Immediately after Microsoft’s takeover of Activision Blizzard was completed, it became apparent that company boss Bobby Kotick would be leaving the company at the end of 2023.
In the Blog writes Kotickthat Xbox boss Phil Spencer asked him to do so “To stay and report to Activision Blizzard as CEO and we have agreed that I will do this until the end of 2023”.
In other words: After that he will no longer have the position. In recent years there have been repeated rumors about Kotick’s departure, especially during the massive corporate crisis that he probably helped to cause, or at least did not prevent.
As of mid-2021, there are several lawsuits against Activision Blizzard for bullying, discrimination and sexual assault within the workforce.
After Microsoft’s takeover plans were announced, there was also an accusation that Kotick had engineered the deal in order to avoid being held responsible for the problems.
He is probably leaving the company with a lot of money: according to reports, he will receive a severance payment of around $293 million receive. In addition, he could at least sell company shares another $400 million flush into the bank account.
In the past, Kotick has been criticized several times by shareholders because he received very high payments – which he may have ultimately approved himself. Bobby Kotick’s departure is likely to be celebrated within the workforce.
Bobby Kotick: Important tip from Steve Jobs
Kotick started out as a developer in the 80s, but quickly focused on the business aspects of the software and games business. He left college early on the advice of Steve Jobs.
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Together with his friend Brian Kelly, Kotick bought around 25 percent of the shares in the then almost bankrupt company Activision in 1990 and over the years turned it into a billion-dollar company. It is not possible to predict who will take over after him at the helm of the company that has now been taken over.