An Indian-born software engineer employed by Microsoft Corp. has been found dead on the company’s campus in Mountain View, California. The 35-year-old, identified as Pratik Pandey and originally from Indore, India, entered the office on the evening of August 19 and was found dead in the early hours of August 20, police confirmed.
Officers responded to the scene around 2 a.m. and reported they found no signs of suspicious activity or behavior. Authorities have clarified that the case is not being treated as a criminal investigation, according to a Bloomberg report.
Relatives urged tech companies to take stronger measures to protect employees from extreme work demands. Speaking to the Palo Alto Daily Post, Pandey’s uncle, Manoj Pandey, said: “Pratik was a very cheerful, hardworking, and successful young man. Overall, a very positive person.”
His uncle further said that Pandey had been “working late for a very long period of time” and suggested that companies should be more careful when employees regularly come into the office at odd hours. “This will probably save a life,” he said.
Pandey moved to the United States ten years ago to pursue a master’s degree at San Jose State University. He built a respectable career, working at Apple, Illumina, and Walmart Labs, before joining Microsoft in July 2020.
Colleagues and classmates describe him as a friendly and approachable person with a passion for sports like soccer, cricket, and table tennis.
According to the Palo Alto Daily Post, friends and relatives held a wake for Pandey on August 29 in Fremont, California, before sending his remains to India.
His parents and two sisters live there. Her uncle emphasized that the wake was important to their Hindu cultural traditions. “It’s a great pain for the family when a loved one dies,” he said.
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