PlayStation employees are said to be angry at CEO Jim Ryan for emailing employees urging them to “respect differences of opinion” over abortion rights before writing, at length, about his two cats’ first birthday party.
to me Bloomberg, the email begins by addressing current events such as the recent leak of a US Supreme Court opinion draft indicating intent to overturn Roe v. Wade, the landmark case that federally legalized abortion. Ryan did not take a position on the subject in the email, instead writing that the company and its employees are “multifaceted and diverse, with many different viewpoints.”
“We owe it to each other and the millions of PlayStation users to respect the differences of opinion among everyone in our internal and external communities,” Ryan wrote. “Respect does not equal agreement. But it is fundamental to who we are as a company and as a global brand of value.”
Ryan then went on to write five paragraphs about something “fun to help inspire everyone to be aware of the balance that can help relieve stress from uncertain world events:” his cats. The CEO described his two cats’ first birthday party – cake included – and his desire to have a dog someday.
In internal discussions seen by Bloomberg, PlayStation employees expressed anger at the tone of the email, writing that they felt Ryan had diminished their rights. A staff member reportedly stated that he had “never been so angry about a cat’s birthday before”.
While it’s not unusual for companies to shy away from making political statements — especially those related to abortion — Ryan’s attempt to make employees comfortable with cat stories may be a first. GameSpot has reached out to Sony for comment regarding Ryan’s email, and is still waiting for a response.
One company taking a stand against the Supreme Court in an apparent attempt to overturn Roe v. Wade is developer Destiny Bungie. at Blog post Posted on the studio’s official website last week, the company described the decision as a “direct attack on human rights.” The company then listed a number of pro-collecting organizations that corporate supporters can donate to urges (Unite for Procreation and Gender Equality) and Naral Pro-Choice America. It’s interesting to note, however, that Bungie is now a PlayStation studio, having been Recently acquired by the company.
We at GameSpot share Bungie sentiments, and we have wrote an article Explain the impact of overturning Roe v. Wade on American citizens, as well as identify a number of pro-choice organizations you can support.
“Writer. Amateur musicaholic. Infuriatingly humble zombie junkie. General internet maven. Bacon enthusiast. Coffee nerd.”