We hear from new sources that all is well and good within Activision Blizzard, the company headed by Bobby Kotick.

A few sources told IGN that several long-time higher-ups were virtually untouchable, including Alex Afrasiabi, the former senior creative director of Activision Blizzard, due to him being tied to a game that prints money (World of Warcraft). However, the company fired him silently about a year ago. Why? Because there was an internal investigation that brought a couple of things to light.

There was also a drinking habit during Activision Blizzard’s office parties. It forced many women to skip them. Others have been subjected to inappropriate touching by male co-workers. There was a room in Blizzard’s office that was designated for breastfeeding. However, it didn’t have locks. “There was no way to lock the door. They would stare, and I would have to scream at them to leave,” the person said. Now, this room can be locked.

A Waypoint report mentions that in 2018, an Activision IT worker silently installed cameras in the Minnesota office’s unisex bathroom to film and spy on employees. He later pleaded guilty to “Interference with Privacy,” and their sentence was suspended. Another report from them revealed an incident from 2015.

It happened at a cybersecurity conference’s job fair. Emily Mitchell, a security researcher, looked for a job, so she looked into Blizzard’s booth. Penetration testing is a process where you evaluate the system’s security to hack it for potential vulnerabilities. However, a Activision Blizzard employee asked if she was lost, and another one had humiliating questions (was she there with her boyfriend?). The pair continued making inappropriate comments, including asking her if she “liked being penetrated” and other unprofessional words.

Two years after that, Blizzard wanted to hire a security research company. However, the company didn’t know that Mitchell was its COO. She told Jeremi Gosney, the CEO, about what happened to her, which led to him write a response that was also shared on Twitter without Activision Blizzard being mentioned. Gosney’s email had three stipulations that Blizzard would need to complete before the two companies can work together: a 50% “misogyny tax” whose proceeds would be donated to charities helping women in tech; Blizzard to sponsor a computing conference for women; a formal apology to Mitchell.

According to Bloomberg, the employees’ demands have still not be addressed by the company’s leadership…

Source: VG247