Mark Harris, a former employee of Zscaler, Inc., has filed a lawsuit against the company alleging wrongful termination and discrimination. The complaint was filed on March 12, 2025, in the Superior Court of California for the County of Ventura. Harris accuses Zscaler and his former supervisor, Sam Mikhail, of age and race discrimination, harassment, and breach of good faith.
According to the court documents, Mark Harris began working at Zscaler as a presales engineer in March 2015. Over nearly a decade with the company, he received positive feedback and maintained an unblemished record. However, things took a turn in early 2022 when Zscaler restructured its team dynamics. Harris found himself reporting to Sam Mikhail and was subsequently demoted from Senior Sales Engineer to Sales Engineer. He alleges that this demotion was part of a pattern of discriminatory behavior that included ageist remarks by Mikhail about his being "the most senior guy" on the team and comments about his appearance relative to his age.
Harris further claims that he was singled out by Mikhail who made snide remarks about his work-related travels abroad and consistently showed favoritism towards younger colleagues. Despite these challenges, Harris continued to excel at his job until July 2024 when he was placed on a Performance Improvement Plan (PIP). Just days before completing this plan and finalizing a significant sale with TikTok—potentially earning him $50,000 in commission—Harris was terminated without explanation.
The lawsuit outlines multiple causes of action including wrongful termination in violation of public policy, race discrimination under California's Fair Employment and Housing Act (FEHA), age discrimination under FEHA, work environment harassment, failure to prevent harassment and discrimination, and breach of implied covenant of good faith and fair dealing. Harris contends that his race and age were substantial factors in his discharge from Zscaler.
In seeking justice through the courts, Harris is asking for general damages exceeding the jurisdictional limit along with punitive damages intended to deter similar misconduct by others. He also seeks prejudgment interest along with costs associated with legal proceedings including attorney fees.
Representing Mark Harris are attorneys Camron Dowlatshahi and Kathleen Moore from Mills Sadat Dowlat LLP based in Los Angeles. The case is being overseen by Judge Joan Foster under Case No. 2025S CLIVWTO4021 &.