Tech specialist perishes at Silicon Valley headquarters, reigniting discussion about tech workers' exhaustion

In a tragic turn of events, Pratik Pandey, a highly skilled big data analyst and frontend architect at Microsoft, was found unresponsive on the company's Mountain View campus around 2 a.m. on August 20, 2025. The Santa Clara County medical examiner is still determining the cause of his death, but initial examinations suggest he died of a heart attack (myocardial infarction), with no signs of foul play.

Pandey's career in tech was marked by stints at Apple, Walmart, and Microsoft. He joined Microsoft in 2020 as a software engineer, where he worked on Microsoft Fabric, a platform for unified, end-to-end data analytics. Prior to his tenure at Microsoft, he worked at Walmart Labs from 2018 to 2020, focusing on cloud-based services and deployment systems.

Pandey's family and relatives have expressed concerns about the pressures and long working hours in the tech industry, urging companies like Microsoft to reassess the demands they place on their employees and to take stronger steps to support their well-being. The 2025 Engineering Leadership Report found that 22% of developers are experiencing critical burnout, and nearly 40% are working longer hours due to increased workloads.

Pandey's uncle has urged companies to be more mindful of staff who frequently come into the office at odd hours, suggesting that awareness alone could save lives. He also called for tech firms to address the issue of job insecurity caused by recent layoffs, as Microsoft has carried out significant redundancies in recent years, which may contribute to longer working hours for those remaining.

In response to Pandey's death, Microsoft has launched an internal review and expressed condolences to his family. Some AI startups in Silicon Valley are also facing criticism for adopting the "996" work schedule, requiring employees to work from 9 a.m. to 9 p.m., six days a week.

Pratik Pandey reported up through Scott Guthrie, executive vice president of Cloud and AI at Microsoft. His colleagues remember him as a dedicated and innovative professional who was always willing to go the extra mile to ensure the success of his projects.

As the investigation into Pandey's death continues, the tech industry is left to reflect on the pressures and demands placed on its workers and the impact they may have on their well-being. Pandey's family believes exhaustion and overwork may have played a role in his passing, and they hope that his tragic death will serve as a wake-up call for the industry to prioritize employee wellness.