Xbox wants to keep “the right people” in power at Activision Blizzard

Xbox’s near-$70 billion acquisition of Activision Blizzard is a complex situation. Beleaguered employees at the soon-to-be-bought company are looking for better treatment, and fixing those problems starts at the top. Once the deal is complete, Xbox will be in a position “to make sure that [it has] the right people in the right position.”

That’s according to Microsoft president Brad Smith, who spoke to CNBC (via VGC). The company intends to address these issues fully once the deal goes through and it’s in control of Activision Blizzard. “We’re looking to the leadership team at Activision Blizzard today to make culture and workplace safety a top priority every single day, until the day when this deal hopefully closes,” Smith said. “Then we’ll take over, and we need to make that same commitment.”

One of the questionable leaders is Bobby Kotick, the current Activision Blizzard CEO, who will remain in that position through the merger, despite controversy. Employees have staged multiple workouts in response to his poor handling of allegations of sexual harassment and general toxicity at the company over the years. Kotick reportedly planned to leave the company if such issues weren’t fixed in a timely fashion. They haven’t, so he hasn’t — but Brad Smith’s comments on “the right people” would hopefully imply that Kotick will be booted. Microsoft just can’t make the call until it’s fully absorbed Activision Blizzard.