New information does not reflect well on Blizzard. The two co-heads wanted the same salary – but that was actively denied to them.
In recent days, the scandal surrounding Activision Blizzard is gaining traction again. Following an extensive article from the Wall Street Journal, Bobby Kotick has come under fire and many are calling for his resignation as CEO. At the same time, new light has been shed on Jennifer Oneal’s departure.
As we reported yesterday, she did not leave just to help women in gaming elsewhere, but also because she was paid less than her male colleague – despite both trying to get the same salary.
Where is the information coming from? The information comes from IGN. They have screenshots from several Blizzard employees showing messages from the company’s internal Slack. These messages include communications directed at the entire team from Mike Ybarra, but Oneal has also spoken out.
What was said? It concerns the issue of unequal pay between Mike Ybarra and Jennifer Oneal. The two took over the leadership of Blizzard in an equal position after J. Allen Brack’s departure. However, they were paid differently, which ultimately was a reason for Oneal’s departure – along with doubts about whether the leadership at Activision Blizzard truly wanted to change things for the better.
In a message in the Blizzard Slack, Ybarra wrote about the incidents:
Hello Blizzard, please look at the email I wrote this morning. I know that many executives want to speak with their teams throughout the day. This is a difficult time for all of us, including me. I was asked and want to be clear: Jen [Oneal] and I informed management that we both wanted the same pay to lead Blizzard together.
As a leader, equality in its broadest sense is something I stand behind 100%. As a team, I share our desire for change and growth. I am committed to making Blizzard what we all want. I will soon send a video to everyone at Blizzard. Thank you and know that I am processing today’s messages – and that I have some issues with it, as many of you do.
The statement apparently caused confusion among some employees who wanted to know why the executives at Blizzard would deny the request for equal pay. Ybarra further explained:
Jen and I were both still under existing contracts. I oversaw [Battle.net and online products], while she led [Vicarious Visions], hence our pay was different. When Jen and I were offered a new contract, it was the same for both of us in our roles as co-leaders of Blizzard and our pay would then have been identical.
Offer came only after resignation
However, Oneal could not leave it at that and explained some additional details that Ybarra had omitted. Apparently, a new contract with equal pay was only offered to her when she was already discussing her resignation.
When Mike and I were appointed to the same co-leader role, we began working with our old pay, which was not identical. This persisted for quite a while after we made several requests to equalize our compensation.
After a while, Blizzard stated that they were working on new contract proposals, but “the offer of equal pay only came after I submitted my resignation.”
It still seems strange that Blizzard would hire a man and a woman as a sign of equality and then pay the woman less. Even stranger is that both have tried to push Blizzard towards equal pay and that this has been repeatedly denied or ignored.
The fact that such an offer only comes when Oneal wants to discuss her resignation is likely nothing but a desperate attempt to retain Oneal and prevent the PR disaster that is still unfolding.
No matter how you look at it, the whole incident seems increasingly absurd and leaves many observers doubting the competence of those making such decisions.
Let us hope that the scandal surrounding Blizzard gradually comes to an end and that all “skeletons in the closet” have been found. Only then can the once-beloved company begin to earn back the trust of its employees and fans step by step.
