Randy Pitchford, of USB stick full of porn and company secrets fame, has won an award. Pitchford, who was accused of assaulting an ex-executive, has been named the "best corporate CEO" by Texan group Tech Titans, specifically for leading his company Gearbox through its merger with Embracer Group.

As spotted by Destructoid, Pitchford was given the award by Tech Titans as part of its aim to “celebrate companies and individuals in North Texas who are transforming the global technology industry.” In fairness, this win was probably helped by the fact that Gearbox is one of the few game studios with its main base in Texas, with other big hitters being Edge of Reality and Devolver Digital.

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Pitchford had been an iconic figure within the gaming industry since he co-founded Gearbox in 1999. While he's found phenomenal success with Borderlands, the CEO has also found himself embroiled in various controversies over the years.

Perhaps the best-known example is the aforementioned USB stick. This refers to an incident in 2014, in which Pitchford is said to have left the stick in a Medieval Times restaurant. This came up in a 2018 lawsuit, with an old friend of Pitchford's claiming the drive was full of sensitive Gearbox documents... and porn. Pitchford then infamously claimed the porn was only there to be used as a reference. You see, the lasses performance in the video was apparently similar to a "magic trick", so it was essential for work.

Borderlands 3 Calypso Twins

Even with that aside, Pitchford has had some serious allegations levied against him in recent years. Claptrap voice actor and former Gearbox executive, David Eddings, claimed that he was assaulted by Pitchford on two separate occasions - once with a wet willy in a recording booth, and another when he was shoved at GDC. At the time, Gearbox would not comment, saying that this was a "personal matter". It has denied claims that Eddings wasn't offered adequate payment in return for reprising his role as Claptrap in Borderlands 3.

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