Can Microsoft acquisition cure Activision's toxic workplace?

  • 📰 MarketWatch
  • ⏱ Reading Time:
  • 73 sec. here
  • 3 min. at publisher
  • 📊 Quality Score:
  • News: 32%
  • Publisher: 97%

South Africa News News

South Africa South Africa Latest News,South Africa South Africa Headlines

Microsoft’s planned acquisition of Activision Blizzard raises a key question: How will it deal with the videogame company’s notorious workplace culture?

Besides concerns about antitrust scrutiny and a record $68.7 billion price tag, Microsoft Corp.’s planned acquisition of Activision Blizzard Inc. also raises a key question: How will it deal with the videogame company’s notorious workplace culture?

In the past few years, Activision has been targeted for investigation by the Securities Exchange Commission and the Equal Employment Opportunity Commission, and is facing a lawsuit from the California Department of Fair Employment and Housing that alleges gender discrimination against and “constant” sexual harassment of women, retaliation against women for complaining, and includes a mention of a female employee’s suicide during a business trip with her male supervisor.

If the acquisition clears antitrust hurdles and is approved, experts see either a big plus for Activision — publisher of games such as “Call of Duty” — in the form of cleaning up its culture, or a bust for Microsoft if that cleanup fails. Kotick acknowledged in an interview with VentureBeat that the drag on Activision’s stock from the fallout over the sexual harassment scandals was a factor in his company’s decision to agree to a sale to Microsoft.

Microsoft itself has dealt with similar accusations, though it appears not to be to the same degree. Still, it announced last week that it has hired a law firm to review sexual-harassment and gender-discrimination policies after accusations of sexual harassment and gender discrimination in 2019, including against co-founder Bill Gates. Its review of its own policies was sparked by a shareholder resolution submitted by Arjuna Capital that was supported by 78% of voting Microsoft investors.

 

Thank you for your comment. Your comment will be published after being reviewed.
Please try again later.

Verify. Then Fire sexist & racists. Then trust

Microsoft is a corporation with great leadership and vision.....Microsoft will make this acquisition super profitable in the future...

This is easy…

We have summarized this news so that you can read it quickly. If you are interested in the news, you can read the full text here. Read more:

 /  🏆 3. in ZA

South Africa South Africa Latest News, South Africa South Africa Headlines

Similar News:You can also read news stories similar to this one that we have collected from other news sources.

Activision's Kotick set to get $400 million from Microsoft acquisitionActivision Blizzard CEO Bobby Kotick set to receive almost $400 million windfall payout from Microsoft sale after taking a massive pay cut last year amid company scandal 动视暴雪首席执行官博比·科蒂克(Bobby Kotick)去年因公司丑闻大幅减薪后,将从微软的出售中获得近4亿美元的意外收入 This is very misleading. He would have received 250-300 million anyways based on previous stock prices
Source: BusinessInsider - 🏆 729. / 51 Read more »

What Microsoft's Activision acquisition means for 'metaverse' plansMicrosoft's $68.7 billion Activision acquisition is crucial for the company to expand its 'metaverse' plans — here's what that means Guys? The metaverse isn't going to happen. Just like VR didn't happen. 微软以687亿美元收购Activision,对于该公司扩大其“metaverse”计划至关重要——这意味着什么 You can see it coming a mile away. You will not log in, you will jack in, work and play, everyone on Earth. You're in the game.
Source: BusinessInsider - 🏆 729. / 51 Read more »