Niantic Tries To "Silence" Women Who Complain About Sexism, According To Lawsuit

thegamer.com:

The lawsuit against Niantic continues, as the anonymous women bringing legal action against the studio claim they were retaliated against when they took their issues to HR. They say that Niantic tried to "silence" them when they complained that the workplace felt like a "boys club" and a "hostile work environment for women".

This comes as Niantic tries to get the lawsuit Jane Doe vs Niantic Inc. dropped or stalled, instead settling the allegations in private arbitration. The women and their legal team argue that since the claims centre around gender-based discrimination, they need to be heard in court, not behind closed doors.

News of the lawsuit was first shared on July 10, 2023, after having been filed on July 7. The next hearing is set for November 21, 2023.

In court documents seen by TheGamer, employees at Niantic say that the Pokemon Go developer has "engaged in the systemic and blatant devaluation of its female employees for years". They say that studio higher-ups have issued a "directive to silence women who speak out about sexual bias", resulting in "systemic gender discrimination, retaliation, and a hostile work environment for women."

Examples shared in the lawsuit include unequal pay among men and women at the company, and the claim that women were threatened by HR when it became known that they were discussing their wages with each other.

"Niantic has made clear to its female employees that it does not tolerate discussion or dissent about sexism or the Boys Club culture at Niantic," reads a court document filed in late October.

"Women who speak out at Niantic on these issues are labeled as a problem by upper management and pushed out [...] Niantic’s HR department operates on an apparent directive from its CEO