The top of a San Francisco-based cloud computing company was widely mocked on social media when she sent an email to employees announcing layoffs while quoting the late Martin Luther King Jr.
Jennifer Tejada, the CEO of PagerDuty, was blasted for being “tone-deaf” after she sent a lengthy, 1,669-word email to her employees announcing that the corporate can be “refining” its business structure by slashing 7% of its global workforce.
Tejada ended the memo with a quote from a sermon delivered by King, which was later included within the 1959 book “The Measure of a Man.”
“I’m reminded in moments like this, of something Martin Luther King said, that ‘the final word measure of a [leader] is just not where [they] stand within the moments of comfort and convenience, but where [they] stand in times of challenge and controversy,’” Tejada wrote.
The cold-hearted executive was immediately scorched on social media
Jennifer Tejada is the CEO of PagerDuty, a San Francisco-based cloud computing company.Sportsfile for Web Summit via Ge
One Twitter user commented that it was “probably the most tone-deaf layoff email I read thus far,” adding that it “looks like it was written by an AI that took all of the phrases that folks normally say, and put it in a single long email.”
One Twitter user offered some advice to PagerDuty, writing: “Possibly don’t quote MLK when firing 7% of your workforce?”
One other Twitter user posted a screenshot of a Google search which showed that Tejada’s annual salary was $13.2 million.
Tejada was roundly criticized on social media for quoting a sermon by the late Martin Luther King, Jr. in an email announcing layoffs.Michael Ochs Archives
“Did Pagerduty seriously determine it was a great idea to cite MLK in a press release where they’re shedding 7% of their workforce?” one other Twitter user wondered.
The 7% “refinement” meant the corporate fired 66 people out of the 950 it employed a yr ago.
Tejada was also criticized for using the occasion to have fun worker promotions and tout the firm’s positive financial results for the fourth quarter of last yr.
Probably the most tone-deaf layoff email I read thus far was written yesterday, and it comes from PagerDuty CEO Jennifer Tejada.
The e-mail is vey long, and looks like it was written by an AI that took all of the phrases that folks normally say, and put it one long email.
See for yourself: pic.twitter.com/TX6ntwObjE
— Gergely Orosz (@GergelyOrosz) January 25, 2023
Last month, PagerDuty reported that it generated revenue of $94.2 million for probably the most recent quarter — a year-over-year increase of 31.3%. The corporate also said that its net loss for a similar quarter amounted to $32.8 million — which was higher than the yr before.
“We expect to complete the yr strong — in actual fact, now we have reaffirmed our guidance for FY23 today — and people results, combined with the refinements outlined above, put PagerDuty ready of strength to successfully execute on our platform strategy no matter what the market and the macroenvironment bring,” Tejada wrote in the e-mail earlier this week.
The Post has sought comment from PagerDuty.
PagerDuty laid off some 66 employees — trimming 7% from its global workforce.SOPA Images/LightRocket via Gett
Tejada did appear to try to show sensitivity to those that were let go, writing: “I regard Dutonians as greater than employees; they’re achieved, deeply talented individuals who #BringThemselves and drive the innovation and culture behind our services and products to deliver experiences that delight our customers.”
“I appreciate every Dutonian’s contribution to PagerDuty,” the CEO wrote.
“It’s my expectation that we show all of our colleagues the grace, respect, and dignity they’ve earned.”
All time classic bad layoff announcement: CEO of PagerDuty opens with “Hi Dutonians,” takes 370 words to get to the layoffs bit, continues for one more *1250 words*, and ends with “I’m reminded in moments like this, of something Martin Luther King said…” https://t.co/OAg4SjqYIm pic.twitter.com/BtHvXDbtIS
— Tom Gara (@tomgara) January 24, 2023
Tejada wrote that “as someone who has worked on this industry for a long time, I even have experienced this before and it is rarely easy, and I also know from experience that while we may not work together within the short term, our relationships and this community live beyond our tenure at PagerDuty.”
Those that were canned will likely be given a severance with a mean of 11 weeks pay in addition to prolonged healthcare coverage for themselves and their dependents “for no less than three to 4 months.”
Fired employees were also promised assistance with future job placement.
The tech industry has been hit hard by the economic downturn — forcing corporations to put off tens of hundreds.
A former Google worker posted a TikTok video this week which showed the moment she learned she was one in every of 12,000 employees being let go by the tech behemoth.
Other tech giants like Amazon, Microsoft, Twitter, Meta, and Snap have also laid off large numbers of employees in recent months.
