With the company still mired in lawsuits spurred on by historical allegations of harassment, Activision Blizzard has used an interview with the Financial Times to disclose that a number of employees have “exited,” and more “disciplined,” in the wake of the case.
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Speaking with the FT (paywalled), Activision Blizzard’s chief compliance officer Fran Townsend says, “It doesn’t matter what your rank is, what your job is. If you’ve committed some sort of misconduct or you’re a leader who has tolerated a culture that is not consistent with our values, we’re going to take action.”
She says that in the wake of the lawsuit becoming public, “more than 20 individuals have exited Activision Blizzard,” while, “more than 20 individuals faced other types of disciplinary action.” She did not name any of the employees affected.
Speaking of leaders and values, in the wake of the DFEH’s suit first becoming public earlier this year, Townsend sent an email to staff calling it “meritless,” a move so widely criticised it was specifically mentioned as a cause of a staff walkout. She was also pressured to step down as sponsor for the company’s women’s network. Townsend also deleted her personal Twitter account, after criticising whistleblowers and blocking Activision Blizzard employees.
In a previous and more public position—prior to her appointment in March as Activision Blizzard’s vice president for corporate affairs, corporate secretary, and chief compliance officer—Townsend served as Assistant to the President for Homeland Security and Counterterrorism during the Bush administration. There she, “went onto defend the Bush administration’s use of torture, including waterboarding, sleep deprivation, and forced nudity.”
The FT interview follows an email Townsend sent to all employees at the company, which you can read below:
