Microsoft Engineer Dies at Work at 35 as His Family Warns of Overworking Employees 

A 35-year-old Microsoft engineer died at work in Silicon Valley last month, and his family is now warning companies about overworking their employees.

Pratik Pandey was “found face-down” at 2 a.m. local time on Aug. 20 in Mountain View, Calif., on Microsoft’s campus, according to the Palo Alto Daily Post.

An initial report from the Santa Clara County Medical Examiner said that Pandey suffered a heart attack, community leader Satish Chandra told the Daily Post.

Chandra said Pandey, who moved from India for school in the 2010s and had previously worked at Apple, had been feeling stressed before his death and had no known health issues.

Police found “no signs of any suspicious activity or behavior,” Bloomberg reported.

A Mountain View Police spokesperson told the outlet that Pandey’s death is not being treated as a criminal investigation.

PEOPLE contacted the Santa Clara County Coroner’s Office and the Mountain View Police Department for more information but did not immediately get a response.

A Microsoft spokeswoman also declined to comment to PEOPLE.

In an interview with the Daily Post, Pandey’s uncle Manoj described him as “overall, a very positive person,” but said he had become known for working late nights for a “very extended period of time.”

He went into the office shortly before 8 p.m. the night before he died and was found in a courtyard on Microsoft’s campus, according to his uncle.

Manoj is warning the tech giant and other companies about the dangers of overworking and the importance of helping employees handle job stress.

“That will probably save a life,” he told the Daily Post.

Pandey earned a master’s degree from San Jose State University. In addition to Apple, he had worked at Illumina and Walmart Labs before joining Microsoft in July 2020.

“A joyful soul with a radiant smile, Pratik loved playing soccer, great son & friend,” read an announcement for a viewing service held in the Bay Area of California on Thursday, Aug. 28.

Pandey worked on Microsoft’s Fabric product, which is used to analyze data and competes with companies like Snowflake Inc.

“It’s a lot of pain for the family when a loved one passes away,” his uncle told the Daily Post.