A tech executive who stayed in a sauna on a business trip is now eligible to receive a £76 million payout.

Shannon Burns, a highly successful tech executive, has recently made headlines for her discrimination case against a company owned by the developers of ChatGPT, OpenAI. This case could potentially result in the largest payout for disability discrimination in the UK, with Ms. Burns seeking a whopping £76 million in compensation.

The story began when Ms. Burns, a senior tech engineer earning £220,000 a year, was unfairly terminated from her position as VP of Engineering at Gitpod after she was forced to sleep in a sauna during a work trip. This experience caused her to develop PTSD and ultimately led to her leaving the tech industry altogether.

Despite her struggles, Ms. Burns has continued to fight for justice and fair compensation. Gitpod, the company responsible for her termination, attempted to limit her compensation to a mere £1 million through legal means.

However, the Birmingham Employment Tribunal has dismissed their application, allowing Ms. Burns to seek the full amount she believes she is entitled to. In addition to seeking compensation for her lost salary, Ms.

Burns is also seeking compensation for the loss of equity in the company. She was not informed of the recent sale of Gitpod to OpenAI, despite being a shareholder in the company. Her shares are estimated to be worth £2.6 million and could potentially rise to £21 million over four years.

As an American working in the UK, Ms. Burns was considered a trailblazer in the tech industry, having previously worked for well-known Silicon Valley companies such as Slack and Lyft. She was headhunted by Gitpod in 2022 and offered a lucrative salary of £220,000 with an additional £78,000 bonus per year.

The discrimination Ms. Burns faced at Gitpod was not an isolated incident. During a team-building trip in Austria, she found herself unable to access her room after forgetting her key.

Her ADHD, which caused her to have difficulty remembering things, was to blame. Despite the fact that her male colleagues were also drinking and making mistakes, Ms. Burns was the only one who faced consequences.

After her dismissal in June 2023, Ms. Burns took her case to the Birmingham Employment Tribunal, where it was found that she was unfairly terminated due to her disabilities. She was awarded a disability discrimination case, but she is now seeking further compensation based on her estimated future losses, which total over £59 million.

Employment Judge Rachel Wedderspoon noted that Ms. Burns had an exceptional pay history and that her future losses were calculated based on her potential earnings in the highly lucrative tech industry. She also expressed her concerns over Gitpod's aggressive litigation tactics and their attempts to drag out the process and wear Ms.

Burns down. A full compensation hearing will take place at a later date, pending Gitpod's appeal of the previous tribunal ruling. Despite the challenges she has faced, Ms.

Burns remains determined to seek justice and bring attention to the discrimination faced by individuals with disabilities in the workplace.