CEO: Women Not Seeking Raise Is "Good Karma"
LEMON: Microsoft's CEO back-pedaling after his glib comment managed to offend much of the nation's work force. He told a room full of women worried about pay inequities with male counterparts that not asking for a raise will be rewarded with good karma.</s>SATYA NADELLA, MICROSOFT CEO: 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. And that, I think, might be one of the additional superpowers that, quite frankly, women who don't ask for a raise have because that's good karma. It will come back.</s>LEMON: So CNN's -- you get to have good karma. It's not funny, really.</s>CHRISTINE ROMANS, CNN CHIEF BUSINESS CORRESPONDENT: Look, he walked it back like crazy. Microsoft is trying to walk it back like crazy and he's now saying I was inarticulate, there is a pay gap and we need to close the pay gap. He really is trying to walk it back. This is not what Microsoft wants to be talking about, but the fact is here in tech it is predominantly male and it is predominantly white. And a lot of industries that have been male for a long time men make more than women across the board. Look at these numbers. This is the pay gap last year. This is women -- you cannot -- karma is not going to get you more money. I want to be clear here. Now, one thing I think, he has friends and mentors at Microsoft, one of whom apparently believes that in the short term human resources is inefficient, in the long term it was efficient. So he's saying in the long term a woman who is a superstar is going to get her due in the long term. But that's not everyone. And women don't ride the ranks the same way men do. Sometimes you have to take time off in the middle for child rearing, child bearing. So this is a dumb comment that they know is dumb and that a lot of people today are buzzing about. I'll tell you, in a lot of different industries just about everybody I know women are talking about this story today and talking about their own experiences with asking for a raise. Do I sound bossy if I ask for a raise? Do I need to ask for a raise every year? Do I need to prove myself first and ask for a raise? So to hear someone saying you don't need to ask for a raise is against everything that women are trying to do.</s>LEMON: If there is any good to come out of this, it's awareness and I hear women talking about it more. And it's -- scan the morning shows, everybody is like really, this is crazy especially the women on the shows were very forceful about it. It will embolden women to say listen, I deserve to be paid what my male counterparts are.</s>ROMANS: Let me tell you an anecdote. There was a woman who was a big international negotiator for her company and she did it. She was very, very good and she finally went into her boss and laid out the reasons to get a raise. And he looked at her and said "it's a good thing you came in here because my board wants to know why you're not negotiating for yourself and that maybe you're not up to par." You don't think how you're doing on the job is good enough, you have to sell yourself and that's what all of the experts say. Can I say something that Paula Monica said? She said, "Microsoft down pre-market. Satya Nadella shouldn't worry though, if he has faith in Wall Street, the stock will go back up. It's good karma."</s>LEMON: And it's not just for women too. It's also for minorities. Do the same thing, right?</s>ROMANS: Yes. I mean, you have to know your worth and you should talk to people you work with and talk to people you know and you can talk about money and salaries because you shouldn't undervalue yourself. You have to know what your worth is in the workplace.</s>LEMON: OK. Another story that's buzzing on social media, a Wells Fargo employee e-mailed 200,000 employees asking for a $10,000 bonus for all of them and then, of course, the company says no, we're above the --</s>ROMANS: At first it sounded like he maybe accidentally e-mailed the whole company, but no, he did it on purpose. He looked at the numbers, looked at the profit, and he said you could afford to give us all a $10,000 raise. Now reportedly his managers have been telling him don't worry, you won't lose your job. I don't recommend that you e-mail the entire company when you want to lean in and get a raise, probably not a good idea. But in this case really kind of raising awareness of this idea that the CEO of that company makes 400 times what the typical worker does. That's a big, big wage spread. It just brings back to the whole thing about inequality within companies. But whether it's Microsoft or Wells Fargo or whatever it is, you've got to know your worth especially this economy, be willing to stand up for it.</s>LEMON: When the bill comes at lunch today when I go to lunch, I'm going to say "My karma says I shouldn't pay for this. I deserve this lunch." see if they'll go for it. Thanks, Christine, have a great weekend. Still to come here, from the threat of ISIS to health concerns over Ebola, there are no shortages of challenges being weighed by President Obama on a daily basis. Up next, why one columnist says despite low poll numbers, Mr. Obama is still one of the most successful presidents in American history.