Damn: "Inside the Culture of Sexism at Riot Games"

Aug 8, 2019 148 Comments

https://kotaku.com/inside-the-culture-of-sexism-at-riot-games-1828165483

The story about the male employee presenting the same idea to a group of people that she had presented is actually terrible and really really concerning.

I had a friend working at a different gaming company and another friend at Twitch who told me similar stories....

"Both male and female sources have described seeing unsolicited and unwelcome pictures of male genitalia from bosses or colleagues. One woman saw an e-mail thread about what it would be like to “penetrate her,” in which a colleague added that she’d be a good target to sleep with and not call again. Another said a colleague once informed her, apparently as a compliment, that she was on a list getting passed around by senior leaders detailing who they’d sleep with. Two former employees said they felt pressure to leave after making their concerns about gender discrimination known. One former male employee said that Riot’s “bro culture” is more pronounced behind closed doors, and hurts men too: One of Riot’s male senior leaders regularly grabbed his genitals, the source said, adding, “If he walked into a meeting with no women he’d just fart on someone’s face.”


Riot Employees what do you think?

What do you think can be done to improve Riot and other gaming company culture of sexism?

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 TOP 148 Comments
  • Someone tldr for me pls thanks!
    Aug 8, 2019 20
    • Robinhood / Product
      xQwR50

      Go to company page Robinhood Product

       xQwR50
      I mean we got over the "women can't work" thing really fast during the industrial revolution and war times. That points to an ability to change, but maybe an unwillingness to unless it benefits you somehow. And in this day and age, selfish, uncollaborative people don't thrive in the workplace.
      Aug 10, 2019
    • Amazon
      аlv

      Go to company page Amazon

      аlv
      @Tobogann Good luck to you with your next SJW battle. In the meantime I’ll focus on building things and making money. When the next recession hits, it’s the unproductive SJW types that’ll get purged first.
      Aug 10, 2019
  • This article was from a full year ago. The article has sparked a lot of really great change at Riot. Check out this: https://www.riotgames.com/en/news/riot-one-year-later-my-reflections
    Aug 8, 2019 25
    • The COO has never been accused of sending dick picks. When folks make up claims it just shows that this is just about 🍿 and schadenfreude.
      Aug 9, 2019
    • Robinhood / Product
      xQwR50

      Go to company page Robinhood Product

       xQwR50
      I recruited with Riot a few years ago. The recruiter told me that I was very well prepped and had great, well thought out answers, but didn't sound "confident enough" when speaking, so they wouldn't proceed. The job I was applying for didn't require much leadership/public speaking. Since women tend to be less outwardly confident, I feel like that hiring bar could've contributed to the male-dominant culture.
      Aug 10, 2019
  • Amazon
    QUfT36

    Go to company page Amazon

    QUfT36
    representing somebody elses work happens irrespective of gender and is not sexism but assholism
    Aug 8, 2019 20
    • @G8DN86R Definitely, I wasn't implying that it only happens at Riot, I was replying to the comment about these things being anecdotal. They're not, and unfortunately as you say it happens everywhere. We've also had our share of stories like that at MS. And I've seen things like that in other companies I've worked at. I was just saying that being a woman in the workplace still sucks, objectively. If we lie to ourselves saying that these stories are "anecdotes" we'll never improve it.
      Aug 9, 2019
    • Agreed znJf21!
      Aug 9, 2019
  • This is f*ing disgusting. When you step back and look at the bigger picture.....no wonder other countries are out innovating us. We have serious issues.
    Aug 8, 2019 15
    • Silicon Valley has acted as the conduit for the entire world's knowledge and capability. At least in the past that was more true. The American system enabled it. There's a reason why all this stuff was created in US and not France. I am not American, just calling the facts
      Aug 13, 2019
    • @hitman047 and @vendettaV I think you guys are completely missing the point. America == immigrants. There is no “American race”. What makes America the best and brightest and world leader is that we brain-drain the rest of the world. Those “Asians” and “immigrants” you mentioned that are responsible for all our innovation are synonyms for “Americans”
      Aug 23, 2019
  • I'm going to play devil's advocate here, but why didn't she just leave? Stayed there for 3 years too when these kinds of red flags are visible from the start. Just vote with your feet. Let sexist people be sexist.
    Aug 8, 2019 10
    • Unity
      snafuu

      Go to company page Unity

      snafuu
      Microsoft yes I would, and I would get that asshole fired for his conduct. Duh???
      Aug 9, 2019
    • People shouldn't have to leave a workplace they love because of this stuff. There are laws and just good old fashioned being a good human.

      Riot is a wonderful place to work. There is a lot of creativity and passion. We are treated to all those perks etc. But in some parts of the company it appears like these things were going on. And for what it's worth I think that's true in many workplaces, sadly. Riot is making significant strides to improve.
      Aug 13, 2019