The family of a Microsoft engineer who died while working late hours is urging Silicon Valley companies to curb the culture of overwork.
Pratik Pandey, 35, of Menlo Park, was found face-down in the courtyard of Microsoft’s Mountain View office around 2 a.m. on Aug. 19, after badging into the campus at 7:50 p.m., his uncle Manoj Pandey told the Palo Alto Daily Post.
An initial report by the Santa Clara County Medical Examiner suggested Pandey suffered a heart attack, according to Satish Chandra, an IT worker and city council candidate in Santa Clara. Chandra said Pandey had recently confided in friends and colleagues about feeling stressed while juggling multiple projects.
Pandey’s uncle appealed to tech firms to do more to monitor employees working late and address workplace stress. “That will probably save a life,” he said. “It’s a lot of pain for the family when a loved one passes away.”
Police said there were “no signs of any suspicious activity or behavior” at the scene, and the death is not being treated as a criminal matter. Microsoft declined to say whether it was conducting its own investigation.
Pandey was known for working long hours but was remembered by his family as upbeat and passionate about soccer, ping pong, and cricket. “Overall, a very positive person,” his uncle said.
Born in Indore, India, Pandey moved to the U.S. about 10 years ago to pursue a master’s degree at San Jose State University. He worked at Apple, Illumina, and Walmart Labs before joining Microsoft in July 2020, where he was part of the team behind Fabric, a data analytics platform.
His family plans to send his remains back to India, where his parents and two sisters live.
