- According to a news article by the Wall Street Journal, Activision Blizzard’s CEO, Bobby Kotick, knew about the “frat-boy culture”
- The reveal has angered the company’s workers, leading them to protest for Kotick’s resignation
- The new happening only adds to Activision Blizzard’s many woes
Activision Blizzard’s CEO Bobby Kotick allegedly knew about the mistreatment of women, yet did nothing against it, an article by the WSJ suggests.
Kotick Reportedly Knew What is Going On
Activision Blizzard keeps on having problems with the lawsuit by the California Department of Fair Employment and Housing. A few months ago the company was accused of encouraging a “frat boy” culture that leads to the severe mistreatment of female employees.
Since the beginning of the lawsuit, Blizzard has made some mistakes but has also tried to make up to its customers and workers by establishing stricter workplace rules.
However, the situation has worsened once again as a Wall Street Journal article from yesterday suggested that the company’s CEO, Bobby Kotick, knew about the misconduct all along and yet did nothing about it.
This immediately sparked yet another wave of outrage among Blizzard’s employees, with many rising in protest against Kotick and demanding his resignation. Many of the employees demonstratively walked out of the office in Irvine.
Kotick tried to defend himself by saying that the WSJ claims are untruthful and paint “an inaccurate and misleading view of his company, of himself and his leadership.” A few weeks ago Kotick had even demanded a decrease in his salary in order to prove his goodwill. According to the esports news outlet Dot Esports, a day before the notorious article, Activision Blizzard had provided all of its contracted and temporary workers a paid time off for the entire week of Thanksgiving.
Yet, many of the company’s employees would have none of it.
A Year of Setbacks
The lawsuit has hit Activision Blizzard very hard. To make matters worse, the Securities and Exchange Commission has also launched an investigation of its own.
All of the turmoil led to many employees leaving the company. Some of them included the Overwatch executive producer Chacko Sonny, and the chief legal officer Claire Hart. In more recent news, the Vicarious Visions studio head, Jen Oneal, also left the company. A homosexual of Asian origin himself, Oneal was vocal about the mistreatment he had to go through while in the company.
“I have been tokenized, marginalized, and discriminated against,” he told Blizzard’s legal team, according to findings by the WSJ.
Blizzard is still trying to recover from the lawsuit but this isn’t going to be an easy undertaking. The company has implemented strict workplace discipline and is actively dismissing those who refuse to comply. The company hopes to one day regain the trust of the fans and its own workers.
