The PlayStation CEO is under fire.
Sony Group Corporation employees say they are outraged by an email the head of PlayStation sent days after a leaked draft indicated the Supreme Court was set to overturn Roe v. Wade, Bloomberg first reported.
PlayStation CEO Jim Ryan sent an email to employees on Thursday in which he remained neutral on his stance on abortion rights and encouraged others to ‘respect differences of opinion’ – before saying launch into five inopportune paragraphs about his two cats celebrating their birthdays.
“We owe it to each other and to the millions of PlayStation users to respect the differences of opinion between everyone in our internal and external communities,” he wrote. “Respect does not equal agreement. But it’s fundamental to who we are as a company and as a beloved global brand.
PATRICK T. FALLON via Getty Images
Ryan then suddenly changed the subject, diving into a story about his two cats celebrating their first birthday and telling his employees that he “would like to share something lighthearted to help inspire everyone to be mindful of having a balance. which can help ease the stress of uncertain world events. .”
Gushing about his furry friends, Ryan bragged about getting his cats birthday cakes, opened up about their habits and revealed his dreams of one day owning a dog.
Jim Ryan’s email, seen by Bloomberg News, does not take a position on Roe v. Wade or on abortion rights, but states “dogs really are man’s best friend, they know their place and perform useful functions like biting burglars and chasing balls that you throw for them.”
—Jason Schreier (@jasonschreier) May 12, 2022
Employees at several PlayStation studios said they were put off by the tone of the email, according to internal company discussions viewed and reported by Bloomberg.
Some employees said they did not feel respected by the message. An employee said he had “never been so mad at a cat’s birthday”.
An employee tweeted that he had replied to Ryan’s email to say the company “could do a better job.”
The games are community driven. Game developers are responsible for upholding inclusive and human values in their communities. ✅
PlayStation could do a better job. Many of us at SMS responded to an email regarding the Roe v Wade decision by company management. Here is my answer : pic.twitter.com/rRwIY30Due
— Salaar (@salaarkohari) May 14, 2022
Other Twitter users also condemned Ryan’s email.
And it’s easy to see why PlayStation developers are pissed. Abortion is not subject to debate, especially when 99% of the time it’s just men trying to impose their vision on what a woman should do with her body and her life. Failing to take a clear position on such matters is dangerous. https://t.co/WevgRTppg9
—Arnaud (@RatchetBlaster) May 13, 2022
netflix’s wake up call memo and playstation’s email it’s good to oppose abortion should be seen as harbingers of a possible near future in which mass entertainment does not not content with whitewashing fascist ideas, but outright endorses them
— Hot Dog Da Klown (@automythopoeia) May 16, 2022
Although PlayStation has not taken a public position on abortion rights, other companies in the video game industry have.
Notably, Bungie Inc., developer of the Destiny game and a company Sony agreed to buy earlier this year for $3.6 billion, blasted the Supreme Court’s leaked plan as “a direct attack on the rights rights” in a blog post last week.
“Defending reproductive choice and freedom is not a difficult decision to make,” Bungie said in the post.
Some have praised Bungie’s hands-on stance on abortion rights.
Well, I’m suddenly even prouder of the statement Bungie executives released on abortion and reproductive health rights.
— Jason Meaden (@thatoneguy_jm) May 12, 2022
I am not playing #Fate but I’m about to buy a shirt from @Bungie because they support abortion, so do you have any suggestions?
— Liz plays more Animal Crossing (@Lizz_GamerGirl) May 13, 2022
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