Bobby Kotick's reign at Activision Blizzard ends December 29, 2023

We knew it was coming, but now we have a date: Bobby Kotick will officially step down as CEO of Activision Blizzard on December 29, 2023. Blizzard and King vice chairman Humam Sakhnini will also leave at the end of December, Activision Blizzard chief communications officer Lulu Meservey is out in January, and a handful of other executives will leave in March, according to an internal memo from Xbox head Phil Spencer published by The Verge. Activision Blizzard vice chairman Thomas Tippl, Blizzard president Mike Ybarra and King president Tjodolf Sommestad will remain at the studio and report to Matt Booty, Microsoft's president of gaming content and studios. Otherwise, leadership teams across Activision, Blizzard and King will stay the same, according to the memo. Kotick has been the head of Activision since 1991. At Activision Blizzard, he oversaw massively popular franchises including Call of Duty, Diablo, Starcraft and World of Warcraft, and once the company acquired mobile studio King in 2016, he added Candy Crush to that list. The company is a AAA powerhouse and it generated $7.5 billion in revenue in 2022. Activision Blizzard was sued by California's Civil Rights Department in 2021 over allegations of systemic sexism, discrimination and harassment at the studio, and executives were accused of fostering a frat-house style culture. At the time, all top leadership roles at Activision Blizzard were filled by white men. The Securities and Exchange Commission filed a... Continue reading at 'Engadget'

[ Engadget | 2023-12-20 19:42:25 UTC ]

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The Guardian view on Dan Mallory: a twisted tale of publishing | Editorial

The story of Dan Mallory, aka the bestselling author AJ Finn, reads like a thriller. But it asks uncomfortable questions of the literary worldA true story worthy of a Patricia Highsmith thriller was published this week in the New Yorker. The magazine detailed the deceptions of Dan Mallory, who... Continue reading at The Guardian

[ The Guardian | 2019-02-08 00:00:00 UTC ]
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Forbes’ New CMS Highlights Artificial Intelligence

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[ Folio Magazine | 2018-07-20 00:00:00 UTC ]
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As Facebook ignores memes, even fake news about Mark Zuckerberg spreads like wildfire

A few days ago, the Columbia Journalism Review published a thorough and frightening look into Facebook’s fact-checking program. The social network enlists organizations like Snopes and PolitiFact to scroll through thousands of contested articles and deem how factual they are. As CJR writes, the... Continue reading at Fast Company

[ Fast Company | 2018-04-06 00:00:00 UTC ]
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The Guardian view on the death of NME: the end of an era | Editorial

The news that the music weekly will no longer appear in print is unsurprising. Where should we look for the sense of excitement it once offered?It would be silly to mourn the demise of NME, which is closing its print edition after 66 years, maintaining only its painful digital existence. This is... Continue reading at The Guardian

[ The Guardian | 2018-03-09 00:00:00 UTC ]
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Facebook, Airbnb show anti-Nazi stance with user clear out

When white supremacists plan rallies like the one a few days ago in Charlottesville, United States, they often organise their events on Facebook, pay for supplies with PayPal​, book their lodging with Airbnb​ and ride with Uber. Continue reading at Stuff

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Facebook needs to be more open about its hate speech policy

On Wednesday, ProPublica published a report that outlines some pretty bizarre reasoning behind Facebook's approach to hate speech and censorship. Evidence shows that Facebook has a moderation policy that could favor "white men" over "black children,"... Continue reading at Engadget

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Updated BBC Privacy and Cookies Policy reveals targeted social advertising, and data sharing with TV Licensing

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Chromebook's future is bleak

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Put your little Guardians to sleep with the 'Destiny' children's book

Days ago, Bungie released its third expansion, Rise of Iron, for its popular MMO shooter Destiny. A new short single-player campaign, multiplayer mode and six-person raid should keep players busy killing enemy aliens, and each other, for months. Undo... Continue reading at Engadget

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Are you 'noticing' publishing's gender bias?

Calling the question  Conference organisers, prize judges, pretty much anyone who has a role in deciding who gets to be heard: don’t they notice the roll call of mainly white men? Continue reading at The Bookseller

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What is Facebook not telling us about machiavellian censorship?

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Why TV Is Still the Most Effective Advertising Medium

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Spanish publishers demand the return of Google News

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E-book firms need to make changes to settle probe

(Bloomberg) - News Corp.'s HarperCollins and four other publishers probed by European Union need to address regulatory concerns before they can settle the antitrust case, the European Union's competition commissioner said. Joaquin Almunia, the antitrust chief, told reporters Monday that a... Continue reading at Crains New York

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