Activision Blizzard CEO Responds To Sexual Harassment Scandal: ‘I Am Truly Sorry’
Kotick wrote:
During the last decade, as we’ve introduced in new firms, grown our workforce, and expanded our enterprise, we believed we had the programs, insurance policies, and folks in place to make sure that our firm at all times lived as much as its popularity as an excellent place to work. Clearly, in some vitally essential points, we didn’t.
The guardrails weren’t in place in every single place to make sure that our values have been being upheld. In some instances, folks didn’t constantly really feel snug reporting issues, or their issues weren’t at all times addressed promptly or correctly. Folks have been deeply let down and, for that, I’m really sorry.
Activision Blizzard is being sued by the California Department of Fair Employment and Housing (DFEH), which describes its office, significantly at subsidiary Blizzard Leisure, as a “breeding floor for harassment and discrimination towards ladies.” The corporate is preventing the swimsuit. In the meantime, the Securities and Trade Fee is investigating its dealing with of those points.
Activision Blizzard was additionally sued by the U.S. Equal Employment Alternative Fee, which alleged “sex-based discrimination, together with harassment” in its office; it settled, promising to create an $18 million fund to compensate claimants. DFEH has criticized the phrases of the settlement, which has but to be authorized by the courts. It argues that $18 million is just too little.
Kotick has been CEO of Activision Blizzard since its creation in 2008, and held the identical function at its predecessor Activision from 1991. Final 12 months, he earned $154 million, which made him the second-highest-paid CEO within the U.S. according to The Wall Street Journal. He has agreed for his compensation this 12 months to be lowered to $62,500, California’s authorized decrease restrict for “white-collar” salaried workers at massive firms.
