Pulse survey feedback came first - the termination came weeks later, the lawsuit alleges
A former Oracle senior director says his EVP made racially charged remarks in team meetings, then fired him weeks after he submitted critical feedback through the company's own engagement survey.
Abhishek Shukla filed the lawsuit on April 29, 2026 in the US District Court for the Middle District of Florida. He brings claims under Title VII of the Civil Rights Act of 1964 and the Florida Civil Rights Act, alleging race, color, and national origin discrimination, and retaliation.
Shukla, who is of Indian descent, joined Oracle on June 28, 2021 as a senior director in the Strategic Client Group, according to the complaint. The filing says he picked up positive reviews in 2022 and 2023, and was one of just 14 people out of more than 400 retained when that group was dissolved. He moved into a Healthcare Industry Expert role in the Strategic Initiatives Group, reporting to Jonathan Tikochinsky, an EVP based out of London.
That is when the story shifts. Shukla alleges Tikochinsky was polite with the other 13 members of the team but "often aggressive and rude" toward him. Between August and November 2023, the complaint says, the EVP became "overly critical, obstinate" and picked apart every detail of Shukla's work and communications.
Shukla alleges that during team meetings, Tikochinsky said, "[w]ow, you Indians have too many people already. 1.4 billion Indians on the planet," and, "[t]here...
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