Bobby Kotick has written a letter to employees following a statement to make Activision Blizzard the most welcoming and inclusive company in the industry. He shared the upcoming changes, also asking the board to reduce his salary and apologizing for letting people down.
The letter was published on October 28. As Kotick wrote, Activision Blizzard still has a lot of work to do.
“We will still passionately debate ideas, employ healthy skepticism when appropriate, and demand excellence and rigor in all of our pursuits — but we will always treat each other with dignity and respect,” Kotick said. “And regardless of differences, voices will be heard, perspectives welcomed, and contributions valued.”
Later in the letter, the Activision Blizzard CEO shared five changes the company will implement to become a better workplace:
- The company is launching a new zero-tolerance harassment policy. Starting from now, every employee that retaliated against anyone for making a compliance complaint will be terminated. People who will be found guilty of workplace misconduct will also be terminated, and all reports for harassment will be properly investigated;
- The percentage of women and non-binary people in Activision Blizzard will be increased by 50%. The company will invest $250 million to accelerate opportunities for diverse talent, as well as an additional $250 million over the next 10 years in initiative fostering opportunities for under-represented communities in the games industry;
- Activision Blizzard is waiving the required arbitration of sexual harassment and discrimination claims, as its employees previously requested;
- The visibility on pay equity will be increased. The company will report annually on the results of internal analysis to make the payment policy more transparent;
- Employees will be able to receive status reports on the progress of the company’s business units, franchise teams, and leaders.
Bobby Kotick also asked the Board of Directors to reduce his pay to the lowest amount allowed by California law, which is $62,500 a year. He also said that he won’t receive any bonuses or be granted any equity until Activision Blizzard achieves its gender-related goals and implements these changes.
Earlier this week, it was also revealed that Activision Blizzard’s request to pause the DFEH lawsuit was denied. The company has already fired dozens of employees since the beginning of the harassment scandal in July.