Female exec 'sacked from £220k job for getting drunk at work trip to Austria' lost her room key and showed 'concerning' behaviour after 'drinking heavily', 'tech bro' CEO tells tribunal

A high-flying female executive who claims she was sacked for getting drunk on a work trip in Austria was 'drinking heavily' and 'clearly more intoxicated than others', her boss has told an employment tribunal.
Shannon Burns - who was on £220,000 a year - is suing for sex discrimination after complaining of the rampant 'tech bro' culture at the 'male-dominated' firm that hired her.
But the CEO of Gitpod, Johannes Landgraf, claims she displayed 'concerning' behaviour - including losing her room key and having to stay in a sauna room. He said she also lost her iPad and AirPods - and looked 'disheveled' the morning after.
Mr Landgraf told an employment tribunal he had a shot of a 'Swiss pine liquor' with 'trailblazing' Ms Burns - then saw her pour herself a 'large glass of wine', before proceeding to get more drunk than anyone.
The tech boss disputed allegations made by Ms Burns that she was fired at his company for her behaviour on at the work trip despite her inebriated male colleagues not facing punishment.
He said Ms Burns, a vice president of engineering at Gitpod, was fired because she was not a 'leader'.
Birmingham Employment Tribunal heard she had been headhunted and took on her job with the promise of a six figure salary and an equity package potentially worth over £30million.
But soon after joining in January 2023, Ms Burns said she became aware of a problematic culture.
She said she had heard Mr Landgraf had a reputation of being a 'Tech Bro who liked to surround himself with fellow tech bros', the tribunal was told.
She added it was a 'male dominated' company.
At the centre of the tribunal hearing was an 'off-site' work trip in Lofer, Austria, in April 2023.
Ms Burns said Mr Landgraf offered her a shot and he had 'several drinks' by this point and was 'slurring his words and struggling to stand'.
Ms Burns said she was invited to partake in a 'game' which involved asking 'difficult' questions to one another about work.
The executive said the line of questioning from Mr Landgraf implied that she was not doing her job adequately.
She alleged that following trip she was sacked for getting too drunk in Austria despite other males getting more drunk than her.
Now, Mr Landgraf has told the tribunal he 'does not accept her versions of events'.
In a joint statement with Gitpod's Head of People Eva Hyder presented to the tribunal, he said: 'At the last night of the Lofer offsite, 5 April 2023, Shannon approached Johannes at the bar where they each had a shot of Swiss pine liquor, an Alpine speciality.
'Johannes recalls that their conversation started with friendly small talk, but it soon became obvious to Johannes that Shannon had already been drinking heavily.
'Johannes's recollection of the conversation differs from that Shannon gives... Shannon initiated a question and answer process and then changed tone abruptly asking Johannes how people could earn his trust.
'She then stated to Johannes in an emotional outburst that she felt he didn't trust her, asked why and asked how she could earn his trust.
'There then followed a broad conversation regarding expectations.
'The conversation finished, Shannon moved away, and Johannes then saw Shannon pour herself a large glass of wine but otherwise had no contact with her for the rest of the evening.
'Shannon has stated... she was intoxicated but no more so than other colleagues.
'Johannes agrees that he and many team members had consumed alcohol, but notes Shannon was clearly more intoxicated than others.
'The next morning, shuttle buses had been booked to take team members to the station and airport.
'Mike [Brevoort, chief product officer] recalls that Shannon's team members were waiting with the airport shuttle having loaded their bags.
'Mike was stepping out of the hotel when Shannon's room mate came to say Shannon would be late as Shannon was still packing and had lost her iPad and AirPods and had locked herself out of the room (the second such similar event).
'Shannon eventually emerged from the hotel dishevelled and visibly stressed some 20 minutes later.
'Shannon subsequently confirmed to Mike that she had misplaced her iPad and AirPods, had locked herself out of her room and had needed to sleep in the sauna room.'
Mr Landgraf and the other respondents denied that there was a 'tech bro' environment.
The statement said there had been performance concerns with Ms Burns since she joined.
It said: 'Shannon had fallen far short of the performance expected from a Vice President.
'She had never transitioned from being the manager she had been in previous roles elsewhere into being a leader, taking ownership of matters.
'Shannon didn't deliver on time and needed help from others to deliver late.
'She required many hours of support and coaching each week...'
Ms Burns was told that 'sleeping in a sauna area and being late for the shuttle was concerning' but her behaviour in Austria was not the reason for her dismissal, according to the Gitpod response statement.
It added: 'Shannon was not dismissed or treated less favourably in any other way because she is a woman.
'She was not dismissed because she was drunk at Lofer... No team member has ever been dismissed for being drunk.
'Shannon was dismissed for the performance-related reasons described above.'
Ms Burns - who has ADHD and dyslexia - also seeks claims of disability discrimination.
The hearing continues.

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I trust her, she trusts me. Thanks to the work of his doctors and the cooperation of Corinna, who wanted him to survive, he survived - but with consequences." The exact nature of the 'consequences' is largely unknown. Corinna has described her husband as 'different', while son Mick - who has followed in his father's footsteps into F1 - said Michael's illness means he's unable to communicate. ‌ In 2019, he was widely reported to have undergone stem cell treatment in a bid to regenerate his nervous system. Le Parisien reported he was admitted for transfusions of inflammation-reducing stem cells, and also quoted an unnamed nurse who claimed Schumacher had shown signs of recovery. "Yes he is in my service," the nurse revealed. "And I can assure you that he is conscious." However, the racer is believed to have developed muscle atrophy and osteoporosis after being bed-bound. 'Close relatives' reportedly spoke with the French magazine 'Paris Match' ahead of his 50th birthday in January 2019. The magazine quoted one as saying: "When you put him in his wheelchair facing the beautiful panorama of the mountains overlooking the lake, Michael sometimes cries." ‌ Addressing the family's new way of life, Jean Todt explained that they are living 'differently' in the wake of the accident. He told "For me, it is a privilege to be close in the family with Michael, with Corinna, with Mick and Gina. Their life changed on December 29, 2013. They have to live everything differently. The important thing is the closeness of friends. And Keep Fighting, their foundation." In September 2020, he said he had seen Michael that week, who was "fighting." Later that month it was reported that Schumacher had been spending more time in Majorca. Elisabetta Gregoraci, ex-wife of former F1 team boss Flavio Briarote, was quoted in Spanish press saying: "Michael doesn't speak, he communicates with his eyes. Only three people can visit him and I know who they are." On the Italian version of Big Brother the brunette added, in comments echoed by Spanish press: 'They moved to Spain and his wife has set up a hospital in that house.' ‌ Despite the global outpouring of grief, Corinna has sworn those around her husband to secrecy over his condition to maintain his dignity. Only those trusted have been granted access to see the star, with the house under strict security protocols. But in 2021, Corinna gave a rare insight into her husband's health on Netflix documentary SCHUMACHER, admitting she desperately longs for the partner she had before the accident. "I miss Michael every day. But it's not just me who misses him. It's the children, the family, his father, everyone around him," she said. "Everybody misses Michael, but Michael is here - different, but here. He still shows me how strong he is every day." Confirming that he lives at the family home in Switzerland, she said the fight continues to help Michael get better, but insisted she wanted to keep his trials and tribulations private. ‌ She continued: "We live together at home. We do therapy. We do everything we can to make Michael better and to make sure he's comfortable. And to simply make him feel our family, our bond. And no matter what, I will do everything I can. "We all will. We're trying to carry on as a family, the way Michael liked it and still does. And we are getting on with our lives. It's very important to me that he can continue to enjoy his private life as much as possible. Michael always protected us, and now we are protecting Michael." Since his surgeries, little to no information has been shared about the procedures the star may have had. His son, Mick, 23, raced for Haas before becoming a reserve for Mercedes, and has given few interviews but has said his biggest heartbreak is that he can't discuss the sport with his father. He said: "Since the accident, of course, these experiences, these moments that I believe many people have with their parents, are no longer present or to a lesser extent. And in my view, that is a little unfair. ‌ "I think me and dad, we would understand each other in a different way now. Simply because we speak a similar language – the language of motor sport – and that we would have a lot more to talk about. And that is where my head is most of the time. Thinking that would be so cool… I would give up everything just for that." Meanwhile, it was reported that Schumacher's family were planning to start a 'new life' in Majorca in a £27 million villa which will be used over winter, according to German magazine Die Bunte. Schumacher and wife Corinna's new pad is said to have been previously owned by Real Madrid boss Florentino Perez. ‌ The property - which provides beautiful sea views down the Majorcan coast - is kitted out with two luxurious swimming pools, as well as a helipad and all the medical facilities needed for his recovery. As well as the villa, the Schumachers are said to have also purchased the surrounding land - which currently houses olive trees and dilapidated buildings. The land is reported to have cost an eye-watering £2.3 million. However if the first decade is anything to go by, fans are unlikely to know much about Schumacher's whereabouts or evolving health in the upcoming years. In November, the family's lawyer, Felix Damm, explained why his close circle have chosen to remain silent on the matter. "It has always been a matter of protecting private information," he reportedly told the Mail. "We also considered whether a final announcement about Michael's state of health could be the right way to go about it. But that wouldn't have been the end of it and there would have had to be permanently updated 'water level reports," he explained. Although his close friend Todt has shared a glimmer of hope, adding: "I hope the world will be able to see him again. That is what he and his family are working towards."