Activision Blizzard Shareholders Vote For It! CEO Robert A. Kotick should remain on the board of directors despite the allegations.
Shortly after shareholders agreed to halt efforts to address harassment at the company, they also voted on a list of nominated board directors, which includes CEO Bobby Kotick.
According to a document filed on June 21, nearly 534 million shareholders voted in favor of the proposed board of directors, while just 62.5 million opposed the proposal and 2 million abstained.
The vote came after Kotick was repeatedly promised a toxic work culture at Activision Blizzard. Last December, the CEO was accused of keeping what he knew about the harassment and assault allegations secret for years and even threatening to “kill” an assistant. And now, while shareholders and employees are calling for Kotick’s resignation, it looks like he’ll remain on the board until 2023 after all.
Whether Kotick will really remain CEO cannot yet be said with certainty. The company is currently in the process of being bought by Microsoft for approximately $70 billion in a historic deal. According to some internal sources, Kotick will receive $15 million for this and then leave the company, a “golden parachute” so to speak.
Microsoft’s acquisition of Activision Blizzard is expected to be completed by mid-2023.