$200m Kotick bonus

[Tech614]

We do know how every company does executive bonuses. They do it like this.

"Every company" No, not even close just primarily US based ones. Much of the developed world actually has laws about distributing company wealth more evenly across the company. Executives still make a lot of money, but not disgusting shit like this.

[tomten]

said CEO of blizzard is one of the core reasons blizzard run's the company the way they do. do you think this kind of stuff is new? they have been doing the same with since they closed down blizzard north in 2005.

and ya its absolutely fanfic there have been 100's of people come and go over the years but not a single one has said a thing about Activision or contracts that stop them from speaking. there's just nothing real backing up these ideas.

When you create something from the ground up, of course you wanna take it as far as possible, probably with great visions, such as movie studios, multiple franchises, getting on the stock market and so on... You don't always know where those decisions and drive will end up, sometimes it leads to a shitshow they couldn't envision themselves, such as the effects of partnering with activision, which was just means to remain in control of the company and retain some autonomous. That's why said CEO made those shots at activision and basically regrets how it went down and how he'll make it right again... None of this matters to you?

Its pretty standard NDA to not be allowed to talk about the NDA or the contents of it. They also tend to last for a decade or more.

[Evil Midnight Bomber]

"Every company" No, not even close just primarily US based ones. Much of the developed world actually has laws about distributing company wealth more evenly across the company. Executives still make a lot of money, but not disgusting shit like this.

Fair enough. I meant countries that allow for this kinda of rampant capitalism to go unchecked.

- - - Updated - - -

What's your point then, I assume it's not "Just stop buying everything".

Point is that it isn't about any one specific company. It's about the culture that encourages these kind of practices.

[Cosmic Janitor]

There is practically no way anyone who earns that much money realistically deserves it unless you cure cancer or actually advance the species in a significant way. We talk about sums here where dozens of generations of their offspring could live rather care free. This is just a symptom of a broken system where exploitation is not just legal, but encouraged because the people that are supposed to protect the population have been bought by the ones that earn 200 million in bonuses.

[Lorgar Aurelian]

When you create something from the ground up, of course you wanna take it as far as possible, probably with great visions, such as movie studios, multiple franchises, getting on the stock market and so on... You don't always know where those decisions and drive will end up, sometimes it leads to a shitshow they couldn't envision themselves, such as the effects of partnering with activision, which was just means to remain in control of the company and retain some autonomous. That's why said CEO made those shots at activision and basically regrets how it went down and how he'll make it right again... None of this matters to you?

Its pretty standard NDA to not be allowed to talk about the NDA or the contents of it. They also tend to last for a decade or more.

No none of your made up nonsense matters to me as it is detached from reality. Blizzard was doing the same things they are doing now back in 2005 years before they had any thing to do with activison. There was no evil over lord forcing them down some unseen path they knew what they were doing when they signed up with activison because they were already doing the same thing before them.

You have made up some romantic drivel when in reality there was no big shift there was just a new scape goat for things to continue exactly as they were before.

As far as NDA’s go it’s been well over a decade and not a peep from any one or even a leak of any kind which with 1000’s of people would be an obvious thing to have. There’s just no truth to these things if there were we would have heard about it by now instead of there being absolutely nothing but fans making stuff up.

[rhorle]

That's why said CEO made those shots at activision and basically regrets how it went down and how he'll make it right again... None of this matters to you?

Are you talking about Mr.Morhaime? Because he was the one that helped convince Mr.Kotick to merge Activision with Vivendi back in 2008 and give up control of Activision to Vivendi. https://www.forbes.com/forbes/2009/0...h=37976d821a16 Your statement also ignores how Blizzard had no real say in the activision merger because Vivendi owned Blizzard.

The Blizzard founders sold the company in 1994 for a little less then $7 million. You are applying a lot of your own emotions to something that everything points isn't the case or what was felt "original" employees.

[Swnem]

Thats why you dont give such clauses in the contract.

On the other side, I doubt those games would have become better if his bonus went into the developement/improvement/etc.

Really? You didn't see the effect of the Blizzard layoffs in how buggy WoW patches have become?
I'm pretty sure it would make the games better to have used that money to pay the Q&A and community managers they fired.

[rhorle]

Really? You didn't see the effect of the Blizzard layoffs in how buggy WoW patches have become?
I'm pretty sure it would make the games better to have used that money to pay the Q&A and community managers they fired.

Anecdotal. Blizzard patches have always varied in the number of bugs and hotfixes or patches needed to address them.

[Asrialol]

I don't understand why people are mad at Kotick. Sure he's a prick - but it's the company who are to "blame" for this. It's in his contract - read the article. Who wrote his contract? Himself? Hello?

This isn't a Kotick problem, it's a Activision Blizzard - and industry problem.

[Zmagoslav]

Well to be fair, within the last year the shareholder value was almost doubled (starting at a wooping approx. 37B and is now 71B), which does usually warrant a hefty bonus.

[DesoPL]

Saying like. "Don't like it? Don't buy it" Will never work, not unless at least 50% people still will buying it. And giving the fact, Shadowlands are commercial success, we can't deny it. I think we only maked it worse.

[Makabreska]

I don't understand why people are mad at Kotick. Sure he's a prick - but it's the company who are to "blame" for this. It's in his contract - read the article. Who wrote his contract? Himself? Hello?

This isn't a Kotick problem, it's a Activision Blizzard - and industry problem.

I mean, he could just not take it. Shouldn't be too hard with all those millions he already received.

But it seems that now even investors are pissed at this huge bonus.

[gaaara]

didn't they fire like some 100+ after making record profits?

[deenman]

4700 blizzard employees. 200 million dollar bonus. If split evenly amongst their employees that's about 42.5k for each and every one of them. Literally a brand new car worth of cash for each employee.

how dare you atempt to critique the PERFECTION that is predatory capitalism? are you some kind of RED????

[Hinastorm]

Saying like. "Don't like it? Don't buy it" Will never work, not unless at least 50% people still will buying it. And giving the fact, Shadowlands are commercial success, we can't deny it. I think we only maked it worse.

Ya this crap triggers me.

It's like when people say "Just play the class you want lol".

Well, no, there are many forces at work that doesn't make it that simple.

[Zmagoslav]

didn't they fire like some 100+ after making record profits?

They trimed the fat.
Ergo: They fired part of a division not expected to make any value within the foreseeable future; E-sports.
Don't get me wrong; i'm not saying e-sports holds no value; e-sport live events don't, especially with the ongoing pandemic.

how dare you atempt to critique the PERFECTION that is predatory capitalism? are you some kind of RED????

It's one thing to critique capitalism... it's a whole other thing to suggest every single employee deserves that cut.
In reality day-to-day operations have very little to do with shareholder-value (they sustain it to a degree, but they don't drive it in any significant way), and the latter is actually what the higher-ups like Kottick are paid for in a corporate firm.

Ya this crap triggers me.

It's like when people say "Just play the class you want lol".

Well, no, there are many forces at work that doesn't make it that simple.

It is not that simple, but it's pretty close to it.
In your own example:
Calculate/rethink the trade-off in "enjoyment" you get from "top tier content" and "playing the class you want" and act on it.

[Hinastorm]

They trimed the fat.
Ergo: They fired part of a division not expected to make any value within the foreseeable future; E-sports.
Don't get me wrong; i'm not saying e-sports holds no value; e-sport live events don't, especially with the ongoing pandemic.


It's one thing to critique capitalism... it's a whole other thing to suggest every single employee deserves that cut.
In reality day-to-day operations have very little to do with shareholder-value (they sustain it to a degree, but they don't drive it in any significant way), and the latter is actually what the higher-ups like Kottick are paid for in a corporate firm.


It is not that simple, but it's pretty close to it.
In your own example:
Calculate/rethink the trade-off in "enjoyment" you get from "top tier content" and "playing the class you want" and act on it.

He was arguing that the 200mil is better split among all the employees, you know, the people actually putting the work in to increase profits, instead of one man.

Are you arguing the opposite?

[tomten]

No none of your made up nonsense matters to me as it is detached from reality. Blizzard was doing the same things they are doing now back in 2005 years before they had any thing to do with activison. There was no evil over lord forcing them down some unseen path they knew what they were doing when they signed up with activison because they were already doing the same thing before them.

You have made up some romantic drivel when in reality there was no big shift there was just a new scape goat for things to continue exactly as they were before.

As far as NDA’s go it’s been well over a decade and not a peep from any one or even a leak of any kind which with 1000’s of people would be an obvious thing to have. There’s just no truth to these things if there were we would have heard about it by now instead of there being absolutely nothing but fans making stuff up.

Keep believing everything is business as usual. Your denial is entertaining but i digress, so we can agree to disagree i suppose.

[Zyky]

Wow. >.>

https://kotaku.com/activision-blizza...hil-1846493910

I have a lack of understanding about someone like this.

The funny part is with the layovers they just did that 200m could have went to giving another 2 months to everyone in their severance. But hey...$200 Blizzard gift card. What a slap in the face lol.

[l33t]

Well, fuck bobby kotick. Disgusting piece of shit, the very epitome of what really is wrong with our world. Throw away hundreds of people in times when its almost unreal to find new job, dooming them and their families to starve and die, to rip off more bloody moneys out of their trembling hands.

If hell is real, we're living there.