According to a new report, Activision Blizzard CEO – Bobby Kotick – has been accused of knowing about the pervasive issue of sexual harassment that resulted in two lawsuits and an ongoing investigation by the SEC. Worse still is that culture of mistreatment, inequality, and harassment seems to have trickled down from the very top of the company.
This report comes from The Wall Street Journal thanks to emails, internal memos, and interviews with former staffers that all say the same thing: Kotick knew all along how bad Activision Blizzard's culture really was. He not only protected offenders but ensured that lawsuits brought against him and the company were settled "quickly and quietly."
The report begins with an email sent to Kotick from a lawyer representing a woman who said she'd been raped by a male supervisor at Sledgehammer Games between 2016 and 2017 both in the office and at work events. She reported the offenses to both Sledgehammer HR and other supervisors and even filed a police report, all to no avail. An out-of-court settlement was reached within months.
Kotick has denied knowledge of allegations brought forward by the California DFEH lawsuit accusing Activision Blizzard of fostering a "frat boy workplace culture," saying he was not aware of incidents involving sexual harassment, rape, and even suicide. However, former staffers speaking to the WSJ say that Kotick was aware of major events taking place at all of Activision's 12 studios.
One instance involved Kotick stepping in to defend an executive accused of harassment. Treyarch co-head Dan Bunting was accused of harassment in 2017 by a female employee, with Activision's own HR recommending he be fired. Kotick reportedly stepped in and Bunting was given counseling instead.
Kotick himself was reportedly "accused by several women of mistreatment both inside and outside the workplace," with most incidents resulting in a quick settlement. In 2006, Kotick left a voicemail threatening to kill a former assistant who accused him of harassment. That case was settled out of course with an Activision spokesperson calling the voicemail "hyperbolic."
Another incident in 2007 involved a flight attendant of a private jet owned by Kotick. The flight attendant sued after the pilot allegedly sexually harassed her, and when she complained to Kotick directly she was fired. Before settling for $200,000 in 2008 Kotick threatened the attendant and her lawyer, saying, "I'm going to destroy you."
Clearly, Activision Blizzard's workplace issues aren't just limited to its rank-and-file developers. Activision's board now wants to know how long Kotick knew about these issues and why they were never informed. The SEC would also like to know and have since subpoenaed Kotick to find out.