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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

#221

Post by andygroundwater »

toyg wrote: post #208
pm90 wrote: post #99

> In a letter to employees made public in October, Ms. Townsend said Activision had “exited” 20 employees and another 20 had faced disciplinary action. “We know there’s a desire to know about the outcome when misconduct is reported,” Ms. Townsend wrote. “Sometimes, there are privacy reasons we can’t share. But where we can, we will be sharing more information with you. We will also be providing you regular, aggregate…

> scrapegoating Is this a typo of "scapegoating", or a conscious neologism to indicate "scraping (the bottom of the barrel) to look for a scapegoat"...?

Like it! Scrapegoating it is from now on in these circumstances.

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

#222

Post by Levitz »

seattle_spring wrote: post #77
seneca wrote: post #71

Earlier quoted context omitted.

> Freedom of speech means the government cannot limit what you can say. A private entity, such as Blizzard/Activision, has no such obligation. This is absolutely incorrect. To Americans, Freedom of Speech is, as the person you're replying to said, an inalienable right of all human beings. It's a fundamental principal of our society. The first amendment is a legal constraint on the US government that keeps them from v…

Many Americans, myself included, would deeply disagree that "freedom of Speech" translates to "can say whatever you want wherever you want." Otherwise we'd all opt for 8-chan style message boards where anyone can say whatever they want. It's not at all unreasonable to want a particular event to remain on-topic to the event, and not allow literally everyone to use it as their own personal soapbox for their cause of th…

Sure, I think that's fair, yet a restriction on freedom of speech, which doesn't have to be inherently bad.

Going with the same kind of example: society agrees that murder, thievery and lying are bad things, yet find it justifiable to kill in self-defense, to steal in order to eat, and to lie in certain situations.

I'll also say that it's very different to limit a certain type of speech than to limit speech you disagree with.

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

#223

Post by Terretta »

cletus wrote: post #10

How many managers and executives were fired? My fear is that individual perpetrators have been fired but not the leaders who buried complaints or their own inaction dissuaded victims from complaining. A fish rots from the head.

> A fish rots from the head.

This isn’t a fish. And, as a kid that grew up on a bay, I’d note that usually the head is the last identifiable part to go.

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

#224

Post by nchi3 »

bob1029 wrote: post #214

Kotick has taken a dishonorable path. He should be first person out the door. Situation in the industry feels kind of bleak to me now. One of these days I am going to be able to trick my investors into letting me start a game studio. I really don't understand why there isn't more intense competition at the AAA tier. I know for a fact I can do it cheaper and faster. Not sure about better, but I'm willing to fail a few…

It's for the same reason that there aren't more companies coming out of nowhere to make Hollywood blockbusters.

I think you might be underestimating how many man hours it takes to create the content for an AAA game.

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

#225

Post by Terretta »

icu wrote: post #179

Until Bobby goes it's all corporate bs. The fish rots at the head.

> The fish rots at the head.

This isn’t a fish.

And as a kid living on the water, saw plenty of dead fish — usually the head is the last identifiable part to go (middle goes first).

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

#226

Post by tdsamardzhiev »

stathibus wrote: post #207
Simon_O_Rourke wrote: post #160

This has the feel of the CEO rounding up as many patsies as he can find to scapegoat in order to placate the investors. No doubt the culture there is rotten to the core, the rumors of the horrible work environment and harassment are widely known, however, I predict you won't see too many of the exec team having to leave. It'll be all low level expendable IC's that the CEO won't have to encounter at the country club a…

The mostly empty low-effort changes they've made to their games recently in the name of inclusion also match this strategy.

It's the game industry way. Diversity this, inclusiveness that, but when you want to go on holiday for Orthodox Easter instead of Catholic Easter, we have a problem. And you realize it's all pandering and saving face in front of the public.

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

#227

Post by listenallyall »

Broken_Hippo wrote: post #202
usbqk wrote: post #200

Earlier quoted context omitted.

Quoted post unavailable.

The recently completed summary also says Activision had collected about 700 reports of employee concern over misconduct and other issues—in some cases separate reports about the same incidents—since July, when a California state agency filed a lawsuit against the company over harassment claims. The Nov. 16 article, citing interviews and internal documents, also detailed misconduct allegations against Mr. Kotick, incl…

No post body was provided.

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

#228

Post by SSLy »

bilekas wrote: post #205
usbqk wrote: post #197

Earlier quoted context omitted.

Quoted post unavailable.

Didn't he also write a letter on behalf of the HR/People manager around the sexual misconduct claims and then put her name on it ? It may have been Helaine Klasky - I'll find the article.

No, it was Townsend's, the one cited in OP too https://www.reddit.com/r/wow/comments/qvl4xd/bobby_kotick_ac... She later left / was made to left the company

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

#229

Post by sabas123 »

29athrowaway wrote: post #182
krasin wrote: post #91

Earlier quoted context omitted.

>I met zero people who told me they dreamed about working in a FAANG since childhood. Hi, nice to meet you: I dreamed about working in Microsoft since I was 12. Ended up in a different FAANG, but anyway.

FAANG = Facebook, Apple, Amazon, Netflix, Google. Microsoft is not included. So technically you did not dream of working at a FAANG since childhood.

FAANG needs to die as an acronym.
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