Activision Blizzard shareholders issued a letter calling for the resignation of CEO Bobby Kotick and two long-serving members of the board of directors a day after the Wall Street Journal reported Kotick not only knew about numerous cases of sexual harassment at the company but worked to cover them up.
“As new reporting indicates, and in contrast to past company statements, CEO Bobby Kotick was aware of many incidents of sexual harassment, sexual assault, and gender discrimination at Activision Blizzard,” wrote the SOC Investment Group, which works on behalf of union pension funds invested in Activision Blizzard and other companies. “We, therefore, call on Mr. Kotick to resign as CEO of the company.”
The letter also calls for the retirement of Brian Kelly and Robert Morgado, two of the senior-most board members serving since the ’90s, in order to ensure the board of directors is capable of leading a top-down effort to reform the company. While the SOC represents a minuscule portion of Activision Blizzard’s total shares, the group said if its demands were not addressed, it would not support the re-election of current board members and would work to ensure other shareholders followed suit.
