Fired after sleeping in sauna on work trip, UK executive seeks Rs 964 crore payout

Shannon Burns, who has ADHD, was vice-president of engineering at software company Gitpod when she attended a team-building trip to Lofer, Austria, in April 2023.

During the trip, Burns had been drinking alcohol and reportedly forgot her room key. Unable to access her room, she eventually slept in a sauna.

Fired two months after Austria trip

Following the incident, Gitpod CEO Johannes Landgraf raised concerns about what he described as a lack of professional accountability.

Burns was dismissed from her position in June 2023.

She subsequently brought a disability discrimination claim against the company. In 2025, the Birmingham Employment Tribunal found that she had been dismissed because of her disabilities, according to reports.

Burns is now seeking approximately Rs 964 crore, with much of the claim based on projected loss of future earnings.

Gitpod calls claim 'extraordinary'

Gitpod sought to restrict Burns' compensation claim to around Rs 12.68 crore. The company also sought an order requiring her to make a deposit of about Rs 1.27 lakh, arguing that any claim exceeding the proposed cap had little reasonable prospect of succeeding.

The company described Burns' overall claim as extraordinary and challenged the calculations behind the nearly Rs 964 crore figure.

Employment Judge Rachel Wedderspoon rejected Gitpod's application.

The tribunal noted that Burns had an exceptionally high earnings history and that her claim included losses relating to both salary and equity holdings.

Her Gitpod shares could be worth crores

One of the most significant components of the claim relates to Burns' stake in Gitpod.

The tribunal heard that she held 0.85 percent of the company.

Judge Wedderspoon said the shares could currently be worth around Rs 32.61 crore, while their potential value could rise to approximately Rs 267.13 crore in four years if Gitpod were acquired for around Rs 3,836.76 crore by OpenAI.

The tribunal acknowledged that the amount being claimed was highly unusual but said it could not conclude, without expert evidence, that Burns' valuation had little reasonable prospect of success.

Burns now retraining as therapist

In addition to lost earnings and equity, Burns is seeking compensation for injury to feelings and an ACAS uplift.

She has since left the technology industry and is retraining to become a therapist.

The tribunal's decision at this stage does not mean Burns has been awarded Rs 964 crore.

The figure represents the compensation she is seeking, with the final amount to be determined through the tribunal's compensation proceedings.