A former tech executive who was dismissed after sleeping in a sauna during a work trip has been granted permission to pursue a compensation claim of up to £76 million (nearly ₹964 crore), in what could become one of the largest payouts in British employment tribunal history.
Shannon Burns, the former vice president of engineering at Gitpod, was earning £220,000 a year (around ₹2.7 crore) when she was dismissed in June 2023 following an incident during a team-building trip to Austria.
According to The Independent, Burns later won a disability discrimination case against the company.
Burns has said she developed post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD) during the period surrounding her dismissal and has since left the technology industry. Her compensation claim of £76 million is based on projected future earnings, lost opportunities and other financial losses.
Gitpod sought to limit the amount Burns could claim to £1 million. However, the Birmingham Employment Tribunal rejected the company’s application, allowing her to formally pursue a claim worth up to £76 million.
Why was Shannon Burns dismissed?
Burns, who has ADHD, travelled to Lofer, Austria, in April 2023 for a company team-building event.
According to the tribunal, Burns had consumed alcohol during the trip and accidentally lost or forgot her room key one evening, leaving her unable to access her accommodation. She eventually spent the night sleeping in a sauna.
Following the incident, Gitpod CEO Johannes Landgraf raised concerns about what he described as Burns’ “lack of professional accountability”. She was subsequently dismissed in June 2023.
Burns later alleged that she had been treated differently from male colleagues who had also consumed alcohol during the off-site event.
In 2025, the Birmingham Employment Tribunal ruled that Burns had been dismissed because of circumstances connected to her disabilities, allowing her to pursue a compensation claim.
Tribunal allows £76 million claim
Gitpod had applied for a deposit order that would have effectively restricted Burns from pursuing losses above £1 million. The company described her £76 million claim as “extraordinary”.
Employment Judge Rachel Wedderspoon rejected the application, citing Burns’ “exceptionally high pay history” and her argument that she could have continued earning a substantial income in the technology sector.
The judge also noted that Burns’ calculations included potential losses from salary and equity.
According to the tribunal, Gitpod was acquired by OpenAI for approximately $400 million (£302 million), while Burns held a 0.85% stake in the company.
Based on the acquisition value, the judge estimated that Burns’ stake could have been worth around $3.4 million (£2.6 million), with its potential value increasing to approximately $27.85 million (£21 million) over four years.
The tribunal described Burns’ £76 million compensation claim as “highly unusual”, but said it could not conclude at this stage that her valuation had little reasonable prospect of succeeding.
A full hearing to determine compensation will take place at a later date, although the process remains subject to Gitpod’s appeal against the earlier tribunal ruling.
