Nadella let his guard down and said something expressive of a true corporate reality instead of a mindless politically-sanitized soundbite. It really has nothi

Nadella let his guard down and said something expressive of a true corporate reality instead of a mindless politically-sanitized soundbite. It really has nothing to do with women at all (except that he was asked the question at a conference marketed primarily to women). Nadella was, essentially, asked what he thought about employees asking for raises. He expressed his real opinion that asking for a raise outside of formal review contexts is in bad taste. This shows the real thought process behind an executive that rises through the ranks; it doesn't matter if they're worth more money, what matters is that they're endearing themselves to their bosses, because long-term that just might end with you getting made CEO of Microsoft, whereas harming that trust or sense of professionalism to demand an extra $50 tacked on to your paycheck just might end up with your career at a dead end. Think what you want of it, but that's Nadella's real opinion, that he allowed to accidentally slip because, for a moment, he didn't see the potential political ramifications and just tried to provide some honest, substantive career advice. Employees may not like the intimation that they can't just make demands for things that they feel are deserved, but that's how successful political operatives play the game, and politics absolutely is a real element in any and every employment situation. I think it's awesome when this kind of stuff gets exposed.