Microsoft says it fired more than 20 people last year for sexual harassment

Microsoft building.
(Image credit: GERARD JULIEN/AFP/Getty Images)

Microsoft was hit with criticism Monday after court filings revealed that 238 women at the company filed gender discrimination or sexual harassment complaints between 2010 and 2016.

Now, the company is firing back. Microsoft says that last year alone, more than 20 people were fired after sexual harassment investigations, according to The Seattle Times.

The defense came in an email sent to all Microsoft employees Thursday, spelling out the company's policies and procedures regarding gender discrimination and sexual harassment.

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In the email, Microsoft's chief people officer Kathleen Hogan addressed the story of the 238 complaints and wrote that "some of what has been reported contains inaccurate and misleading data." Hogan specifically linked to a Reuters article, which stated that the court filings contained 118 gender discrimination complaints but Microsoft only declared one of them "founded." Attorneys for the case also called Microsoft's sexual harassment investigation team "lackluster," Reuters reported.

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Kathryn is a graduate of Syracuse University, with degrees in magazine journalism and information technology, along with hours to earn another degree after working at SU's independent paper The Daily Orange. She's currently recovering from a horse addiction while living in New York City, and likes to share her extremely dry sense of humor on Twitter.