Connect with us

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.

window.CnetFunctions.logWithLabel(‘%c One Trust ‘, «Service loaded: script_twitterwidget with class optanon-category-5»);

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.»

window.CnetFunctions.logWithLabel(‘%c One Trust ‘, «Service loaded: script_twitterwidget with class optanon-category-5»);

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

Facebook Brings Back Local Job Listings: How to Apply

One of Facebook’s most practical features from 2022 is being revived by Meta.

On the hunt for work? A Local Jobs search is being rolled out by Meta to make it easier for people in the US to discover and apply for nearby work directly on Facebook. The feature is inside Facebook Marketplace, Groups and Pages, Meta said last week, letting employers post openings and job seekers filter roles by distance, category or employment type.

You can apply or message employers directly through Facebook Messenger, while employers can publish job listings with just a few taps — similar to how you would post items for sale on Marketplace.


Don’t miss any of our unbiased tech content and lab-based reviews. Add CNET as a preferred Google source.


Facebook offered a Jobs feature before discontinuing it in 2022, pushing business hiring toward its other platforms. Its return suggests Meta is attempting to expand Facebook’s usefulness beyond social networking and to position it once again as a hub for community-driven opportunities.

Read more: Meta’s All In on AI Creating the Ads You See on Instagram, Facebook and WhatsApp

«We’ve always been about connecting with people, whether through shared interests or key life events,» the press release states. «Now, if you’re looking for entry-level, trade and service industry employment in your community, Facebook can help you connect with local people and small businesses who are hiring.»

Read more: What Is Meta AI? Everything to Know About These AI Tools

How to get started with Local Jobs on Facebook

According to Meta, Local Jobs will appear as a dedicated section in Facebook Marketplace starting this week. If you’re 18 or older, you can:

  • Tap the Marketplace tab on the Facebook app or website.
  • Select Jobs to browse available positions nearby.
  • Use filters for job type, category and distance.
  • Tap Apply or message the employer directly via Messenger.

Businesses and page admins can post jobs by creating a new listing in Marketplace or from their Facebook Page. Listings can include job details, pay range, and scheduling information and will appear in local searches automatically.

The Local Jobs feature is rolling out across the US now, with Meta saying it plans to expand it in the months ahead.

Continue Reading

Technologies

Tesla Has a New Range of Affordable Electric Cars: How Much They Cost

The new, stripped-back versions of the Model Y and Model 3 have a more affordable starting price.

Continue Reading

Technologies

Today’s NYT Strands Hints, Answers and Help for Oct. 22 #598

Here are hints and answers for the NYT Strands puzzle for Oct. 22, No. 598.

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


Today’s NYT Strands puzzle is a fun one — I definitely have at least two of these in my house. Some of the answers are a bit tough to unscramble, so if you need hints and answers, read on.

I go into depth about the rules for Strands in this story. 

If you’re looking for today’s Wordle, Connections and Mini Crossword answers, you can visit CNET’s NYT puzzle hints page.

Read more: NYT Connections Turns 1: These Are the 5 Toughest Puzzles So Far

Hint for today’s Strands puzzle

Today’s Strands theme is: Catch all.

If that doesn’t help you, here’s a clue: A mess of items.

Clue words to unlock in-game hints

Your goal is to find hidden words that fit the puzzle’s theme. If you’re stuck, find any words you can. Every time you find three words of four letters or more, Strands will reveal one of the theme words. These are the words I used to get those hints but any words of four or more letters that you find will work:

  • BATE, LICE, SLUM, CAPE, HOLE, CARE, BARE, THEN, SLAM, SAMBA, BACK

Answers for today’s Strands puzzle

These are the answers that tie into the theme. The goal of the puzzle is to find them all, including the spangram, a theme word that reaches from one side of the puzzle to the other. When you have all of them (I originally thought there were always eight but learned that the number can vary), every letter on the board will be used. Here are the nonspangram answers:

  • TAPE, COIN, PENCIL, BATTERY, SHOELACE, THUMBTACK

Today’s Strands spangram

Today’s Strands spangram is JUNKDRAWER. To find it, look for the J that’s five letters down on the far-left row, and wind down, over and then up.

Quick tips for Strands

#1: To get more clue words, see if you can tweak the words you’ve already found, by adding an «S» or other variants. And if you find a word like WILL, see if other letters are close enough to help you make SILL, or BILL.

#2: Once you get one theme word, look at the puzzle to see if you can spot other related words.

#3: If you’ve been given the letters for a theme word, but can’t figure it out, guess three more clue words, and the puzzle will light up each letter in order, revealing the word.

Continue Reading

Trending

Copyright © Verum World Media