the Lofer offsite, 5 April 2023, Shannon approached Johannes at the bar where they each had a shot of Swiss pine liquor, an Alpine speciality. 'Johannes recalls that their conversation started with friendly small talk, but it soon became obvious to Johannes that Shannon had already been drinking heavily. 'Johannes's recollection of the conversation differs from that Shannon gives... Shannon initiated a question and answer process and then changed tone abruptly asking Johannes how people could earn his trust. 'She then stated to Johannes in an emotional outburst that she felt he didn't trust her, asked why and asked how she could earn his trust. 'There then followed a broad conversation regarding expectations. 'The conversation finished, Shannon moved away, and Johannes then saw Shannon pour herself a large glass of wine but otherwise had no contact with her for the rest of the evening. 'Shannon has stated... she was intoxicated but no more so than other colleagues. 'Johannes agrees that he and many team members had consumed alcohol, but notes Shannon was clearly more intoxicated than others. 'The next morning, shuttle buses had been booked to take team members to the station and airport. 'Mike [Brevoort, chief product officer] recalls that Shannon's team members were waiting with the airport shuttle having loaded their bags. 'Mike was stepping out of the hotel when Shannon's room mate came to say Shannon would be late as Shannon was still packing and had lost her iPad and AirPods and had locked herself out of the room (the second such similar event). 'Shannon eventually emerged from the hotel dishevelled and visibly stressed some 20 minutes later. 'Shannon subsequently confirmed to Mike that she had misplaced her iPad and AirPods, had locked herself out of her room and had needed to sleep in the sauna room.' Mr Landgraf and the other respondents denied that there was a 'tech bro' environment. The statement said there had been performance concerns with Ms Burns since she joined. It said: 'Shannon had fallen far short of the performance expected from a Vice President. 'She had never transitioned from being the manager she had been in previous roles elsewhere into being a leader, taking ownership of matters. 'Shannon didn't deliver on time and needed help from others to deliver late. 'She required many hours of support and coaching each week...' Ms Burns was told that 'sleeping in a sauna area and being late for the shuttle was concerning' but her behaviour in Austria was not the reason for her dismissal, according to the Gitpod response statement. It added: 'Shannon was not dismissed or treated less favourably in any other way because she is a woman. 'She was not dismissed because she was drunk at Lofer... No team member has ever been dismissed for being drunk. 'Shannon was dismissed for the performance-related reasons described above.' Ms Burns - who has ADHD and dyslexia - also seeks claims of disability discrimination. The hearing continues.
Daily Mail
21-05-2025
- Business
- Daily Mail
Female exec 'sacked from £220k job for getting drunk at work trip to Austria' lost her room key and showed 'concerning' behaviour after 'drinking heavily', 'tech bro' CEO tells tribunal
A high-flying female executive who claims she was sacked for getting drunk on a work trip in Austria was 'drinking heavily' and 'clearly more intoxicated than others', her boss has told an employment tribunal. Shannon Burns - who was on £220,000 a year - is suing for sex discrimination after complaining of the rampant 'tech bro' culture at the 'male-dominated' firm that hired her. But the CEO of Gitpod, Johannes Landgraf, claims she displayed 'concerning' behaviour - including losing her room key and having to stay in a sauna room. He said she also lost her iPad and AirPods - and looked 'disheveled' the morning after. Mr Landgraf told an employment tribunal he had a shot of a 'Swiss pine liquor' with 'trailblazing' Ms Burns - then saw her pour herself a 'large glass of wine', before proceeding to get more drunk than anyone. The tech boss disputed allegations made by Ms Burns that she was fired at his company for her behaviour on at the work trip despite her inebriated male colleagues not facing punishment. He said Ms Burns, a vice president of engineering at Gitpod, was fired because she was not a 'leader'. Birmingham Employment Tribunal heard she had been headhunted and took on her job with the promise of a six figure salary and an equity package potentially worth over £30million. But soon after joining in January 2023, Ms Burns said she became aware of a problematic culture. She said she had heard Mr Landgraf had a reputation of being a 'Tech Bro who liked to surround himself with fellow tech bros', the tribunal was told. She added it was a 'male dominated' company. At the centre of the tribunal hearing was an 'off-site' work trip in Lofer, Austria, in April 2023. Ms Burns said Mr Landgraf offered her a shot and he had 'several drinks' by this point and was 'slurring his words and struggling to stand'. Ms Burns said she was invited to partake in a 'game' which involved asking 'difficult' questions to one another about work. The executive said the line of questioning from Mr Landgraf implied that she was not doing her job adequately. She alleged that following trip she was sacked for getting too drunk in Austria despite other males getting more drunk than her. Now, Mr Landgraf has told the tribunal he 'does not accept her versions of events'. In a joint statement with Gitpod's Head of People Eva Hyder presented to the tribunal, he said: 'At the last night of the Lofer offsite, 5 April 2023, Shannon approached Johannes at the bar where they each had a shot of Swiss pine liquor, an Alpine speciality. 'Johannes recalls that their conversation started with friendly small talk, but it soon became obvious to Johannes that Shannon had already been drinking heavily. 'Johannes's recollection of the conversation differs from that Shannon gives... Shannon initiated a question and answer process and then changed tone abruptly asking Johannes how people could earn his trust. 'She then stated to Johannes in an emotional outburst that she felt he didn't trust her, asked why and asked how she could earn his trust. 'There then followed a broad conversation regarding expectations. 'The conversation finished, Shannon moved away, and Johannes then saw Shannon pour herself a large glass of wine but otherwise had no contact with her for the rest of the evening. 'Shannon has stated... she was intoxicated but no more so than other colleagues. 'Johannes agrees that he and many team members had consumed alcohol, but notes Shannon was clearly more intoxicated than others. 'The next morning, shuttle buses had been booked to take team members to the station and airport. 'Mike [Brevoort, chief product officer] recalls that Shannon's team members were waiting with the airport shuttle having loaded their bags. 'Mike was stepping out of the hotel when Shannon's room mate came to say Shannon would be late as Shannon was still packing and had lost her iPad and AirPods and had locked herself out of the room (the second such similar event). 'Shannon eventually emerged from the hotel dishevelled and visibly stressed some 20 minutes later. 'Shannon subsequently confirmed to Mike that she had misplaced her iPad and AirPods, had locked herself out of her room and had needed to sleep in the sauna room.' Mr Landgraf and the other respondents denied that there was a 'tech bro' environment. The statement said there had been performance concerns with Ms Burns since she joined. It said: 'Shannon had fallen far short of the performance expected from a Vice President. 'She had never transitioned from being the manager she had been in previous roles elsewhere into being a leader, taking ownership of matters. 'Shannon didn't deliver on time and needed help from others to deliver late. 'She required many hours of support and coaching each week...' Ms Burns was told that 'sleeping in a sauna area and being late for the shuttle was concerning' but her behaviour in Austria was not the reason for her dismissal, according to the Gitpod response statement. It added: 'Shannon was not dismissed or treated less favourably in any other way because she is a woman. 'She was not dismissed because she was drunk at Lofer... No team member has ever been dismissed for being drunk. 'Shannon was dismissed for the performance-related reasons described above.' Ms Burns - who has ADHD and dyslexia - also seeks claims of disability discrimination. The hearing continues.
Times
15-05-2025
- Business
- Times
‘Tech bros' sued by female who slept in sauna after drunken night
A female executive who was sacked for allegedly becoming so drunk at a work event she slept in a sauna is now suing the company — claiming that male colleagues who were 'far more intoxicated' were not punished. Shannon Burns is suing the software company Gitpod amid claims that a rampant 'tech bro' culture existed at the 'male-dominated' business. An employment tribunal has been told that Burns was headhunted for a senior role at Gitpod, which came with a £220,000 salary and an equity package potentially worth more than £30 million. Burns has claimed that soon after taking up the position she became aware of problems with the company's working culture. The American executive — who the tribunal was told suffered from attention deficit hyperactivity
Yahoo
15-05-2025
- Business
- Yahoo
Sexism row after ‘drunk' female executive sacked from £220k job
A female executive is suing a company for sex discrimination after she was sacked from her £220,000 a year job for being drunk, an employment tribunal has heard. Shannon Burns claims her employer dismissed her but took no action against other senior male figures who were also drinking and behaving in a way that was 'far more damaging'. The engineer is suing Gitpod, a software company, for sex discrimination after complaining of the rampant 'tech bro' culture at the 'male-dominated' firm. Ms Burns was headhunted for a senior role at Gitpod, which she took on with the promise of a six-figure salary and an equity package potentially worth more than £30 million, the hearing was told. However, soon after starting, issues emerged for Ms Burns – who has ADHD and dyslexia – as she became aware of the problematic culture at company, it was heard. The executive claims she was sacked after she drank alcoholic shots with her boss, lost her hotel room key and allegedly had to spend the night in a suite-like room with a sauna. This was despite other senior male figures – including Johannes Landgraf, the chief executive – also being 'far more intoxicated' and facing no punishment. The tribunal, held in Birmingham, heard that after starting in January 2023, American Ms Burns started to hear from multiple women that Mr Landgraf had a reputation of being a 'tech bro who liked to surround himself with fellow tech bros'. Ms Burns explained that 'tech bro' was a stereotype term referring to 'mostly younger white men' who 'embody aggressive, entitled, self-aggrandising, risk takers'. Ms Burns said that other female executives had highlighted the 'problematic male-dominated culture' within the leadership team on 'multiple occasions'. The executive attended a 'hackathon' event in Austria in April 2023 and she told the tribunal that she was 'excited' to meet her colleagues, who all work remotely in 14 countries. It was heard that on the evening of April 5, during the event, she and Mr Landgraf were both at a bar when he offered her a 'shot of liquor'. She told the tribunal that he appeared to have had 'several drinks' and was 'slurring his words and struggling to stand'. Ms Burns said she was invited to partake in a 'game' which involved asking 'difficult' questions to one another about work. The panel heard that he referred to the hackathon and asked a 'mortified' Ms Burns for the identity of engineers who had confided in her around their fears surrounding it. The employee said she was 'appalled' by the behaviour of the chief executive who was 'so intoxicated and inappropriate that he could not recognise the damage he had just done by shouting these words over the blaring music at the bar, within earshot of the people he was talking about'. Ms Burns told the tribunal: 'By the end of the evening, I was intoxicated but by no means more so than either Johannes or other male colleagues who were consuming alcohol.' It was heard that at the end of the evening, Ms Burns had to spend the night in a suite-like room – which she said had a sauna in it – after she was locked out of her hotel room. The next day, she received a message from a senior male executive who said that he had heard comments that Ms Burns had 'got too drunk and slept in the sauna room'. In June 2023, Ms Burns was 'unexpectedly' called into a meeting with two executives who told her that her employment at Gitpod was being terminated with immediate effect. Immediately after her dismissal, Mr Landgraf and other senior figures held meetings with Ms Burns's direct reports in which they told her that she had been sacked for 'performance issues and for being drunk at the off-site'. Bringing her claims to the tribunal, she said: 'My male colleagues were drinking alcohol/drunk at the offsite but I was the only one who was dismissed. 'One of my male colleagues [Johannes] behaved in a far more damaging way for both his own reputation and for Gitpod after 'consuming alcohol' at the offsite.' Ms Burns is also suing for disability discrimination as she believes her dismissal arose from her ADHD. Gitpod denies that she was fired for being drunk and say it was unaware of her disabilities. The hearing continues. Broaden your horizons with award-winning British journalism. Try The Telegraph free for 1 month with unlimited access to our award-winning website, exclusive app, money-saving offers and more.
Telegraph
15-05-2025
- Business
- Telegraph
Sexism row after ‘drunk' female executive sacked from £220k job
A female executive is suing a company for sex discrimination after she was sacked from her £220,000 a year job for being drunk, an employment tribunal has heard. Shannon Burns claims her employer dismissed her but took no action against other senior male figures who were also drinking and behaving in a way that was 'far more damaging'. The engineer is suing Gitpod, a software company, for sex discrimination after complaining of the rampant 'tech bro' culture at the 'male-dominated' firm. Ms Burns was headhunted for a senior role at Gitpod, which she took on with the promise of a six-figure salary and an equity package potentially worth more than £30 million, the hearing was told. However, soon after starting, issues emerged for Ms Burns – who has ADHD and dyslexia – as she became aware of the problematic culture at company, it was heard. The executive claims she was sacked after she drank alcoholic shots with her boss, lost her hotel room key and allegedly had to spend the night in a suite-like room with a sauna. This was despite other senior male figures – including Johannes Landgraf, the chief executive – also being 'far more intoxicated' and facing no punishment. The tribunal, held in Birmingham, heard that after starting in January 2023, American Ms Burns started to hear from multiple women that Mr Landgraf had a reputation of being a 'tech bro who liked to surround himself with fellow tech bros'. Ms Burns explained that 'tech bro' was a stereotype term referring to 'mostly younger white men' who 'embody aggressive, entitled, self-aggrandising, risk takers'. 'Mostly younger white men' Ms Burns said that other female executives had highlighted the 'problematic male-dominated culture' within the leadership team on 'multiple occasions'. The executive attended a 'hackathon' event in Austria in April 2023 and she told the tribunal that she was 'excited' to meet her colleagues, who all work remotely in 14 countries. It was heard that on the evening of April 5, during the event, she and Mr Landgraf were both at a bar when he offered her a 'shot of liquor'. 'Slurring his words' She told the tribunal that he appeared to have had 'several drinks' and was 'slurring his words and struggling to stand'. Ms Burns said she was invited to partake in a 'game' which involved asking 'difficult' questions to one another about work. The panel heard that he referred to the hackathon and asked a 'mortified' Ms Burns for the identity of engineers who had confided in her around their fears surrounding it. 'Appalling' behaviour The employee said she was 'appalled' by the behaviour of the chief executive who was 'so intoxicated and inappropriate that he could not recognise the damage he had just done by shouting these words over the blaring music at the bar, within earshot of the people he was talking about'. Ms Burns told the tribunal: 'By the end of the evening, I was intoxicated but by no means more so than either Johannes or other male colleagues who were consuming alcohol.' It was heard that at the end of the evening, Ms Burns had to spend the night in a suite-like room – which she said had a sauna in it – after she was locked out of her hotel room. 'Slept in the sauna room' The next day, she received a message from a senior male executive who said that he had heard comments that Ms Burns had 'got too drunk and slept in the sauna room'. In June 2023, Ms Burns was 'unexpectedly' called into a meeting with two executives who told her that her employment at Gitpod was being terminated with immediate effect. Immediately after her dismissal, Mr Landgraf and other senior figures held meetings with Ms Burns's direct reports in which they told her that she had been sacked for 'performance issues and for being drunk at the off-site'. 'Far more damaging' Bringing her claims to the tribunal, she said: 'My male colleagues were drinking alcohol/drunk at the offsite but I was the only one who was dismissed. 'One of my male colleagues [Johannes] behaved in a far more damaging way for both his own reputation and for Gitpod after 'consuming alcohol' at the offsite.' Ms Burns is also suing for disability discrimination as she believes her dismissal arose from her ADHD. Gitpod denies that she was fired for being drunk and say it was unaware of her disabilities. The hearing continues.
