GlobalHunt MD Sunil Goel said "on a broader term this (Nadella's comments) should have been that good worker whether male/female should concentrate and focus on working hard and burn their larger portion of energy in work rather than thinking of how to negotiate better.

In an open letter to Satya Nadella published on Time Magazine website, Nilofer Merchant wrote that "Bias against women in tech is fixable. But only with conscious leadership."

"While achieving wage equality is important, what is more important is creating a new normal where women don’t have to live by the old rules created by men in the industrial era," said Merchant, a US-based renowned strategist and advisor to many bluechip companies globally.

Instead of waiting for the industry to change (miraculously), why not be the change, she asked.

"Tomorrow, you re-level and compensate every woman on the same pay scale as your men. That would change the industry, and you have it within your powers to do it.

"It would redeem your stupidity yesterday. But more importantly, it would signal to the industry what leadership actually looks like," Merchant said.

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