NEW YORK: Microsoft CEO Satya Nadella apologised on Thursday night and said he was wrong for saying that women don’t need to ask for a raise and should just trust the system to pay them well.

Nadella was blasted on Twitter and in blog posts for his comments, which were made earlier on Thursday at an event for women in computing. Tech companies hire many more men than women. And beyond the tech industry, women are typically paid less than men.

He had been asked to give his advice to women who are uncomfortable requesting a raise. His response: “It’s not really about asking for the raise, but knowing and having faith that the system will actually give you the right raises as you go along.”

Not asking for raise, he added, is “good karma” that would help a boss realise that the employee could be trusted and should have more responsibility. But his comments caused an uproar online, and Microsoft posted a memo from him on its website.

In it, Nadella said he answered the question “completely wrong” and that he thinks “men and women should get equal pay for equal work. And when it comes to career advice on getting a raise when you think it’s deserved, Maria’s advice was the right advice.

Published in Dawn, October 11th, 2014