More than 1,200 Activision Blizzard employees have signed and made public a petition demanding the resignation of the company’s CEO Bobby Kotick. The petition was shared by the Activision Blizzard King Workers Alliance’s Twitter profile.
A report released by the Wall Street Journal on Tuesday, Nov. 16 detailed how Kotick reportedly ignored the multiple allegations of sexual misconduct toward female employees of Activision Blizzard over the years. This is the second act against Kotick from Activision Blizzard employees this week since they staged a walkout on the same day the WSJ report came out and demanded his resignation.
“We, the undersigned, no longer have confidence in the leadership of Bobby Kotick as the CEO of Activision Blizzard,” the petition signed by over 1,200 Activision Blizzard employees reads. “The information that has come to light about his behaviors and practices in the running of our companies runs counter to the culture and integrity we require of our leadership—and directly conflicts with the initiatives started by our peers. We ask that Bobby Kotick remove himself as CEO of Activision Blizzard, and that shareholders be allowed to select the new CEO without the input of Bobby, who we are aware owns a substantial portion of the voting rights of the shareholders.”
After the WSJ report was published, Kotick and Activision Blizzard tried to dismiss the claims. A company statement released later that day claimed the report “presents an inaccurate and misleading view” of the company and the CEO.
The Washington Post reported yesterday that a group of Activision Blizzard shareholders has sent a letter to the company’s board of directors asking for the immediate resignation of Kotick. The California Department of Fair Employment and Housing filed a lawsuit against Activision Blizzard in July over the alleged mistreatment of female employees.
Update Nov. 18 6:16pm CT: This article has been updated to reflect the increased number of Activision Blizzard employees who have signed the petition.
