CEO Bobby Kotick will take a pay cut until the board determines it’s achieved its outlined goals
Today, Activision Blizzard CEO Bobby Kotick outlined the company’s goals in moving forward, amid several investigations into its workplace culture.
In an email to employees that’s beenshared on the Activision Blizzard site, Kotick addresses theEEOC’s investigation in particular. He calls their review a “catalyst” to sharpen focus on how Activision Blizzard can change, as he apologizes for the poor workplace practices that proliferated.
The California Department of Fair Employment and Housingfiled a lawsuit against Activision Blizzard earlier this year, alleging discrimination and a toxic workplace culture at the company. Otherinvestigations have followed, and several notable employeeshave already departed the company.
“The guardrails weren’t in place everywhere to ensure that our values were being upheld,” said Kotick. “In some cases, people didn’t consistently feel comfortable reporting concerns, or their concerns weren’t always addressed promptly or properly. People were deeply let down and, for that, I am truly sorry.”
Kotick outlines five changes coming to Activision Blizzard:
Additionally, Kotick confirms he will be taking a pay cut down to minimum salary under California law, at $62,500. He clarifies this is a reduction in overall compensation, and he’s asked to not receive any bonuses or be granted equity during this period. His total compensation will be reduced until the Board of Directors has determined the goals and commitments outlined have been achieved.
Following the DFEH’s lawsuit, Activision Blizzard employeesorganized a walkoutand formed acoalition called the ABK Workers Alliance. Following Kotick’s email, the ABK Workers Allianceissued a statement online, saying today was a “huge win.” They do, however,state that there is still more to be donein addressing all the demands they’ve laid out.
While today was a huge win for us, we remain vigilant and continue to push for other industry practices that need to change. We still stand firm by our demand that the investigation must be done by an unbiased third party, of which WilmerHale is not one.
— ABetterABK 💙 ABK Workers Alliance (@ABetterABK)July 04, 2025
