(San Francisco) More than 150 Activision Blizzard employees demonstrated outside the video game publisher’s headquarters on Tuesday, calling for the boss to leave after press reports that he knew of harassment complaints long before the scandal does not become public.
Bobby Kotick had known for years that there were internal reports of abusive behavior, including a rape charge, but he had not shared all of that information with the board, according to the Wall Street Journal.
Dozens of employees mobilized during the day, in person and virtually, as already in July. Walkouts are extremely rare in large tech companies in the United States.
“We will not be silenced until Bobby Kotick is replaced and we continue to call for an independent audit to take place, and for the organization to be chosen by the employees. We are organizing a strike today, ”tweeted the ABK Workers Alliance, the group’s workers’ union, with photos of the rally.
The creator of the blockbuster Call of Duty was accused in late July by a California authority of fostering a culture of harassment, sexist and toxic, and career inequalities. A lawsuit was filed in a Los Angeles court.
A spokesperson for the group told AFP that the WSJ article gave a “misleading” view of Activision Blizzard and its boss. “Measures have been taken for cases of sexual harassment that have been brought to his attention,” he said.
“Anyone who doubts my determination (to make the company) the most welcoming and inclusive place to work doesn’t realize how important it is to me,” Kotick said in a response. video message broadcast internally, before the event.
The video game giant said in mid-October that “more than 20 people” had left the company in light of reports and accusations, and that more than 20 other employees had been disciplined while remaining employed. by Activision.
“Under Bobby Kotick’s leadership, the company is already implementing fundamental changes such as zero tolerance for harassment, a recruitment policy designed to significantly increase the percentage of women and non-binary people in our workforce, and external investments to improve the chances of more diverse profiles, ”the board of directors said in a press release on Tuesday.