Activision Blizzard—Activision Blizzard fostered 'frat boy' workplace culture with 700 reported sexual misconduct incidents
On July 20, 2021, the California Department of Fair Employment and Housing filed a lawsuit alleging that Activision Blizzard fostered a 'frat boy' culture in which female employees endured regular sexual harassment, discrimination, and retaliation. The lawsuit documented 700 reported incidents of misconduct during CEO Bobby Kotick's tenure. Women were universally paid less, offered less stock and incentive pay, denied promotions due to fears they might become pregnant, reprimanded for childcare needs, and kicked out of lactation rooms by male colleagues. The lawsuit resulted in three major settlements: $18M EEOC settlement (March 2022), $35M SEC settlement for lack of workplace controls (February 2023), and $54M California settlement (December 2023), totaling $107M in penalties.
Scoring Impact
| Topic | Direction | Relevance | Contribution |
|---|---|---|---|
| Gender Equity | -against | primary | -1.00 |
| Whistleblower Protection | -against | secondary | -0.50 |
| Worker Rights | -against | primary | -1.00 |
| Overall incident score = | -0.567 | ||
Score = avg(topic contributions) × significance (critical ×2) × confidence (0.68)× agency (negligent ×0.5)
Evidence (2 signals)
Activision paid $107M in settlements for workplace harassment: $18M EEOC, $35M SEC, $54M California
Activision Blizzard settled multiple lawsuits related to workplace harassment and discrimination. In March 2022, settled EEOC lawsuit for $18 million for severe sexual harassment, pregnancy discrimination, and retaliation. In February 2023, settled with SEC for $35 million on charges that they lacked controls and procedures to collect and analyze employee complaints of workplace misconduct. In December 2023, agreed to pay $54 million to California and committed to implementing fair pay and equitable promotions measures, with $46 million compensating workers (particularly women employees/contractors from 2015-2020).
California DFEH filed lawsuit alleging Activision fostered 'frat boy' culture with 700 misconduct incidents
On July 20, 2021, the California Department of Fair Employment and Housing filed a lawsuit in Los Angeles Superior Court, alleging that Activision Blizzard fostered a 'frat boy' culture in which female employees endured regular sexual harassment, discrimination, and retaliation. The lawsuit documented 700 reported incidents of misconduct during CEO Bobby Kotick's tenure. Women were universally paid less, offered less stock and incentive pay, denied promotions due to pregnancy fears, reprimanded for childcare needs, and kicked out of lactation rooms by male colleagues.