A former Activision Blizzard executive has filed a discrimination claim with the company, alleging it of discriminating against «old white guys».
19.12.2023 - 06:17 / techcrunch.com / Bobby Kotick
California’s Civil Rights Department reached a settlement with Activision Blizzard late last week two years after the state regulator brought a lawsuit alleging gender discrimination, pay inequities and a culture of sexual harassment at the video game company.
Activision Blizzard, which publishes hit games like the Call of Duty franchise and World of Warcraft, agreed to pay $54 million and committed to implementing measures to ensure fair pay and equitable promotions. Roughly $46 million of the funds will go to compensate workers, particularly women who were employees or contractors with the company from 2015 to 2020. While the settlement’s details are ironed out, it is still subject to court approval.
“If approved by the court, this settlement agreement represents a major step forward and will bring direct relief to Activision Blizzard workers,” California Civil Rights Department Director Kevin Kish said. The agency, which was formerly known as the Department of Fair Employment and Housing, changed its name last year. Activision Blizzard operates out of its headquarters in Santa Monica, California.
The agency filed its lawsuit in Los Angeles County Superior Court back in 2021, alleging that the company broke rules set forth through the state’s Equal Pay Act and Fair Employment and Housing Act. The California Civil Rights Department will withdraw its allegations as part of the settlement, and stated in the agreement that “no court or independent investigation has substantiated any allegations that there has been systemic or widespread sexual harassment at Activision Blizzard.”
The settlement also states that the California Civil Rights Department investigation did not produce evidence of illegal behavior on behalf of the company’s board, its executives or its chief executive, Bobby Kotick.
In February, Activision Blizzard agreed to a $35 million settlement with the SEC over its failure to “implement necessary controls to collect and review employee complaints about workplace misconduct,” ultimately obscuring that information from being disclosed to investors.
California’s lawsuit initiated a dramatic era at Activision Blizzard that included employee walkouts, inflammatory remarks from executives, share price instability and ongoing concerns that the company had fostered a toxic workplace culture to the detriment of its employees.
The sequence of events ultimately led Microsoft to make a move to acquire the company — a $68.7 billion gambit that regulators finalized in October. Longtime Activision Blizzard CEO Bobby Kotick, deeply embroiled in the years-long controversy, will depart the company at the end of the year.
It’s official: Microsoft closes $68.7B Activision Blizzard acquisition as UK approves
A former Activision Blizzard executive has filed a discrimination claim with the company, alleging it of discriminating against «old white guys».
A former Activision executive has sued the publisher in California state court accusing the company of age discrimination and violating the state's whistleblower protection law, as reported by Law360.
One constant of the last year's worth of news swirling aroundMicrosoft's acquisition of Activision Blizzard was the back-and-forth bickering between the tech giant and the UK's Competition and Markets Authority as the deal headed to a close. Now, Microsoft's Brad Smith seems to have softened his tone a bit regarding the CMA.
Bobby Kotick’s last day at renowned gaming megacorporation Activision Blizzard was Friday, December 29th, 2023. He leaves with a $15 million… departure salary? In casual terms, it’s a “golden parachute.” He’s 60 years old. He’ll be fine.
Long-time Activision Blizzard boss Bobby Kotick is leaving the company following its acquisition by Microsoft in October. Kotick will depart on 29th December, with Microsoft largely keeping the company’s core leadership intact outside of this.
Long-time Activision Blizzard boss Bobby Kotick is leaving the company following its acquisition by Microsoft in October. Kotick will depart on 29th December, with Microsoft largely keeping the company’s leadership intact outside of this.
Microsoft announced that Activision Blizzard CEO is finally stepping down, effective December 29. He is not the only high-profile departure, though Microsoft intends to leave most of the company’s management in place.
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It’s official: The Bobby Kotick era at Activision Blizzard will end on December 29. According to The Verge, Instead of appointing a new replacement, the top Activision Blizzard executives will now report to Microsoft’s game content and studios president Matt Booty. Several more higher-level Activision Blizzard employees will also leave the company in the new year with departures planned through March 2024.
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Activision Blizzard CEO Bobby Kotick is officially resigning from the company after the completion of Microsoft’s $68.7 billion acquisition of the gaming developer and publisher. Kotick’s last day is Dec. 29, when Microsoft studio head Matt Booty will take lead of the Activision Blizzard executive leadership team. Kotick led Activision Blizzard for 32 years.
Activision Blizzard has agreed to pay more than $54 million (and an additional $47 million for affected employees) to settle a lawsuit filed by California’s Civil Rights Department in 2021. The lawsuit was filed over accusations of sexual and gender harassment, along with discrimination, including pay disparities.