Mike Morhaime, co-founder of Blizzard, has addressed the allegations of inflicting abuse on Activision Blizzard.
ormer Blizzard boss and co-founder Mike Morhaime has responded to allegations of abuse against Activision Blizzard. Morhaime made a long declaration about his attempts to create an environment of safety that was inclusive of all employees throughout his time at the company. Buthis efforts were ultimately discarded.
He said, “I knew it wasn`t perfect, but clearly we had a goal.” “The reality that so many women were abused and weren`t supported means we allowed them to fall,” he said. We also did not ensure that people could trust theirhonest declarations. Some companies have faced similar problems. I wanted to be different, better.”
Morhaime said that the management has the responsibility of ensuring that workplace toxicity and harassment are eradicated at every level of the organization. “To those Blizzard women who have experienced one of these situationsI am so sorry for what I did to you,” he continued.
The ex-president of Blizzard continued to invitethe victims to share their experiences with him if they felt comfortable doing so. He said he was looking to create positive change in the industry , and to fight against misogyny and discrimination.
The response to Morhaime`s tweet was somewhat mixed. While some were thankful for Morhaime`s words and felt hopeful that they would drive positive change, others thought it unlikely that Morhaime was aware about the supposed events in the business.
Terra Field, a former employee of Blizzardshe pointed out that the company didn`t discipline anyone responsible for harassment, but they was able to elevate them to higher levels. Terra Field asserted that Ben Kilgore, chief technology officer, was under investigation for inappropriate behavior in the workplace since 2016. But he was promoted to chief development officer in 2017. Mohaime resigned from the company in 2018.
Another former employee, Cher Scarlett, alleges that she was subject to a reprimand for sending a message to Morhaime and was threatened with physical violence. “It felt like I was never given any mercy, despite many men in leadership being excused repeatedly for their actions, and often being made to believe that sexual harassment wascompletely normal and “not that bad”and, in some cases, even a complimentbecause of how normalized it was,” they continued.
But, Scarlett did mention that they had spoken privately with Morhaime in the aftermath of his statement, and she was happy with “his taking responsibility and being empathetic” toward what they been through and seen. Scarlett thought that Morhaime was kept “in the dark about a lot of aspects.”
