Wednesday 8 June 2022 05:58 PM Top Microsoft exec resigns after being accused of watching VR 'pillow fight' ... trends now
One of Microsoft's top executives has resigned amid allegations that he fondled female colleagues and watched virtual reality pillow fight porn in the office.
Alex Kipman, 44, of Seattle, announced his plans to resign on Tuesday in an effort to 'pursue other opportunities,' Microsoft insiders allege.
Scott Guthrie, VP of Microsoft Cloud and AI Group, is planning to reorganize the division. Sources familiar with the situation told Business Insider Kipman will stay with the company through a two-month transition process.
Last month, Kipman, who has been described as one of Microsoft's 'golden boys,' was accused of inappropriate behavior in a scathing Insider report detailing the company's 'toxic culture' that protects its 'untouchable' male executives.
Several employees filed a complaint against Kipman last year for dozens of alleged occasions of inappropriate behavior, but the executive - who lives in a $7million Seattle home - has yet to punished for it.
Witnesses allege the company instead provided him with 'chaperones' from human resources who accompany him during meetings. However, Microsoft has said those reports are 'not true.'
Microsoft executive Alex Kipman (pictured in 2019) has resigned amid allegations that he fondled female colleagues and watched virtual reality pillow fight porn in the office
Company insiders allege Kipman notified his direct reports of his plans to resign on Tuesday. His boss, Guthrie, then issued an internal email detailing upcoming changes to the department.
'Over the last several months, Alex Kipman and I have been talking about the team's path going forward. We have mutually decided that this is the right time for him to leave the company to pursue other opportunities,' the email, which was obtained by Insider, reads.
'I appreciate the tremendous vision Alex has provided to Microsoft over the years, and all that he has done to advance our Metaverse offerings. Alex is committed to helping the teams with the transition process over the next two months and ensuring success before pursuing what is next for him.'
Kipman was the lead developer of the company's HoloLens smartglasses and the public face of its virtual reality initiative.
Company sources told The Seattle Times his departure comes during a 'sensitive time' for the HoloLens project because Microsoft is currently deciding whether to continue developing its own augmented reality software.
EVP and Chief Product Officer Panos Panay, who runs Microsoft’s Surface computer division, will oversee the HoloLens hardware moving forward, per Guthrie's email.
Corporate VP Jeff Teper will take over the software part of the group.
DailyMail.com was unable to independently confirm the reports of Kipman's resignation as Microsoft did not immediately respond to requests for comment.
Kipman, who led the company's HoloLens and virtual reality initiatives, announced his plans to resign on Tuesday in an effort to 'pursue other opportunities'. He is pictured in March 2021 on a virtual stage as a 'fully realized holoporation' of himself in real-time
Sources familiar with the situation said Kipman will stay with the company through a two-month transition process. Kipman is pictured in a HoloLens promotional photo
Speculations rose that Kipman's days at Microsoft were numbered after the Brazilian-born innovation executive came under fire last month when several former and current employees allegedly accused him of getting away with inappropriate behavior.
The sources cited actions that reportedly included inappropriately touching female coworkers and watching a 'VR porn' pillow fight in front of employees.
The virtual reality video reported featured women dressed in skimpy outfits who were participating in a sexualized pillow fight. The sexual display was mirrored on nearby TV monitors for all the late-night employees to see.
'It was in the office, in front of women. Incredibly uncomfortable,' a source told Insider.
Kipman has been married since 2001 and appears to have at least one child, according to his Facebook profile. He has not commented on the allegations.
Virtual reality porn allows viewers to feel as if they're in a sex scene by donning special goggles.
The company insiders said he video was just one of many instances that Microsoft employees had to deal with verbal abuse and sexual harassment from top-tier executives. Microsoft has refused to confirm or deny the sordid allegations.
Alex Kipman, 44, of Seattle, has been described as one of Microsoft's 'golden boys' and allegedly has dozens of complaints of sexual harassments against him, including a time where he reportedly watched VR porn' of skimpily-dress women pillow fighting. He is pictured in 2018 with his wife, Amanda, whom according to his Facebook profile he married in 2001
The Seattle-based employee has reportedly gone undisciplined for his actions
The alleged 'VR porn' incident comes eight years after Microsoft CEO Satya Nadella vowed to end the firm's tolerance for 'talented jerks.'
Nadella vowed in 2014 to extinguish the golden boys' unlimited access to bad behavior, but current and former employees have said that changes have not been made.
'The gilding on the reputation of the culture change has worn off,' a woman, who works closely with Nadella, told Insider last month. 'It's actually quite tarnished.'
Women only make up roughly 25 percent of
