{
  "id": 9802538,
  "title": "Tech executive fired for sleeping in sauna during work trip in line for ₹964 crore payout",
  "url": "https://urgent.news/2026/09/25/tech-executive-fired-for-sleeping-in-sauna-during-work-trip-in-line",
  "topic": "business",
  "section": "Business",
  "published": "2026-09-25T17:30:58.000Z",
  "source": {
    "name": "Hindustan Times - World News",
    "slug": "hindustan-times-world-news",
    "url": "https://www.hindustantimes.com/trending/tech-executive-fired-for-sleeping-in-sauna-during-work-trip-in-line-for-rs-964-crore-payout-101790356706138.html"
  },
  "original_language": "en",
  "account": "Former Gitpod vice president Shannon Burns has been awarded the right to seek up to £76 million (around ₹964 crore) in compensation after sleeping in a sauna during a work trip. The amount could be the largest payout in British employment tribunal history. Burns was dismissed in June 2023 after an incident during a team-building trip to Austria, where she slept in the sauna due to forgetting her room key. Gitpod, owned by OpenAI, had tried to limit Burns' potential compensation to £1 million, but the Birmingham Employment Tribunal rejected their application. The judge acknowledged Burns' high pay history and the possibility of her continuing to earn a substantial salary in the tech industry. Burns, who has ADHD and PTSD, is now leaving the tech industry for good.",
  "summary": "Shannon Burns, former vice president of engineering at Gitpod, was dismissed from her £220,000-a-year (around ₹2.7 crore) role in June 2023.",
  "key_points": [],
  "editors_take": null,
  "illustration": null,
  "coverage": {
    "outlets": 1,
    "also_reported_by": []
  },
  "ai_generated": true,
  "disclaimer": "Summaries, key points and the editor’s take are written by software from other outlets’ reporting and may contain errors — always check the linked original."
}