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Activision Blizzard pushes out dozens of employees over workplace misconduct

wsj.com

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Re: Activision Blizzard pushes out dozens of employees over workplace misconduct

#31

Post by 2pEXgD0fZ5cF »

smoldesu wrote: post #27
aphistic wrote: post #7

Earlier quoted context omitted.

He's close friends with many on the board, so they back him at every turn. The shareholders can't do anything when the board doesn't care what they have to say.

Well yeah, but I really expected more out of them. They basically wrote a letter saying "please resign", Bob said "no", and then they said "oh okay, we have no further questions or statements at this time". Again, it reads to me like the majority of people are covering it up for financial/social benefit, or just completely disinterested in resolving their issues.

If we ignore that Kotick probably has build himself a very comfortable nest there and is probably surrounded by supporters I believe that even if they wanted him gone there is probably a calculation lying around in the offices of a number of people that compares Koticks exit package vs. the immediate expected losses from the current damage to the brand (which probably ignores longtime effects, or expects things to just blow over).

Re: Activision Blizzard pushes out dozens of employees over workplace misconduct

#32

Post by gaganyaan »

chii wrote: post #25
tjpnz wrote: post #21

Earlier quoted context omitted.

I deleted my Blizzard account when they censored and banned a Taiwanese e-sports competitor for speaking out on Hong Kong. It's a shame because I had been planning to give WoW classic a try. Edit: While the tournament was held in Taiwan, Blitzchung is actually a native of Hong Kong.

while i do understand the plight of HK's fight, it does make sense that a non-affiliated individual should not be able to make political statements on someone else's platform, unless with prior consent. The competitor should be free to make his case in his own platform(s), but not on a platform he doesn't own if the owners of that platform doesn't want to affiliate themselves with the political discourse.

This is just appeasement. "Just don't make a fuss" is sticking your fingers in your ears as atrocities happen.

Re: Activision Blizzard pushes out dozens of employees over workplace misconduct

#34

Post by itsdrewmiller »

jimbob45 wrote: post #29
mysterydip wrote: post #3

And the CEO remains the CEO.

Because he’s led some of the highest growth of any company of the last two decades and there’s extremely limited evidence that he knew what was going on at just one of his subsidiary companies (and the least profitable one at that). Blizzard games don’t hold a candle to the money CoD, Madden, or Skylanders bring in. If Blizzard lets him go, someone else will snatch up his genius immediately.

Looks like returns are slightly below electronic arts (since 2009 anyway, around when Kotick started and after the crash), which seems like the best comp. EA has had two CEOs over that time frame. Maybe they were both geniuses too.

Re: Activision Blizzard pushes out dozens of employees over workplace misconduct

#35

Post by CheezeIt »

intunderflow wrote: post #12
JohnJamesRambo wrote: post #9

Earlier quoted context omitted.

If they call Blizzard checking references, does Blizzard say “we fired them for sexual harassment.”

Not sure if its the same in the USA, but in Europe there are massive legal liability issues to giving a negative reference - most places give no reference or a standard set of terms because of this

The U.S. Bill of Rights [1] protects giving negative references.

[1] https://en.m.wikipedia.org/wiki/United_States_Bill_of_Rights

Re: Activision Blizzard pushes out dozens of employees over workplace misconduct

#36

Post by LukeShu »

tjpnz wrote: post #21
claaams wrote: post #6

Earlier quoted context omitted.

He needs to be fired. I want to play one of their games but I won't until bobby kotick is no longer the CEO. So never.

I deleted my Blizzard account when they censored and banned a Taiwanese e-sports competitor for speaking out on Hong Kong. It's a shame because I had been planning to give WoW classic a try. Edit: While the tournament was held in Taiwan, Blitzchung is actually a native of Hong Kong.

> a Taiwanese e-sports competitor for speaking out on Hong Kong

Not that it makes much of a difference, but:

It is my understanding that he's from Hong Kong, and is not Taiwanese. It is my understanding that Taiwan comes in to the picture only because the Blizzard event that he spoke out at was in Taiwan; that he has no connection to Taiwan.

Re: Activision Blizzard pushes out dozens of employees over workplace misconduct

#37

Post by JohnJamesRambo »

intunderflow wrote: post #12
JohnJamesRambo wrote: post #9

Earlier quoted context omitted.

If they call Blizzard checking references, does Blizzard say “we fired them for sexual harassment.”

Not sure if its the same in the USA, but in Europe there are massive legal liability issues to giving a negative reference - most places give no reference or a standard set of terms because of this

What in the world? What is the point of a reference if it can only be good?

Re: Activision Blizzard pushes out dozens of employees over workplace misconduct

#38

Post by harles »

chii wrote: post #25
tjpnz wrote: post #21

Earlier quoted context omitted.

I deleted my Blizzard account when they censored and banned a Taiwanese e-sports competitor for speaking out on Hong Kong. It's a shame because I had been planning to give WoW classic a try. Edit: While the tournament was held in Taiwan, Blitzchung is actually a native of Hong Kong.

while i do understand the plight of HK's fight, it does make sense that a non-affiliated individual should not be able to make political statements on someone else's platform, unless with prior consent. The competitor should be free to make his case in his own platform(s), but not on a platform he doesn't own if the owners of that platform doesn't want to affiliate themselves with the political discourse.

Which platforms are left to make statements on?

Re: Activision Blizzard pushes out dozens of employees over workplace misconduct

#39

Post by fareesh »

I really wouldn't boycott anything over workplace culture. If their product is good I will buy it. In the case of Blizzard their products haven't been good for a long time. I'm ok with supporting a company that's evil. I am consuming petroleum, plastic, the news media, etc. all the time. Anyone who suggests otherwise comes across as somewhat delusional and a little self obsessed to me. Blizzard would be the least of my sins.

Re: Activision Blizzard pushes out dozens of employees over workplace misconduct

#40

Post by 2pEXgD0fZ5cF »

jimbob45 wrote: post #29
mysterydip wrote: post #3

And the CEO remains the CEO.

Because he’s led some of the highest growth of any company of the last two decades and there’s extremely limited evidence that he knew what was going on at just one of his subsidiary companies (and the least profitable one at that). Blizzard games don’t hold a candle to the money CoD, Madden, or Skylanders bring in. If Blizzard lets him go, someone else will snatch up his genius immediately.

> extremely limited evidence that he knew

What makes you say that? Every piece of info I encountered on the case suggests the opposite [1][2] In addition to that Kotick himself has been involved in such cases before and is no stranger to getting rid of victims [3]

[1]: https://www.wsj.com/articles/activision-videogames-bobby-kot...

[2]: https://www.eurogamer.net/articles/2021-11-16-activision-bos...

[3]: https://www.eurogamer.net/articles/kotick-a-flight-attendant...

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