ABetterABK organizer Jessica Gonzalez leaves Activision Blizzard
Activision Blizzard continues to lose employees as it wrestles with the lawsuits, allegations, and problems within its walls.
Jessica Gonzalez, one of the key organizers of the ABetterABK movement, has released a statement saying she is leaving her position at Activision Blizzard. This marks yet another high profile employee leaving the company following the string of harassment claims and problems it faces with its workplace culture.
My resignation from Blizzard Entertainment pic.twitter.com/eJeTsYGFv8
— Jessica Gonzalez 💙 #FireBobbyKotick (@BlizzJess) November 30, 2021
On December 1, 2021, Jessica Gonzalez posted to Twitter a screenshot of a message concerning her future at Activision Blizzard. In the message, Gonzalez states that she has decided to leave Blizzard as she is “putting her wellbeing first.”
Not only is Gonzalez leaving Activision Blizzard, she is leaving the game development industry entirely. The announcement notes she has accepted a position in a senior quality engineering role for a financial tech company.
Gonzalez is a core organizer behind ABetterABK movement. The group demands change from Activision Blizzard, including the betterment of employee treatment and is also instrumental in the petition for the removal of Bobby Kotick, CEO of Activision Blizzard.
The #ActiBlizzWalkout organizers are encouraging people to signal boost the hashtag as a sign of solidarity while using a 💙 emoji. They also support donations to the following charities:
— Shacknews (@shacknews) July 28, 2021
@BlackGirlsCode
@WithoutViolence
@GirlsWhoCode
@RAINN
@wia_animation @GETWIGI pic.twitter.com/FtsbGARUsd
Forming the group and being a pivotal person within it has clearly taken its toll. In the message, Gonzalez states that she is “mentally wounded from this fight” and that it has been a “long and exhausting road for change”. She notes that the fight isn’t over, and though she is leaving the games industry, she will be taking the vision with her.
Other than outlining her resignation, what she will do next, and her belief that the ABetterABK movement will spark a change, she also directly calls out Bobby Kotick, “The products will suffer until you are removed from your position as CEO.” Kotick has allegedly stated that he would resign if issues aren’t fixed “with speed”.
How Activision Blizzard, and Bobby Kotick, responds to this remains to be seen. Let us know in the Chatty thread below how you think Kotick will respond.
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Sam Chandler posted a new article, ABetterABK organizer Jessica Gonzalez leaves Activision Blizzard