Shareholders vote: Bobby Kotick remains on the board of directors of Activision Blizzard, but many changes have been initiated.
Bobby Kotick will retain his seat on Activision Blizzard’s board of directors despite his perceived role in the company’s toxic work environment. During the annual meeting of shareholders, investors voted on several proposals, including who will join the board of directors next year. 533,703,580 shareholders voted to keep Bobby Kotick on the board of directors, 62,597,199 voted against. He will therefore retain his seat until the next meeting in 2023.
Shareholder Vote: Bobby Kotick Remains on Activision Blizzard Board of Directors
Activision Blizzard employees quit last year and called for Bobby Kotick’s resignation following the publication of an investigation by The Wall Street Journal alleging that the CEO was aware of cases of abuse at the company and even defended some employees accused of harassment. The facts are confirmed by several independent investigations.
The New York Pension System recently sued Bobby Kotick, deeming him incapable of negotiating a pending sale to Microsoft due to his “personal obligations and responsibility for Activision’s poor work environment.”The New York Employee Retirement System represents the interests of the city’s police, teachers, and firefighters, and owns shares in Activision Blizzard.
But many changes have been initiated
Last April, the company appointed a new Head of Diversity, Equity and Inclusion to help create a more inclusive work environment for the company. In response, a group of employees working to protect employees from discrimination formed a committee to voice their demands to Bobby Kotick and this new manager.
While a majority of shareholders preferred to keep Bobby Kotick on the board, they also welcomed the idea of publishing an annual report detailing how Activision is dealing with every case of sexual harassment and gender discrimination. The report should also detail how the company is preventing such incidents from occurring and what it is doing to reduce the time it takes to resolve them.