Skip to Main Content
This site makes extensive use of JavaScript.
Please enable JavaScript in your browser.
Live
PTR
12.1.0
PTR
12.0.7
Girls Who Code Non-Profit Organization Ends Partnership with Activision Blizzard
Posted
2021/11/18 at 4:54 PM
by
Archimtiros
Girls Who Code has announced that they have
ended their partnership with Activision Blizzard
, as a result of the widespread allegations of harassment, assault, and toxic working environments throughout the company. The two
partnered in 2018
to host an annual
Summer Immersion Program
for high school-aged girls to gain exposure in careers in tech, but the educational non-profit organization has asserted that the allegations against Activision have crossed the line.
An Update On Girls Who Code’s Partnership with Activision Blizzard
Girls Who Code
Our priority has and always will be to stand up for women and other underrepresented groups in tech and ensure that they are given the support and stability they need to actively thrive as they pursue a career in computer science.
The news about Activision proves that our priorities are fundamentally misaligned. We cannot in good conscience continue to work with a company that is so antithetical to our own values.
Fighting for diversity in the tech industry must be about more than filling quotas. We must also empower marginalized communities to speak truth to power, without tokenization or fear of retribution, knowing that this is exactly the key to challenging a homogenous and toxic corporate culture that has allowed predators to profit while repeatedly harming others with impunity.
We stand in solidarity with those at Activision who bravely came forward about their experiences and hope they see the justice and accountability they richly deserve. We also stand with their colleagues who have suffered the collateral consequences of such a failure of company leadership.
This is a major blow for a company who has a frequently relied on partnerships with organizations such as Girls Who Code to underline how progressive and welcoming they are, closely following the condemnation of both
PlayStation and Xbox
. In a
pay equity review announcement
just last month, Activision COO Daniel Alegre and CAO Brian Bulatao shared that women make up only about 20% of the company's U.S. employee population and hold just 15% of development jobs, calling it indicative of a larger issue across the entire technology industry and our educational systems, and directly citing the 2021 Girls Who Code Summer Immersion Program as a way to empower young women to explore STEAM education and careers.
Increasing the percentage of women and non-binary people in their workforce by 50% (from 23% to 33% of the company) within five years was also a major part of
CEO Bobby Kotick's Commitment to Change
, and so for the company to now lose the support of such an important organization whose values
should
align with their stated goals does not bode well for the publishing giant.
Girls Who Code
is an educational non-profit organization which aims to support and increase the number of women in computer science by equipping young women with the necessary computing skills to pursue 21st century opportunities.
Comments on this news post are locked.
Sign In to Post a Comment
You are not logged in. Please
log in
or
register an account
to add your comment.
Previous Post
Next Post
