Activision Blizzard CEO will consider leaving if problems aren't solved quickly
Now it looks like a group of shareholders share the same opinion. Industry leaders like Xbox boss Phil Spencer and PlayStation boss Jim Ryan have also raised concerns about how the crisis is being tackled. A group of workers based near Activision Blizzards' headquarters in Irvine also staged an impromptu strike last week, expressing anger at leaders like Kitty and wondering how the company can make significant progress if it refuses to listen to its high-profile figures.
The Washington Post published an article stating that several shareholders, led by an investment group, the Strategic Organization Center (SOC), wrote a joint letter to Activisions' board of directors asking Kitty to step down. The letter also called for the resignation of two of the longest serving board members, Brian Kelly and Robert Morgado. One group that Kitty doesn't seem to have lost is the board of directors of Activision Blizzard.
Since then, a group of people have also asked Kitty to resign. In the leaked emails, the leaders and each of them said they were concerned about the accusations emanating from the author. In the leaked emails, the criminals and each of them mentioned that they are concerned about the accusations emanating from the author.
Despite the fact that Activision was aware of the allegations of sexual assault and abuse, Kitty hid them from investors. This includes allegations that Kitty intervened in the firing of an employee accused of sexual harassment. The Activision Blizzard crisis changed dramatically last week thanks to a tumultuous Wall Street Journal investigation that showed Kitty's awareness of rampant sexual harassment and discrimination at the company.
This comes on the heels of an earlier WSJ report that last week revealed new and overwhelming allegations specifically against Kitty, leading to widespread pressure on Activision-Blizzard to remove him. Kitty's requests to resign have grown steadily since the Wall Street Journal claimed last week to be aware of most of the sexual misconduct incidents that have occurred at the company over time. In a meeting on Friday with executives from Blizzard Entertainment's video game publishing division, Kitty stopped saying he would retire, but left it open if the company's misconduct was not resolved quickly, people referenced in the WSJ said.
According to Wall Street Journals sources, CEO Kitty told senior management that he would consider leaving Activision Blizzard if he doesn't manage to quickly address the publisher's cultural issues. It was during a meeting with the latter, where he reportedly stated that he would consider leaving the company if he did not manage to resolve issues quickly. This is a weaker statement than might be made under the circumstances.
Kitty defended himself, saying the report was misleading and that it was about building an inclusive business. But now we are talking about Kitty, and in particular about how he coped not only with the cause and the revelations contained in it, but also with all his management of the company over the past three decades. The report also indicates that Kitty withheld information about these events from the board of directors and brought charges of abuse against Kitty himself.
A group of over 1,000 employees have called on Koticks to step down. The SOC has previously opposed the substantial income of the Koticks, which is one of the highest among US executives.
Kotik has also been running the company since 1991, a year after purchasing 25% of the then bankrupt Mediagenic and restructuring it to its original name, Activision. He is one of the longest-running CEOs in America and has been instrumental in making the company's games a household name through strategic acquisitions, mergers and acquisitions with major companies such as Vivendi and Blizzard Entertainment. Bobby Kotick reportedly said he might consider stepping down as CEO of Activision Blizzard if he can't address the company's cultural issues quickly enough. Even so, while the removal or retirement of Kitty is currently minimal and necessary on the path to curing the cultural rot at Activision-Blizzard, everyone should remember that this would not be enough: radical changes in personnel and politics would not be possible. is required even to get started, but these steps must be taken anyway.