A new report by The Wall Street Journal states that Activision Blizzard CEO Bobby Kotick is considering stepping down if internal issues cannot be quickly resolved.
During an internal meeting with senior managers on Friday, November 19, Kotick told staff he was “thinking about the possibility” of leaving the company if he is unable to properly address Blizzard’s discrimination and harassment issues “with speed.”
The Wall Street Journal reported that this was said during a “series of internal meetings” addressing company culture. It was during one of these meetings that Kotick told employees he was “ashamed” of what happened under his leadership as well as how he handled these problems. To possibly fix these issues, employees suggested a “workplace excellence committee.”
The internal meetings did not include an investigation against Kotick after multiple accusations came to light earlier this month.
The Wall Street Journal recently published a report that shined a light on Kotick that some employees weren’t aware of beforehand.
The WSJ reported that Kotick knew of the gender discrimination and harassment taking place within the company. In response, Kotick appeared to dismiss the issues, keeping accused employees on board with no ramifications. The report also shined a light on a concerning incident where Kotick allegedly threatened to have a former female employee killed.
In response to the report, Blizzard employees staged a walkout. Over 1,700 Blizzard employees signed a petition asking for Kotick to be removed from the company.
“We, the undersigned, no longer have confidence in the leadership of Bobby Kotick as the CEO of Activision Blizzard. The information that has come to light about his behaviors and practices in the running of our companies runs counter to the culture and integrity we require of our leadership,” the petition read.
The employees then asked for Kotick to “remove himself” as CEO, stating that shareholders should be allowed to select a new CEO without his input.
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