Phil Spencer is reportedly reassessing Xbox’s relationship with Activision Blizzard following new bombshell reports about the company and CEO Bobby Kotick. Spencer, who runs Microsoft’s Xbox division, reportedly told employees in an email that he’s “evaluating all aspects of our relationship with Activision Blizzard and making ongoing proactive adjustments,” in the wake of an investigation by The Wall Street Journal.

In the memo, which was obtained by Bloomberg, Spencer said he and other leaders at Xbox are “disturbed and deeply troubled by the horrific events and actions” that reportedly took place at Activision Blizzard. “This type of behavior has no place in our industry,” Spencer wrote.

Kotick is said to have known about instances of sexual misconduct at the company for years without reporting them to the board. He has also been accused of mistreating women on numerous occasions.

Spencer has joined Sony Interactive Entertainment CEO Jim Ryan in expressing deep concern about the situation. In an internal memo, which also leaked earlier this week, Ryan wrote that he was “disheartened and frankly stunned to read” The Journal’s report. He also criticized Activision’s response to the allegations. Earlier this week, the company told Engadget that the report presented a “misleading view of Activision Blizzard and our CEO.”

More than 900 Activision Blizzard employees and contractors have now signed a petition demanding Kotick’s removal. A shareholder group has also urged the board to remove Kotick and for the board’s two longest-serving directors to retire by the end of the year. In addition, Polygon and Eurogamer both called for Kotick’s resignation. Strongly worded statements from leaders at Microsoft and Sony, two of Activision Blizzard’s most important business partners, will further crank up the pressure.

“We respect all feedback from our valued partners and are engaging with them further,” Activision Blizzard told Bloomberg. “We have detailed important changes we have implemented in recent weeks, and we will continue to do so. We are committed to the work of ensuring our culture and workplace are safe, diverse, and inclusive. We know it will take time, but we will not stop until we have the best workplace for our team.” Engadget has contacted Activision Blizzard for comment.

Source: Engadget – Xbox is re-evaluating its relationship with Activision Blizzard

Facebook might soon help you manage the overly chatty people in your social stream. The Meta brand is testing News Feed controls that let you raise or lower the volume of content you see from friends, groups, Pages and relevant topics. If a relative posts far too often while a favorite group hardly shows up at all, you can balance their appearances in your preferences.

Already available controls for favorites, reconnecting, snoozing and unfollowing should also be easier to find. Facebook’s test is initially available to only a “small percentage” of users, but it should expand over the weeks ahead. The company is giving advertisers options to exclude their ads from broad topics like “News and Politics,” “Crime and Tragedy” and “Debated Social Issues.”

The timing is appropriate, although it might not satisfy critics. Whistleblower Frances Haugen and supporting politicians have blasted Facebook’s algorithimic feeds for promoting engagement over healthy social media habits. Likewise, Meta just recently limited ad targeting for sensitive topics across its products. These latest moves put some of the power back in the hands of users and marketers, but don’t offer as much control as some would like. 

Source: Engadget – Facebook test offers more control over who you see in your News Feed

In late October, FCC chairwoman Jessica Rosenworcel proposed expanding the National Suicide Prevention Lifeline (1-800-273-8255) to accept text messages via the 988 three-digit dialing code — akin to 911 — to “better support at-risk communities in crisis, including youth and individuals with disabilities.” On Thursday, the full four-member board voted in favor of enacting the proposal which will take effect by July 16, 2022. 

Suicide was the second leading cause of death in the United States for ages 10 – 35 in 2019 (10th overall), per the NIMH. Nearly 45,000 people died by suicide in 2020, disproportionately impacting young people, black people, LGBTQ+ people, Veterans peoples, and disabled people. 

“Today’s action requires covered text providers to support text messaging to 988 by routing text messages sent to 988 to the Lifeline’s 10-digit number, 1-800-273-8255 (TALK),” Thursday’s announcement stated. “The rules establish a process that will require covered text providers to support transmitting messages to 988 in additional text messaging formats that the Lifeline is capable of receiving.”

Until next July rolls around, if you’re struggling and need someone to listen, please, call 1-800-273-8255 (TALK) or webchat the Lifeline. 

Source: Engadget – FCC approves texting to 988 to contact the National Suicide Prevention Lifeline

More than 800 Activision Blizzard employees and contractors have signed a petition calling for CEO Bobby Kotick to be removed as CEO. Workers walked out in protest earlier this week, following a report published by The Wall Street Journal, which alleged that Kotick knew about sexual misconduct claims at the company and neglected to inform the board of directors. The report also notes that Kotick has been accused of mistreating women on numerous occasions.

“We, the undersigned, no longer have confidence in the leadership of Bobby Kotick as the CEO of Activision Blizzard,” the petition reads. “The information that has come to light about his behaviors and practices in the running of our companies runs counter to the culture and integrity we require of our leadership—and directly conflicts with the initiatives started by our peers.”

The signees asked for Kotick to step down and for shareholders to choose a new CEO without his influence. The petition notes that Kotick “owns a substantial portion of the voting rights of the shareholders.” When employee advocacy group A Better ABK shared the petition on Twitter, it said more than 500 workers had signed it. Hundreds more added their names within a couple of hours. 

Among the claims in the report are one that Kotick was the person who wrote an email sent to employees by executive vice president of corporate affairs Frances Townsend after California’s Department of Fair Employment and Housing filed a sexual harassment and discrimination lawsuit against Activision Blizzard in July. “A recently filed lawsuit presented a distorted and untrue picture of our company, including factually incorrect, old and out of context stories — some from more than a decade ago,” the memo read. Hundreds of Blizzard employees slammed the message and demanded “immediate corrections” from company leaders.

The report also shed some light on the departure of Jen Oneal, who was named as a co-lead of Blizzard in August but announced three months later that she was leaving her position. In a September email to the company’s legal team, Oneal (who is Asian-American and gay) is said to have written that she had been “tokenized, marginalized, and discriminated against” and that she was paid less than Blizzard co-lead Mike Ybarra. IGN later reported that Ybarra and Oneal asked management for equal compensation, but Oneal said they were only offered equivalent offers after she tendered her resignation.

Following The Journal’s report, the Activision Blizzard board publicly gave its backing to Kotick. However, the backlash is intensifying. Before the petition, Polygon and Eurogamer called for him to resign in editorials. A group of activist shareholders, who hold around 0.6 percent of stock and have long criticized Kotick, demanded that he step down.

On top of that, Sony Interactive Entertainment CEO Jim Ryan told his employees that he was “disheartened and frankly stunned to read” The Journal’s report. “We outreached to Activision immediately after the article was published to express our deep concern and to ask how they plan to address the claims made in the article,” Ryan wrote in the email, which was leaked. “We do not believe their statements of response properly address the situation.”

This week’s report and ensuing pressure on Kotick follows a torrid few months for leaders at Activision Blizzard. After DFEH filed its lawsuit, it emerged that the Securities and Exchange Commission is investigating the company. Activision Blizzard is also facing a class action lawsuit from shareholders, who claim it violated securities laws. In addition, workers and the Communication Workers of America filed an unfair labor practice complaint against the company. 

When asked for comment, Activision Blizzard directed Engadget to the statement the board of directors made on Tuesday. “The goals we have set for ourselves are both critical and ambitious,” it said. “The Board remains confident in Bobby Kotick’s leadership, commitment and ability to achieve these goals.”

Source: Engadget – More than 800 Activision Blizzard employees call for CEO Bobby Kotick to resign