A Sensational Dispute That Began with a Night in a Sauna

Shannon Burns, a former vice president of engineering at software company Gitpod, was dismissed after an incident during a work trip to Austria in April 2023. After drinking alcohol, Burns forgot her room key and, unable to get back into her room, spent the night sleeping in a sauna. Burns had disclosed that she had ADHD and had previously requested support for the condition. Gitpod dismissed her in June 2023, citing concerns over her professional accountability. In 2025, the Birmingham Employment Tribunal found that her ADHD contributed to the circumstances surrounding the incident and ruled in her favour on disability discrimination and failure to make reasonable adjustments.

Burns is now seeking £76.07 million in compensation, based largely on claimed past and future loss of earnings and equity. In the latest proceedings, Gitpod sought to restrict the claim to £1 million, but the tribunal rejected the application, allowing Burns to formally pursue the larger claim. The tribunal also ordered Gitpod to disclose information about the value of its sale to OpenAI. The final amount of compensation has not yet been decided.