Talk:Bobby Kotick

Quality

"He is on a couple of company boards" great article, Wikipedia. — Preceding unsigned comment added by 98.191.15.34 (talk) 17:44, 18 October 2018 (UTC)

Untitled

The "facts" here seem highly biased.

+1 --213.216.199.22 15:17, 3 December 2007 (UTC)

Sourcing Quotes

Shouldn't need to be said, but if you're going to quote Kotick saying something controversial, try to go find the original source. The way these things work is Kotick says something, and then someone halfway respectable will quote it with some but not all of the context, and then someone else will quote it with no context, and then it will become a meme, and them someone sources the meme for the Wikipedia article. Kotick may be firmly on the side of the dollars, not the players, but he's not an idiot, and being able to note where he said things, to whom, and in reply to what question really makes a difference to the article quality. Thanks. - DustFormsWords (talk) 05:37, 11 October 2009 (UTC)

The claim I removed yesterday

The claim the article makes is that this created a stir. The source does not support that claim, and that is the crucial claim in this case per WP:BLP.

Further, it looks to me like he may have been joking with that statement, however he was responded to in the press and player worlds.

And yes, I did actually read said citation prior to removal. :) --Izno (talk) 17:47, 6 November 2009 (UTC)

- My apologies, I'd assumed you meant the other phrase you deleted. Of course there are plenty of sources for the "stir" statement, I'll go add some now. - DustFormsWords (talk) 09:44, 7 November 2009 (UTC)

Request for semi-protect

I've made a request on the appropriate page to get this article semi-protected again. Doesn't seem like the IP vandalism is likely to stop until Kotick leaves the gaming industry or finds a way to become popular. - DustFormsWords (talk) 05:39, 15 February 2010 (UTC)

As hated as this man is I don't see any way out of page protection. Furthermore I don't think it will end when he leaves gaming.131.247.83.135 (talk) 20:40, 8 March 2010 (UTC)

Gamers have short memories for people. Howard Scott Warshaw sees very little vandalism these days. - DustFormsWords (talk) 00:09, 9 March 2010 (UTC)

Pending changes

This article is one of a number (about 100) selected for the early stage of the trial of the Wikipedia:Pending Changes system on the English language Wikipedia. All the articles listed at Wikipedia:Pending changes/Queue are being considered for level 1 pending changes protection.

The following request appears on that page:

Comments on the suitability of theis page for "Penfding changes" would be appreciated.

Please update the Queue page as appropriate.

Note that I am not involved in this project any much more than any other editor, just posting these notes since it is quite a big change, potentially

Regards, Rich Farmbrough, 23:46, 16 June 2010 (UTC).

• I have reviewer rights and am watching this page. Sound appropriate for pending changes. - DustFormsWords (talk) 00:29, 17 June 2010 (UTC)

The vandalism is rediculous. Good-faith users are accidentally reverting edits made by vandals themselves, I'm having problems with these confirmation edits. Someone should probably stop it. --Rockstonetalk to me! 02:14, 27 June 2010 (UTC)

Tone of "Work with Activision Blizzard" section

This section, by calling attention to the difference in Kotick's actual and official salaries, seems to imply that his salary is undeserved. I feel that this does not represent a neutral, disinterested tone as required by Wikipedia's BLP policy. Jarnhalr (talk) 14:39, 14 July 2010 (UTC)

Low Importance?

This man is very important. —Preceding unsigned comment added by 173.64.219.185 (talk) 03:28, 10 August 2010 (UTC)

Kotick heating up the battle between Activision and Electronic Arts.

Well, we all know that Activision and Electronic Arts have an eternal fight over supremacy in the video game market, but Kotick's been cranking up the attacks a few notches with some very public statements, which have the gaming community fuming, and EA going all out in retaliation.

http://www.pcgamer.com/2010/09/28/bobby-kotick-great-people-dont-really-want-to-work-at-ea/ http://www.eurogamer.net/articles/2010-09-27-bobby-kotick-slags-off-ea http://pc.ign.com/articles/112/1123599p1.html http://gamrfeed.vgchartz.com/story/82228/bobby-kotick-ea-has-lost-its-way/ http://www.computerandvideogames.com/article.php?id=266746 http://www.next-gen.biz/news/kotick-ea-is-suffocating-studios

Might be worth mentioning here and in the Activision article. Torinir ( Ding my phone My support calls E-Support Options ) 16:32, 29 September 2010 (UTC)

And he's taking shots at Vince Zampella and Jason West: [1] Torinir ( Ding my phone My support calls E-Support Options ) 02:02, 1 October 2010 (UTC)

Recent changes to the article: possible conflict of interest?

User:Monstermike99 has made a large number of edits in the past month. Here's a comparison between before and after he revised the article. The changes that the user made to the article puts Kotick and Activision in a far more positive light than usual. For example, in his edits he added comments such as:

"...Activision Blizzard , the leading global online PC and console games publisher in the world best known for mega titles Guitar Hero , Call of Duty and World of Warcraft ."

and

"Yet within Activision, Kotick is recognized as the champion of the independent studio and of creative talent."

I would've reverted the edits, but there were, in fact, some beneficial, well-sourced additions to the article by the user, although some other previous useful sections of text were also removed. Anyone have any input on this matter?

--FlyingPenguins (talk) 06:04, 27 November 2010 (UTC)

Two questions: Is my revision better on the PoV concern, and what "useful sections"? --Izno (talk) 15:22, 27 November 2010 (UTC)

It looks a lot better now. And about the "useful sections" I mentioned, there were less of them than I thought. Here's one of them:

Kotick was also a Yahoo! board member from March 2003 to August 2008, and is currently a board member for the Center for Early Education, the Los Angeles County Museum of Art, and the Tony Hawk Foundation.

I added the sentence back myself (plus its references). --FlyingPenguins (talk) 03:09, 28 November 2010 (UTC)

Died in 2011 Japan earthquake per Google missing person database

http://japan.person-finder.appspot.com/view?first_name=&id=japan.person-finder.appspot.com%2Fperson.2774429&last_name=&query=bob&role=seek&small=no —Preceding unsigned comment added by 173.79.106.77 (talk) 11:49, 13 March 2011 (UTC)

Even if it's true—which I doubt—we need something in a reliable source or press release, and preferably in English, before it's published. --Izno (talk) 22:26, 13 March 2011 (UTC)

Cove Management & sexual harassment retaliation

To whomever has the keys to this locked site, please update this article with the Cynthia Madvig case. A reputable source: http://latimesblogs.latimes.com/entertainmentnewsbuzz/2010/08/activision-ceo-kotick-loses-battle-with-top-hollywood-litigator.html

If someone with authorization to update this page has the time, I wrote the following article based on the sources indicated. Edit it as you need to to conform to wiki standards.

--

Bobby Kotick and Andrew Gordon, head of Goldman Sachs investment banking division in Los Angeles, created Cove Management as a company to manage a private Gulfstream III private jet they jointly owned. They hired former actress Cynthia Madvig [2] as a flight attendant.

In 2006, pilot Phil Berg allegedly began a pattern of sexual harassment towards Madvig. She reported this to Gordon, who ignored her complaints. Shortly after she reported this harassment, Kotick fired her.

In January 2007, Madvig filed a lawsuit for sexual harassment, wrongful termination, failure to prevent sexual harassment, and retaliation against her for reporting sexual harassment. Kotick, Gordon, and Berg denied all allegations in February 2007. At this time, they were represented by law firm Sullivan & Cromwell.

In April 2007, Kotick, who led the defense, switched attorneys to Christensen, Glaser, Fink, Jacobs, Weil & Shapiro. Patricia Glaser advised them to settle for $200,000. Kotick refused on principle, stating that "[he] would not be extorted and that [he] would ruin the Plaintiff and her attorney and see to it that Ms. Madvig would never work again."

Christensen, Glaser et al stopped representing Kotick in December 2007. Kotick hired the firm Bingham McCutcheon and then, in April 2008, also hired Gibson Dunn & Crutcher. Kotick, Gordon, Berg, and Cove settled with Madvid in April 2008, paying $200,000 plus Madvig's legal fees of $475,000.

Legal Fees

Kotick paid Glaser's firm $200,000 in September 2007, stating that amount was a full settlement of their fees and costs. Glaser disagreed, claiming that the total amount owed was over $1 million. Following Kotick's settlement with Madvig, his dispute with Glaser's firm went into arbitration. In February 2009, Glaser's firm was awarded $938,458 plus $479,898 for legal fees and costs incurred in the arbitration, for a total of $1.42 million.

Kotick, who during the Madvig case stated that "[he] was worth one-half billion dollars and he didn’t mind spending some of it on attorneys’ fees" rather than settle, asked the court to reduce the award by $111,753. The court denied this request and ordered Kotick to pay Glaser in full. Kotick appealed to the California Court of Appeal. On July 6, 2010, the appeal court affirmed the lower court's ruling.

---

The wiki article as it stands now paints Kotick as some kind of visionary, and while it pays lipservice to the fact that there *is* controversy, nowhere does it show *why* so Kotick is so hated. The Madvig case at least paints a facet of the other side of Kotick's personality and helps to explain what kind of a person he is.

All the other "I hate Kotick" material, such as the legal battles with Infinity Ward or Valve, falls under the purview of Activision (though it's curiously absent from the Activision page). The Madvig case though is specific to the man himself.

Dead Link

At the end, the link is dead. Some good guy ought to replace it with http://www.geeks.co.uk/news/ents/7282-activision%E2%80%99s-bobby-kotick-hates-developers-innovation-cheap-games-you.html 82.228.90.221 (talk) 19:58, 10 June 2011 (UTC)

Coca-Cola

It was announced that on February the 16th that Kotick joined the Board of Directors of The Coca-Cola Company (source: Coca-Cola Press Release) — Preceding unsigned comment added by WorldExec (talk • contribs) 00:48, 17 February 2012 (UTC)

Alright, it's added. --Bentendo24 (talk) 16:42, 18 February 2012 (UTC)

A redirect to this page has been nominated for deletion

Gaming Hitler a redirect to this page has been nominated for deletion at Wikipedia:Redirects for discussion/Log/2013 January 13#Gaming Hitler. Your views would be particularly relevant to the discussion as suggestion has been made to add reference to this or a similar term to this article. Thryduulf (talk) 21:20, 13 January 2013 (UTC)

Ancestry

No mention of his jewish heritage? 24.190.209.14 (talk) 22:01, 14 November 2013 (UTC)

External links modified

Hello fellow Wikipedians,

I have just added archive links to one external link on Robert Kotick. Please take a moment to review my edit. If necessary, add {{cbignore}} after the link to keep me from modifying it. Alternatively, you can add {{nobots|deny=InternetArchiveBot}} to keep me off the page altogether. I made the following changes:

• Added archive https://web.archive.org/20100525000518/http://people.forbes.com/profile/robert-a-kotick/1126 to http://people.forbes.com/profile/robert-a-kotick/1126

When you have finished reviewing my changes, please set the checked parameter below to true to let others know.

Y An editor has reviewed this edit and fixed any errors that were found.

• If you have discovered URLs which were erroneously considered dead by the bot, you can report them with this tool.
• If you found an error with any archives or the URLs themselves, you can fix them with this tool.

Cheers.—^{cyberbot II}_{Talk to my owner:Online} 17:46, 28 October 2015 (UTC)

Recent source at FT

• Bradshaw, Tim (November 6, 2015). "Bobby Kotick, king of the gamers". Financial Times. Retrieved December 18, 2015. {{cite web}}: Unknown parameter |subscription= ignored (|url-access= suggested) (help)

Might be good to integrate this here and there. Best way to access it is probably through Google by Googling for the web address. --Izno (talk) 13:50, 18 December 2015 (UTC)

Undisclosed paid editing tag

I'm adding this section so newcomers can see what triggered the COI tag. It was in the edit log but as edits grow it may be easier for people to find here. https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Wikipedia:Administrators%27_noticeboard/IncidentArchive942#Earflaps Timtempleton (talk) 01:37, 13 January 2017 (UTC)

Blog coverage section title

I was going to change the Blog coverage title to Media coverage, since the sources discussed are not all blogs, but since it's a mix, would the title Media and blog coverage be better? Maybe a gamer who knows these sites better would like to comment? Timtempleton (talk) 01:48, 13 January 2017 (UTC)

Semi-protected edit request on 18 April 2017

Bobby Kotick is currently dating Chief Operating Officer Sheryl Sandberg.  DayraLM (talk) 16:20, 18 April 2017 (UTC)

Not done: it's not clear what changes you want to be made. Please mention the specific changes in a "change X to Y" format. Also, HuffPo isn't the best source for BLPs EvergreenFir (talk) 02:26, 19 April 2017 (UTC)

References

Paid editor tag take down

To fix the problem at first I was going to reword the paid editor's content - almost the whole page is added by him, though! Only option to root out all the possible promotional material was going back to before it was messed with, in 2015. I didn't take out edits added by other editors, though, so not all the hard work has been undone. Sorry it looks less pretty now, but the new maintenance templates should be simple fast to fix. Yosshi! — Preceding unsigned comment added by Yosshi! (talk • contribs) 22:33, 17 July 2017 (UTC)

I'm finally taking that maintenance template tag I put at the top off, just made the first part more complete. Yosshi! (talk) 19:55, 21 August 2017 (UTC)

External links modified

Hello fellow Wikipedians,

I have just modified 3 external links on Bobby Kotick. Please take a moment to review my edit. If you have any questions, or need the bot to ignore the links, or the page altogether, please visit this simple FaQ for additional information. I made the following changes:

• Added archive https://web.archive.org/web/20100525000518/http://people.forbes.com/profile/robert-a-kotick/1126 to http://people.forbes.com/profile/robert-a-kotick/1126
• Added archive https://web.archive.org/web/20100730181954/http://www.businessweek.com/it100/2005/executive/ATVI.htm to http://www.businessweek.com/it100/2005/executive/ATVI.htm
• Added archive https://web.archive.org/web/20091220152753/http://www.callofdutyendowment.org/about-us/about-code/ to http://www.callofdutyendowment.org/about-us/about-code/

When you have finished reviewing my changes, you may follow the instructions on the template below to fix any issues with the URLs.

This message was posted before February 2018. After February 2018, "External links modified" talk page sections are no longer generated or monitored by InternetArchiveBot. No special action is required regarding these talk page notices, other than regular verification using the archive tool instructions below. Editors have permission to delete these "External links modified" talk page sections if they want to de-clutter talk pages, but see the RfC before doing mass systematic removals. This message is updated dynamically through the template {{source check}} (last update: 18 January 2022).

• If you have discovered URLs which were erroneously considered dead by the bot, you can report them with this tool.
• If you found an error with any archives or the URLs themselves, you can fix them with this tool.

Cheers.—InternetArchiveBot (Report bug) 01:21, 18 July 2017 (UTC)

bobbykotick.org

His website, bobbykotick.org, currently redirects to this Wikipedia article. Maybe point it to the Internet Archive archive, for now, in the infobox and external links section. --77.173.90.33 (talk) 16:30, 18 February 2019 (UTC)

I removed the link instead. A dead website for a living person is not really of much purpose. Lordtobi (✉) 17:15, 18 February 2019 (UTC)

Semi-protected edit request on 5 August 2019

Add Bobby Kotick Ranked 45th most Overpaid CEO under his Honors and recognition section. Source: https://www.asyousow.org/report/the-100-most-overpaid-ceos-2019#introduction-2019 24.20.40.221 (talk) 17:39, 5 August 2019 (UTC)

 Not done. –Deacon Vorbis (carbon • videos) 03:02, 6 August 2019 (UTC)

This is not an "honor" since it is obviously negatively connoted, but it should be mentioned somewhere fittingly. Lordtobi (✉) 06:29, 6 August 2019 (UTC)

Then it needs an appropriate reliable source per WP:BLP. The unregistered user's source is not one such. --Izno (talk) 14:06, 6 August 2019 (UTC)

Heh, this shouldn't be a problem.[3][4][5][6] Lordtobi (✉) 15:20, 6 August 2019 (UTC)

Software made by him?

"Kotick began his career in 1983 while he was still in college at the University of Michigan, when he began creating software for the Apple II with financial backing from Steve Wynn."

What software did he make, and what was his role in its making? Did he program it or just oversee it? פֿינצטערניש (Fintsternish), she/her (talk) 16:30, 20 November 2019 (UTC)

@פֿינצטערניש: Consider reading the referenced article. --Izno (talk) 22:31, 24 November 2019 (UTC)

Jewish

He’s Jewish. Why does this keep getting deleted? — Preceding unsigned comment added by 2601:98A:502:A730:80C2:6AA3:C106:9E1F (talk) 20:16, 16 November 2021 (UTC)

No source of sufficient reliability for a biography of a living person has been provided to show that he is Jewish or that he considers himself to be ethnically or religiously Jewish. Izno (talk) 21:52, 16 November 2021 (UTC)

I don't know why it keeps getting deleted. I can only guess that it has something to do with this sexual harassment scandal that he is embroiled in, that certain people don't want any sort of association between the two. I mean, you don't bat mitzvah your daughter unless you are Jewish. It's weird - it's as if these people making the deletions want Kotick to come out and make some sort of statement, "I AM JEWISH". I mean, I never mention my religion, if any, even in my personal life. It's weird - but there definately is some sort of agenda obviously.

I don't that the claim "you don't bat mitzvah your daughter unless you are Jewish." is actually true. It might in fact be the girl's mother who is Jewish.

--Óli Gneisti (talk) 19:12, 17 November 2021 (UTC)

If it is because of his sex scandal, it might because so many of the recent sex scandals in the headlines have been about Jews, i.e. Harvey Weinstein, Jeffrey Epstein, Ghislaine Maxwell, etc, and certain people don't want to add another name to the list. Just a guess. — Preceding unsigned comment added by 80.47.126.42 (talk) 12:11, 17 November 2021 (UTC)

Particular for statements related to faith/religion related to a BLP, WP requires high levels of quality reliable sources (and ideally, a statement from said person). What sources were used are weak, though they may be right. I am looking to see if there is such sourcing now but this likely requires more digging. --Masem (t) 16:54, 17 November 2021 (UTC)

Sexual harassment investigation

Hello,

The “Sexual harassment investigation” subsection lacks some of the balancing aspects and information that would ensure a neutral portrayal of the events. I'd like to propose that the information be summarized as follows, while adhering to the sensitivities laid out by WP:NPOV,WP:CRIT and WP:BLP. I've added some important additional information and sources as well:

In 2007, a flight attendant filed a lawsuit against Kotick, Andrew Gordon, and Cove Management, a company the two created to manage their privately-owned Gulfstream III jet. She claimed that a pilot hired by Cove had sexually harassed her, and that she had been wrongfully terminated after she had reported the incidents to Gordon. Cove eventually settled with the flight attendant. Kotick then became involved in litigation with the firm selected to defend him, Gordon, and Cove Management, in a dispute over legal fees. The court ruled in the firm’s favor and awarded it damages.

In July 2021, the California Department of Fair Employment and Housing announced it had filed a lawsuit against Activision Blizzard due to workplace misconduct and discrimination by several employees. Kotick was not named in the suit. In October 2021, Kotick asked the Activision Blizzard board to cut his salary to the lowest amount allowed by California law, and to not to receive any bonuses or be granted any equity amid lawsuits against the company. At the time, Kotick stated the company’s intention to invest in anti-harassment and anti-discrimination training and other reforms. In November, an article from The Wall Street Journal asserted that Kotick had been aware of the past allegations, and had protected an employee who sexually harassed from being fired. The article also asserted that Kotick had threatened to kill an assistant on their voice mail, though Activision Blizzard characterized this as “obviously hyperbolic.” In response to the allegations, Activision’s Board itself examined the claims made and retained an outside law firm and other advisors, including the former head of the U.S. Equal Employment Opportunity Commission, Gilbert F. Casellas, to conduct independent reviews. In June 2022, the Board filed its findings with the United States Securities and Exchange Commission and a summary of the independent review’s findings in an 8-K filing. The Board’s statement expressed confidence that Kotick “appropriately addressed workplace issues brought to his attention” and supported his efforts to lead the company, while others urged Kotick to resign or to be replaced in light of these allegations.

References

Pinging Masem as he is very involved in editing this article and has discussed a similar matter with me at Activision Blizzard previously. Thank you for your time, Sh-abkcomms (talk) 12:54, 2 November 2023 (UTC)

I looked through this and the sources and agree this is a more appropriate summary for WP's purpose, particulary in regards to the flight attendant. BLP1E and naming absolutely applies so we only need to mention Kotick by name here. I have added this appropriately. --Masem (t) 01:01, 3 November 2023 (UTC)

Masem thanks for looking this over and for making the changes. Much appreciated. Sh-abkcomms (talk) 15:07, 6 November 2023 (UTC)