The following statement can be attributed to George Rakis, Executive Director for NextGen Competition (nextgencomp.tech):

Activision’s admission to Security Exchange Commission (SEC) failures and a payment of $35 million in fines should not lead anyone, especially U.S. regulators, to believe the company’s bad behavior is behind them. This is a company that pretty much prides itself on its bro culture, sexist and misogynistic workplace, and union busting practices.

As regulators continue scrutinizing the proposed Microsoft purchase of Activision, questions about the toxic Activision workplace environment must be addressed. Activision’s characterization of the SEC settlement as “amicably resolved” shows that the company continues to have a laissez-faire attitude to serious workplace misconduct concerns.

Despite repeated instances of no change at Activision concerning its workforce, Microsoft continues to be unwilling or unable to protect workers at Activision, address its union busting antics, or offer a plan to address the notorious culture of gender-based worker harassment and sexism.

About NextGen Competition

Our mission is to support a robust and competitive technology ecosystem by opposing anti-competitive business practices and promoting greater industry accountability. Specifically, we oppose consolidation in the industry that undermines worker protections and employer accountability, threatens data privacy and security, encourages market concentration, and limits consumer choice. NextGen Competition intends to work with a broad coalition of unions and public interest partners as it seeks to oppose anti-competitive business practices.