Ubisoft CEO defends company against criticism of reforms, but campaigners demand deeper change
Ubisoft CEO Yves Guillemot has defended the company's efforts at reforming itself following an explosive wave of harassment allegations against senior staff(opens in new tab) in 2020. Speaking to GI.biz(opens in new tab), Guillemot repudiated reports that the company had made minimal progress(opens in new tab) in the wake of the harassment scandal, speaking in-depth about high-profile dismissals, new company structures, and why he didn't quit as CEO when it became clear how toxic Ubisoft's workplace had become.
The interview comes three days after Ubi staff from the A Better Ubisoft(opens in new tab) campaign sat down with the AC Sisterhood blog(opens in new tab) to criticise the speed and scale of the company's response to reports of employee abuse. Staff from the campaign—speaking anonymously—highlighted that numerous Ubisoft employees accused of abusive behaviour remain at the company, with some of them even receiving promotions in the last two years.
Guillemot wasn't confronted directly with the criticisms made by A Better Ubisoft, but he touched on a lot of the same topics. «We have done a lot and I think we are a company that can be proud of itself,» he said on the subject of alleged abusers still working at the company. He points out that the company «acted quickly in cutting some people's jobs» after abuse allegations came to light, and noted that any current Ubisoft employee named in a report has been subject to an investigation and either cleared or «appropriately disciplined and given an individualised action plan» to rectify their behaviour.
From A Better Ubisoft's point of view, those action plans have been hardly sufficient. «Not only do we believe it’s still happening but we can see it happening for
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