Microsoft watching to ensure Activision has "the right people" at top to improve culture

eurogamer.net:

Microsoft has said it will be watching Activision Blizzard's leadership during its acquisition approval process to ensure the embattled Call of Duty publisher has the «right people» at the top to facilitate positive cultural change.

Activision Blizzard has, of course, been the focus of months of disturbing allegations surrounding its workplace culture following the launch of a State of California lawsuit calling the company a «breeding ground for harassment and discrimination against women» — made all the more unsettling after a damning Wall Street Journal report claimed Activision Blizzard CEO Bobby Kotick had been aware of the allegations of sexual misconduct and mistreatment of female employees across many parts of the company «for years».

That report sent shockwaves across the industry, with Nintendo, Sony, and Microsoft all condemning the events it recounted, while over 1,800 Activision Blizzard employees signed a petition calling for Kotick's removal. To the outrage of many, however, Kotick not only remained in his position but was backed by Activision's board, which said it remained «confident» in Kotick's «leadership, commitment and ability».

Eurogamer Newscast Special: Xbox buying Activision Blizzard.

Since then, the company has insisted it is working to improve its internal processes and to improve conditions for its employees — although some have taken Kotick's reported attempts to bury the extent of the problems faced by Activision, alongside the company's recent efforts to quash worker unionisation, as proof its pledges are nothing more than empty words.

It's in this context that CNBC (thanks VGC) recently asked Microsoft president Brad Smith what the company would be doing improve Activision's workplace