Kotick's tenure at Activision Blizzard was marked by controversy, with over 500 reports of harassment, sexual assault, and pay disparity issues. Documents revealed that Kotick was aware of these allegations, including an alleged rape, but did not inform the company's board. This led to employee walkouts and calls for his resignation. Activision Blizzard was sued by the California Civil Rights Department and settled for $54 million in 2023. Kotick left the company in 2023 with a severance package of at least $15 million.
Key takeaways:
- Bobby Kotick, the former CEO of Activision Blizzard, is reportedly seeking to form a consortium of partners to buy TikTok if ByteDance, its Chinese parent company, agrees to sell.
- Kotick has approached potential investors, including OpenAI CEO Sam Altman, suggesting that OpenAI could use TikTok to train its AI models if a potential sale goes through.
- Kotick's tenure at Activision Blizzard was marked by controversy, with over 500 reports from employees alleging harassment, sexual assault, and pay disparity issues. Activision Blizzard settled with the California Civil Rights Department for $54 million in 2023 over these allegations.
- Kotick left Activision Blizzard in 2023 with a golden parachute of at least $15 million, and his departure was followed by public criticism from former employees.