Lawsuit claims tech giant removed multiple executives after vowing to comply with admin
A 26-year IBM executive claims she was pushed out in February as the tech giant allegedly purged Black leaders under political pressure to dismantle diversity programs.
Zena Washington filed a discrimination lawsuit on October 29, 2025, in federal court in Maryland, alleging her termination was racially motivated despite a strong track record that included participation in an IBM-sponsored program designed to prepare promising employees for Chief of Staff positions and the highest levels of executive management.
Washington's last role at IBM was Director of Product Management in the company's Data and AI division, overseeing planning analytics and controller functions. Her team had just delivered what she describes as the best and most profitable year in the product team's history when things took an unexpected turn.
The trouble allegedly started when Ritika Gunnar rejoined IBM as General Manager of Product Management Data and AI in January 2024. Two months later, Gunnar reached out to Washington with an unusual request: participate in an Executive Interview, a process where employees speak with HR executives to explore alternative positions.
The process is almost always initiated by employees or their direct supervisors. Neither Washington nor her direct supervisor, Alvin Francis, had initiated any such conversation. The request bypassed normal protocol entirely, according to the filing.
What happened next was even more troubling. In late June 2024, Gunnar allegedly told Francis that she believed Washington was only in her role because of who she knew, or words to that effect. Francis was disturbed enough by the comment that he warned Washington about Gunnar's attitude. He later transferred to another product team due to concerns about Gunnar.
By October 2024, Washington was reporting to Bruno Aziza, who himself reported to Gunnar. The timing coincided with heightened political scrutiny of corporate diversity programs following the presidential election.
According to the filing, IBM CEO Arvind Krishna addressed employee questions about the incoming administration's opposition to diversity, equity and inclusion initiatives. When asked about the company's posture with respect to the Trump administration's directives on DEI, Krishna reportedly said of course we will comply, or words to that effect.
Washington alleges that what followed was a systematic removal of Black executives. She claims IBM terminated five of seven Black executives in her division shortly after the inauguration of the Trump administration and the dissemination of executive orders on reversing DEI efforts. The filing suggests this was done to appease the administration and remain favored by the Department of War and other government agencies with large IBM contracts.
When Washington learned of her termination in February 2025, Aziza could not provide a reason. She notes that IBM policy at the time stated that employees who were asked to relocate or commute were not to be included in force reductions. Since Washington was commuting to the Lowell, Massachusetts office, her termination allegedly violated company policy.
Aziza initially suggested he would try to find Washington another position within IBM, but neither he nor anyone else at the company actually did anything to find her a placement, according to the filing. A week later, he informed her that Yuhong Yin, an Asian colleague who had been Washington's counterpart, would be her replacement.
The choice raised questions. Yin had substantially less tenure than Washington and had never served as a product manager. When Washington pressed for an explanation, Aziza said he had been given the names of three people to consider as her replacement. He indicated the other two candidates did not have product market knowledge, and said the criteria were product market knowledge, collaboration, and engineering respect, though he did not explain what engineering respect meant.
Washington had both product management and engineering experience, along with substantial product market knowledge and strong collaboration skills. Yin, by contrast, did not have product market knowledge at all. Meanwhile, Aziza retained two other direct reports, Heather Gentry and Kas Attanapola, neither of whom had engineering experience as Washington did. Her product line had made substantially more money than the products managed by Gentry or Attanapola.
Washington earned a base salary of $305,000, plus a $120,000 bonus and approximately 300 shares of company stock when she was let go.
She filed a charge with the Equal Employment Opportunity Commission in mid-July 2025 and received her right-to-sue notice two weeks later. The lawsuit seeks at least $1,050,000 in damages, along with back pay, front pay, costs, attorney's fees and interest.
The allegations remain unproven in court, and IBM has not yet responded to the lawsuit.
