The head of a San Francisco-based cloud computing company was mocked on social media after he sent an email to employees quoting the late Martin Luther King Jr. while announcing layoffs.
PagerDuty CEO Jennifer Tejada criticized after being “tone deaf” He sent a long, 1,669-word email. Announcing to its employees that the company is “refining” its business structure by cutting 7% of its global workforce.
Tejada concluded the memo with a quote from a sermon by King, which was later included in the 1959 book “The Major of a Man.”
“I’m reminded of something Martin Luther King said in moments like this, that ‘One last step [leader] Where there is not [they] Stand in moments of comfort and convenience, but where? [they] Stand tall in times of challenge and controversy,” Tejada wrote.
The cool-headed executive was immediately lambasted on social media.
One Twitter user commented that it was “the most tone-deaf email I’ve ever read,” adding that it “feels like it was written by an AI with all those sentences. are what people usually say, and put it in a long email.”
One Twitter user offered some advice to PagerDuty, writing: “Maybe don’t quote MLK when firing 7% of your workforce?”
Another Twitter user posted a screenshot of a Google search that showed Tejada’s annual salary was $13.2 million.
“Did PagerDuty seriously decide it was a good idea to quote MLK in a press release where they are laying off 7% of their workforce?” Another Twitter user expressed surprise.
A 7% “refinement” means the company laid off 66 of the 950 people it employed a year ago.
Tejada was also criticized for using the occasion to celebrate employee promotions and the firm’s positive financial results for the fourth quarter of last year.
Last month, PagerDuty reported that it generated $94.2 million in revenue for the most recent quarter — a 31.3% year-over-year increase. The company also said it had a net loss of $32.8 million in the same quarter — higher than a year earlier.
“We expect to finish the year strongly – in fact, we reaffirmed our guidance for FY23 today – and these results, combined with the improvements described above, will allow PagerDuty to align its platform strategy. puts us in a strong position to execute successfully, no matter what. The market and macro environment,” Tejada wrote in an email earlier this week.
The Post has sought comment from PagerDuty.
Tejada tried to show sensitivity to those people and was let go, writing: “I think of Dutonians as more than employees. They are capable, deeply talented individuals who bring #BringThemselves and make our customers happy. We drive the innovation and culture behind our products and services to deliver unique experiences.”
“I appreciate the contributions of every Dutonian to PagerDuty,” the CEO wrote.
“It is my expectation that we show all our colleagues the grace, honor and dignity that they have earned.”
“As someone who has worked in this industry for decades, I’ve experienced this before and it’s never easy, and I also know from experience that even though we While we may not work together in the short term, our relationships and this community live on beyond our time at PagerDuty.
Those who were boxed in will be given an average of 11 weeks’ pay, as well as extended health care for themselves and their dependents “for at least three to four months.”
The sacked employees were also promised help in future job placement.
The tech industry has been hit hard by the economic downturn – forcing companies to cut tens of thousands of jobs.
A former Google employee posted a TikTok video this week showing the moment she learned she was one of 12,000 employees being let go by the tech behemoth.
Other tech giants such as Amazon, Microsoft, Twitter, Meta and Snap have also laid off large numbers of employees in recent months.
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