Microsoft CEO Satya Nadella has apologized for remarks concerning women in the workplace after saying that women should trust that the system will reward them for their work.

“It’s not really about asking for the raise, but knowing and having faith that the system will actually give you the right raises as you go along,” said Nadella. “Women who don’t ask for raises” have a “superpower … because that’s good karma, that’ll come back … that’s the kind of person that I want to trust.”

It was during a Q&A at a women’s tech conference that Nadella made the comments, which quickly sparked outrage on Twitter and other social media networks. Quickly after making the comments, Maria Klawe disagreed, pointing out that women in the workplace should ask for raises if they want them.

“Without a doubt I wholeheartedly support programs at Microsoft and in the industry that bring more women into technology and close the pay gap,” Nadella said in his apology, which he sent to employees at Microsoft. “If you think you deserve a raise, you should just ask.”

Despite the comments, many suggest that the CEO is simply misunderstood and that he would have made the same comments regarding men.

“The question was indeed gender specific but I don’t know if his answer was,” said Jim Koch, membership development adviser at America HealthCare Services Association.

The comments highlight growing concern over inequality in the workplace. It was recently revealed that at Microsoft women make up around only 29 percent of those employed, and only around 17 percent of leadership in the company.