Activision Blizzard, which continues to be embroiled in controversy and legal issues, has released a press release today on their latest attempts to improve the company's work culture. The press release also addresses the news about a recent subpoena from the U.S. Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC.)
Sent out this morning and distributed by Business Wire, the press release states that Activision Blizzard is working with regulators, such as the EEOC, the NLRB, and the DFEH to create a more equitable and less toxic workplace. CEO Bobby Kotick said that "There is absolutely no place anywhere in our Company for discrimination, harassment, or unequal treatment of any kind. While we continue to work in good faith with regulators to address and resolve past workplace issues, we also continue to move ahead with our own initiatives to ensure that we are the very best place to work." Some of the changes include removing certain employees, reorganizing HR, and bringing on Julie Hodges from The Walt Disney Company as Chief People Officer.
In addition to the assurance that Activision Blizzard is working on their culture, the press release also addresses a bit of news that just released last evening. According to the Wall Street Journal (you can get all the details on Kotaku if you don't have a WSJ subscription,) the SEC is now getting involved in the Activision Blizzard case, most notably investigating how the company handled the allegations of sexual misconduct and workplace discrimination. As part of the investigation, the SEC is asking Activision Blizzard to hand over documents including minutes from board meetings dating back to 2019, logs of Kotick's communications with other senior executives regarding the complaints of sexual harassment, and the personell files of six former employees. Today's press release confirms the subpoena, states that the company is cooperating with it, and are "confident in its prior disclosures." However, given that Chief Legal Officer Claire Hart just left the company, it may make the company's handling of the investigations and other legal issues a bit more "interesting."
