Technologies

Microsoft promises to change toxic work culture at Activision Blizzard

The tech giant knows it is facing turmoil within its new acquisition.

Over the past couple years, employees’ public accounts of toxic work environments have led to reckonings around Silicon Valley and promises from management to be better. On Tuesday, Microsoft made a similar pledge, though not for itself. The tech giant pointed to the litany of abuse and harassment allegations at its latest acquisition target, game maker Activision Blizzard, and promised that behavior would no longer be tolerated.

Amid Microsoft’s announced plans to buy Activision Blizzard for the eye-popping amount of nearly $69 billion in cash, the tech giant’s leaders spoke the usual pomp about how important the deal was. Microsoft would be bolstering its already enormous Xbox video game division with the teams behind some of the most popular franchises in the world, including the online battle games Overwatch and Call of Duty, as well as the fantasy behemoth World of Warcraft and mobile mainstay Candy Crush.

But Microsoft CEO Satya Nadella also quickly pivoted to acknowledge that he isn’t just buying a company and its brands. Microsoft will also be taking over a sprawling organization under intense scrutiny over public claims of harassment, discrimination and more, all tolerated for years in an alleged «bro culture» atmosphere. On a conference call with investors shortly after announcing the purchase, Nadella discussed how he’s changed Microsoft’s cutthroat ways and how his lieutenant Phil Spencer would do the same with Activision Blizzard.

«The culture of our organization is my No. 1 priority,» Nadella said during his introductory remarks. «This means we must continuously improve the lived experience of our employees and create an environment that allows us to constantly drive everyday improvement in our culture.»

In doing so, he effectively promised to turn around a company that, while successful, is engulfed in scandal. «We are supportive of the goals and the work Activision Blizzard is doing and we also recognize that after the close, we will have significant work to do in order to continue to build a culture where everyone can do their best work,» he said in a thinly veiled criticism of past leadership. «It requires consistency, commitment, and leadership that not only talks the talk but walks the walk.»

It’s a tall order for Microsoft and Nadella to take on. But those who’ve watched his work say he and his lieutenants may be among the best suited to pull it off. And that’s in part because of how much Microsoft itself has changed.

Just a decade ago, Microsoft was seen largely as a monopolistic force in the computer world, reinforced through its toxic work culture. The company’s ruthlessness both inside and out were so widely documented over the years that a cartoonist once drew an organizational chart depicting Microsoft’s divisions as warring gangs pointing guns at one another. And when Google went public in 2004, it established a corporate ethos that became as much mantra as it was a referendum on Microsoft: «Don’t be evil.«

In 2014, shortly after Nadella was appointed as Microsoft’s third CEO, he set about for a fix. In his book Hit Refresh: The Quest to Rediscover Microsoft’s Soul and Imagine a Better Future for Everyone, Nadella described how he’d inherited a senior leadership team that was «more like a group of individuals» operating in silos. He asked each to read Marshall Rosenberg’s Nonviolent Communication, a guide to building compassion in organizations. Over time, he said, executives grilled and sniped at each other less, and supported one another more.

Nadella still stumbled, famously giving an «inarticulate» answer in 2014 when asked for advice for women seeking a raise while he was being interviewed on stage at the Grace Hopper Celebration for women in tech. Four years later, when CNET Editor-in-Chief Connie Guglielmo asked him to try again, Nadella said people need to advocate for themselves and find allies who won’t accept the status quo. He also said it’s on leaders, like him, to listen to those advocates.

With Activision Blizzard, Nadella said he’ll rely on Spencer, head of Microsoft Gaming and the Xbox division. Nadella described Spencer as having «demonstrated leadership driving both gaming business success as well as cultural change.» Activision Blizzard CEO Bobby Kotick, who was accused in a blockbuster Wall Street Journal investigation of having at times ignored, covered up and even participated in bad behavior at the company, told employees in a conference call published by the Washington Post Thursday that he will remain in his job until the deal closes in June 2023 and any longer Microsoft wishes him to stay.

The Activision Blizzard King Workers Alliance, which helped organize walkouts and protests over the past six months, tweeted a statement saying its efforts wouldn’t end with Microsoft’s acquisition.

«We remain committed to fighting for workplace improvements and the rights of our employees regardless of who is financially in control of the company,» the group tweeted Tuesday. «Whatever the leadership structure of the company, we will continue our push to #EndAbuseInGaming.»

Microsoft and Activision declined to make executives available for comment.

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Under pressure

In an odd way, Activision Blizzard’s cultural issues appear to have driven the company into Microsoft’s hands. Activision Blizzard’s stock was floating near all-time highs last year until July, when it was sued by the California Department of Fair Employment and Housing, which accused the gaming giant of discriminating against its female workforce and fomenting a toxic work culture. The suit quickly triggered public letters from employees that criticized the company’s leadership, followed by employee walkouts and online activism.

Kotick, according to the Journal’s reporting, was aware of many of the issues outlined in the suit but reportedly failed to inform the company’s board of directors of «everything he knew,» including a 2018 settlement with a former employee at one of Activision’s studios who was allegedly raped by a supervisor. Kotick at the time said the Journal’s article «paints an inaccurate and misleading view of our company, of me personally, and my leadership,» a sentiment repeated by the company’s spokespeople.

Still, investors were unconvinced, pushing the company’s stock down as much as 40% before Microsoft’s purchase was made public, for the same $95 per share that the stock was worth just a year ago.

Carolina Milanesi, an analyst at Creative Strategies who’s watched Microsoft’s moves closely over the years, noted how often Microsoft discussed culture throughout its announcements on Tuesday, both by Nadella and Spencer, the latter of whom said, «We believe firmly that the great teams at Activision Blizzard have their best work in front of them, and we’re looking forward to making sure they feel supported, safe and engaged in every aspect of their work going forward.»

The focus on culture was «spot on,» Milanesi said. «The problem was with management, not the employees,» she added. «You get rid of management and put the employees in a good environment.»

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Microsoft also published headshots of its gaming division’s leadership in connection with the announcement, and Milanesi noted that half the roles were filled by women and reflected racial diversity as well, an unusual sight in tech land. «I don’t think it would have been a possibility for them to keep the old management on» at Activision, she said. «Especially how employees responded, clearly it wasn’t good for the company.»

Though Kotick may not become a Microsoft employee, he will be paid a generous sum. His stock holdings alone will be worth nearly $400 million.

New game

Whether Microsoft can right Activision’s ship is still an open question, even if its executives so far have «talked the talk,» as Nadella noted. It may help that Microsoft has faced its own reckonings over the years, both in a 2015 class action discrimination suit and again in 2019 when employees protested its own «boys club» culture.

Microsoft’s HR head, Kathleen Hogan, wrote to employees following the 2019 revelations that she was «appalled and sad to hear» about their experiences and agreed that these problems must be resolved as a company. Microsoft shared the email publicly, in which Hogan said, «We must do better.»

So far, it appears Microsoft’s made headway. Nine out of 10 employees who left reviews on Glassdoor said they’d recommend working at Microsoft to a friend, and 97% approved of Nadella’s work as CEO.

«The deal and a renewed commitment to culture should enable Activision Blizzard to eventually move beyond the in-house issues that have surfaced,» Wedbush Securities analyst Michael Pachter wrote in a message to investors after Microsoft’s announcement. «We think that Microsoft’s intolerance of workforce discrimination and harassment will overwhelm any issues that remain at Activision.»

One other thing that may help is Microsoft’s corporate mission. The tech giant’s taken clear stands on not just harassment but also human rights and other global and political issues that many game companies have either avoided or outright mishandled. Activision Blizzard itself was harshly criticized for its reaction against a competitive gamer who expressed support for democratic protests in Hong Kong in 2019.

«Many executives from the games industry have always been on the fringes and haven’t had to think much about these things,» said Joost van Dreunen, a professor at NYU Stern School of Business and author of the book One Up: Creativity, Competition, and the Global Business of Video Games. «Microsoft has these questions answered. They know their place, and they have it thought through.»

To him, Microsoft also appears to be walking the walk of its Xbox division’s «for everyone» mantra, from its efforts to take on harassment in the gaming community to initiatives like its Xbox Adaptive Controller for disabled players.

«You don’t see that as much at Activision,» he said. At least not yet.

Technologies

Judge Blocks Texas App Store Age-Check Law

A preliminary injunction found the Texas law, set to begin Jan. 1, is «more likely than not unconstitutional.»

A new Texas state law set to take effect on Jan. 1 would have required app stores to implement age verification processes. But the law has been put on hold, at least temporarily, by a federal court judge.

As reported by the Texas Tribune, Senate Bill 2420, also known as the Texas App Store Accountability Act, is the subject of a temporary injunction issued by US District Judge Robert Pitman.

Pitman said in his decision that the law as written is broad, vague and «more likely than not unconstitutional.» However, he also wrote the court «recognizes the importance of ongoing efforts to better safeguard children when they are on their devices.»

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The Texas law, signed into law by Governor Greg Abbott in May, requires app store operators — including Apple, Google, Nintendo, Steam and more — to build age verification processes for the storefronts and to only allow downloads to minors who obtain parental consent. The injunction is a ruling in an October lawsuit filed by the Computer & Communication Industry Association.

CCIA senior vice president Stephanie Joyce said in a statement, «This Order stops the Texas App Store Accountability Act from taking effect in order to preserve the First Amendment rights of app stores, app developers, parents, and younger internet users. It also protects parents’ inviolate right to use their own judgment in safeguarding their children online using the myriad tools our members provide.»

Other individuals and the advocacy group Students Engaged in Advancing Texas also filed suits over the law, the Texas Tribune reported.

App Store Accountability Act

The bill author, State Senator Angela Paxton, said the bill was meant to give parents «common sense tools to protect their kids and to survive court challenges by those who may have lesser priorities.»

The language of Texas Senate Bill 2420 does not only include mobile app stores from Apple or Google, but any «website, software application, or other electronic service that distributes software applications from the owner or developer of a software application to the user of a mobile device.»

By that definition, websites with links to browser games or mobile game consoles with download options would fall under the Texas law as written. The law also defines mobile devices as including phones and tablets, as well as any other handheld device capable of transmitting or storing information wirelessly.

The parental consent aspect of the law requires those under 18 to have an app store account affiliated with a parent or guardian to purchase or download applications.

Age verification elsewhere

In an effort to keep adult materials out of reach of minors and to protect children from potentially harmful content and interactions, tech companies have been compelled by law or through legal action to verify the age of users.

Roblox, which has a huge audience of minors, began rolling out stricter age verification after investigations and lawsuits hurt its reputation as a safe gaming space. Australia is perhaps the most large-scale example of a government restricting access to online content. In December, Australia began restricting social media access to those 16 and older. Reddit recently challenged that law.

In the US, age verification laws have primarily targeted adult sites. Texas already has a law on the books that requires adult sites to age-block their content. The Supreme Court upheld that law in a June ruling. The UK has also enacted age restriction rules for adult sites as have other US states.

Technologies

Today’s NYT Mini Crossword Answers for Thursday, Dec. 25

Here are the answers for The New York Times Mini Crossword for Dec. 25.

Looking for the most recent Mini Crossword answer? Click here for today’s Mini Crossword hints, as well as our daily answers and hints for The New York Times Wordle, Strands, Connections and Connections: Sports Edition puzzles.

Need some help with today’s Mini Crossword? Of course, there’s a very Christmassy clue involved. And once you solve the entire puzzle, look at the letters used in all the answers and see what they have in common. (5-Across will tell you!) Read on for all the answers. And if you could use some hints and guidance for daily solving, check out our Mini Crossword tips.

If you’re looking for today’s Wordle, Connections, Connections: Sports Edition and Strands answers, you can visit CNET’s NYT puzzle hints page.

Read more: Tips and Tricks for Solving The New York Times Mini Crossword

Let’s get to those Mini Crossword clues and answers.

Mini across clues and answers

1A clue: ___ King Cole, singer with the album «The Magic of Christmas»
Answer: NAT

4A clue: Body drawings, informally
Answer: TATS

5A clue: Letters to ___ (what this Mini was made with)
Answer: SANTA

6A clue: Huge fan, in slang
Answer: STAN

7A clue: «Illmatic» rapper
Answer: NAS

Mini down clues and answers

1D clue: Grandmothers, by another name
Answer: NANAS

2D clue: Abbr. before a name on a memo
Answer: ATTN

3D clue: Org. with long lines around the holidays
Answer: TSA

4D clue: «See ya later!»
Answer: TATA

5D clue: Govt.-issued ID
Answer: SSN

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Technologies

Don’t Let a Border Agent Ruin Your Holiday Trip. Travel With a Burner Phone

Yes, you should leave your main phone at home and take a cheap burner this winter.

Prepare for a whole new level of border-crossing anxiety this holiday season: the high-probability of a phone search. New figures from US Customs and Border Protection say agents aren’t just glancing at your lock screen anymore — they are aggressively ramping up device inspections, even for citizens coming home. We aren’t just talking about a quick scroll through your photos, either. Agents are increasingly using forensic tools to clone and analyze everything on your device.

The stats are genuinely alarming. In just a three-month window this year, nearly 15,000 devices were flagged for searches, with over a thousand subjected to deep-dive data copying. If you’re traveling with your primary phone, you are essentially carrying your entire digital existence into a legal gray zone where privacy is optional.

The smartest defensive play is remarkably low-tech: the burner phone. By traveling with a secondary, stripped-down device, you ensure your private data stays safe at home while you stay connected abroad. But privacy isn’t the only perk. Moving to a «dumb» phone is the ultimate digital detox, helping you escape the notification trap that usually ruins a vacation.

Even figures like Conan O’Brien have ditched the smartphone to cut through the noise. Whether you’re dodging invasive border searches or just trying to enjoy your trip without being glued to a screen, a burner might be the best travel investment you make this year.

Read more: Best Prepaid Phone of 2025

Although carriers have offered prepaid phones since the ’90s, «burner phones» or «burners» became popular in the 2000s following the celebrated HBO series The Wire, where they helped characters avoid getting caught by the police. Although often portrayed in that light, burners aren’t only used by criminals; they’re also used anyone concerned with surveillance or privacy infringement.

What is a burner phone, and how does it work? Here’s everything you need to know about burners and how to get one.

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What is a burner phone?

A burner phone is a cheap prepaid phone with no commitments. It comes with a set number of prepaid call minutes, text messages or data, and it’s designed to be disposed of after use.

Burner phones are typically used when you need a phone quickly, without intentions of long-term use. They’re contract-free, and you can grab them off the counter. They’re called burner phones because you can «burn» them (trash them) after use, and the phone can’t be traced back to you, which makes them appealing to criminals. Of course, those committed to illicit activities often do more than just throw these phones in the trash, and often completely obliterate the SIM cards and other materials by smashing them with a hammer or melting them away.

Burners are different from getting a regular, contract-bound cellphone plan that requires your information to be on file.

Why should you use a burner phone?

Burner phones are an easy way to avoid cellphone contracts or spam that you get on your primary phone number. Burners aren’t linked to your identity, so you can avoid being tracked down or contacted.

You don’t have to dispose of a burner phone after use. You can add more minutes and continue using it. Burner phones can still function as regular phones, minus the hassle of a contract.

You can also get a burner phone as a secondary phone for a specific purpose, like having a spare phone number for two-factor authentication texts, for business or to avoid roaming charges while traveling. Burner phones are often used by anyone concerned with privacy.

Burner phones, prepaid phones, smartphones and burner SIMs: What’s the difference?

Burner phones are cheap phones with simple designs that lack the bells and whistles of a smartphone. Because they’re designed to be disposable, you only get the essentials, as seen by the most common version, the flip phone.

All burner phones are prepaid phones, but not all prepaid phones are burners. What sets a burner apart is that you won’t have to give away any personal information to get one, and it won’t be traceable back to you. Again, a burner phone is cheap enough to be destroyed after use.

Prepaid smartphones are generally low-end models. You can use any unlocked smartphone with prepaid SIM cards, essentially making it a prepaid phone.

If you want a burner, you don’t necessarily have to buy a new phone. You can get a burner SIM and use it with an existing phone. Burner SIMs are prepaid SIMs you can get without a contract or giving away personal information.

Where can you buy a burner phone?

Burner phones are available at all major retail outlets, including Best Buy, Target and Walmart. They’re also often available at convenience stores like 7-Eleven, local supermarkets, gas stations and retail phone outlets like Cricket and Metro.

You can get a burner phone with cash, and it should cost between $10 and $50, although it may cost more if you get more minutes and data. If you’re getting a burner phone specifically to avoid having the phone traced back to you, it makes sense to pay with cash instead of a credit card.

If you just want a prepaid secondary phone, you can use a credit card. Just keep in mind that credit cards leave a trail that leads back to you.

There are also many apps that let you get secondary phone numbers, including Google Fi and the Burner app. However, these aren’t burners necessarily because the providers typically have at least some of your personal information. Additionally, apps like Google Talk require a phone number that’s already in use for you to choose a number with the service.

If you’re just looking to get a solid prepaid phone without anonymity, check out our full guide for the best prepaid phone plans available. We also have a guide for the best cheap phone plans.