Activision Blizzard, one of the largest game production companies, is once again facing controversy regarding discrimination. This time, a former director, James Reid Venable, is accusing the company of age and race discrimination. Venable has filed a lawsuit in a California court, describing instances where he was treated unfairly.
The lawsuit document mentions comments made by Activision Blizzard’s former CEO, Bobby Kotick, who allegedly said that the company had “too many old, white men.” Shortly after this incident, two directors over the age of fifty were fired. Venable claims that he was replaced by a younger, less experienced, and less qualified employee. Additionally, this new employee had a hostile attitude towards Venable and negatively impacted his performance evaluation, resulting in the lowest raise in the past ten years.
Venable also brings up a situation where he was falsely accused of benefiting from “white male privilege.” His concerns were disregarded by the company’s HR department. Venable further asserts that he was terminated due to his age, and that the alleged restructuring and job reduction were only pretenses to get rid of him.
The former director is seeking compensation from Activision Blizzard to compensate for the loss of income, negative impact on his career development, damage to his reputation and emotional distress, as well as coverage of legal expenses.
Activision Blizzard states that it adheres to equal treatment principles in employment and does not tolerate discrimination in any form. However, Venable’s accusations are serious and require appropriate investigation by the court.
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The source of the article is from the blog mgz.com.tw