Activision Blizzard CEO Bobby Kotick Says He’ll Receive Minimum Wage Pay Until “Transformational Gender-Related Goals” Are Met

In an open missive released today, Activision Blizzard CEO Bobby Kotick says he’ll beryllium receiving the California minimum wage for salaried employees until the company’s Board of Directors has achieved “transformational gender-related goals.” 

Kotick laid retired those goals successful the missive released today, arsenic archetypal reported by Video Games Chronicle, and helium claims that his reduced wage volition beryllium $62,500. He besides notes that “this is simply a simplification successful [his] wide compensation” and not conscionable his salary. The CEO claims he’s asking not to person immoderate bonuses oregon beryllium granted immoderate equity during this time.

“I genuinely privation not a azygous worker had had an acquisition astatine enactment that resulted successful hurt, humiliation, oregon worse – and to those who were affected, I sincerely apologize,” Kotick writes. “You person my committedness that we volition bash everything imaginable to grant our values and make the workplace each subordinate of this squad deserves.”

Kotick continues and says the experiences of Activision Blizzard employees that person been “so courageously shared” service arsenic a crushed and reminder for wherefore the institution needs to bash amended by its employees. 

In presumption of the “transformational gender-related goals,” Kotick laid retired five. Here are each of the 5 goals – the full missive tin beryllium work here for further details:

1. We are launching a caller zero-tolerance harassment argumentation company-wide. 
2. We volition summation the percent of women and non-binary radical successful our workforce by 50% and volition put $250 cardinal to accelerate opportunities for divers talent. 
3. Based connected feedback from employees, we are waiving the required arbitration of intersexual harassment and favoritism claims. 
4. We volition proceed to summation visibility connected wage equity. 
5. We volition supply regular advancement updates. 

Kotick says the cardinal extremity of the entire Board of Directors, elder firm team, and concern portion leaders,  is to “make definite you person the resources, culture, and committedness from enactment you request to win successful our corporate aspiration to beryllium the exemplary workplace successful our industry.” 

“The guardrails weren’t successful spot everyplace to guarantee that our values were being upheld,” Kotick writes. “In immoderate cases, radical didn’t consistently consciousness comfy reporting concerns, oregon their concerns weren’t ever addressed promptly oregon properly. People were profoundly fto down and, for that, I americium genuinely sorry.” 

This unfastened missive comes months aft a reveal in July that the California Department of Fair Employment and Housing had been investigating Activision Blizzard for years, leading to a suit filed against the company. The suit centers astir “violations of the state’s civilian rights and adjacent wage laws,” specifically concerning the attraction of women and different marginalized groups astatine the company. 

Shortly after, Game Informer obtained a copy of the letter Kotick sent to each of Activision Blizzard. In it, helium stated that the institution “will bash everything imaginable to marque definite that together, we amended and physique the benignant of inclusive workplace that is indispensable to foster creativity and inspiration,” amongst different promises.  It seems these 5 goals laid retired by Kotick this greeting are Activision Blizzard’s adjacent measurement successful making the institution a harmless and steadfast spot to work. Only clip volition tell. 

For a afloat rundown of everything that’s happened successful California’s lawsuit against Activision Blizzard, cheque retired this communicative astir why California’s suit could get much complicated.

[Source: Video Games Chronicle]