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Layoffs at Respawn somehow mostly hitting "PoC, queer folks and those on parental & medical leave" complains disabled queer ployamorous employee

Seeing this, reminded me of this string of tweets I saw from someone at EA/Respawn who was fired

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no age given, but she was still working on her b.a. in 'film & media arts', along with a minor in 'peace & conflict studies (emphasis in social justice)', in 2018:

https://collections.lib.utah.edu/ark:/87278/s6j15fgc
https://www.christalrosehazelton.com/home/#aboutanchor

these people are literally children, with no actual real world 'lived experience' whatsoever. yet they are confidently determining what is & isn't acceptable, proper, & wholesome for everyone. that our sense of what is moral & what is real is being decided by people young enough to be our kid brothers & sisters is something not even philip k. dick saw coming...
 

StereoVsn

Member
I'm always curious why LGBTQA+ individuals always have to state what they are in social media bio's, why is something so personal needed to be public information. If it's about "community" keep it communal within work and personal social circles(like actual friends). Not your IG or Twitter lol
Pretty sure that majority of LGB portion of the above don’t do that shit. They are just normal people.

At least out of a decent number of folks at work and acquaintances who are gay/lesbian I have yet to see one post that info in their social media accounts.

The ones who do are outliers, but they are very loud ones.
 
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Embearded

Member
ding ding ding. DEI departments are getting cut across all industries, not just game dev.

regardless of anyone's personal stance/feelings on the subject, the costs aren't justifying the value gained.

"but companies should be doing it because it's the right thing to do, not for profits!"

that's a great sentiment when times are good. the (economic) times now are not good. also, for-profit companies in a capitalist system have never done anything outside the goal of driving profit.

you already know 99% of corporate pride tweets are straight pandering meant to drive engagement and sales, not because the company actually gives a shit about LGBTQ people or their rights.
Especially when at the same time these companies take advantage of cheap labor and manufacturing in China with reports of concentration camps and inhumane conditions.
 

Lord Panda

The Sea is Always Right
Interviewer: "why should we hire you?"

"bEcaUsE IM trAns...aNd IM fLuEnt iN SnARk!"

Interviewer: "Ok...can you tell me about your previous work experience?"

"aLL tHe aSShoLes wHo mAdE mY LiFe heLL sTiLL hAvE jObs, LiFe iS SOOOK uNfAiR!!!"

Interviewer: "Excellent! You're hired! Welcome to Sweet Baby Inc!"

Interviewer: "One more thing - before you head out, make sure you drop by HR so that they can size you up for your furry suit."
 

Braag

Member
In my career I've never seen someone fired on stress or medical leave. But I have seen them get fired the first day back many times. You cant hide forever. And these leaves are bullshot leaves.

Yeah, to rephrase that, they were let go immediately once they returned from from their leave, but the decision was surely done as the company was deciding who to let go during the lay off.
 

cormack12

Gold Member
As evidenced by countless videos and exposes, we're clearly at the point where any funding available via ESG but at the cost of policy is affecting the bottom line and is becoming a poisoned well.

Look at Gillette and Budweiser's new adverts after being chewed out. We're back to having a late 80's power chord relic of the past and back to all American blooded male adverts for Bud.

If the funding is available via application then usually (for us) you apply for the funding and agree to meet commitments. So I imagine it might be like apply for £1.5m ESG funding for DEI if you agree to 'include x amount of diverse characters', 'hire x amount of diverse staff' etc. I think this is what Asmon was meaning by 'free money'.

To the bean counters it seems like a win, agree to do something subtle and get a capital injection to avoid spending your own money. However, we've reached a stage where implementing the demands are affecting the sales, reputation and bottom line of profitability. The core consumer is being pissed off which is unsustainable. Just let people make the games they want, with the characters they want.
 


It's too early to celebrate, yet, but we can be 100% certain that at some point in the future, this type of collectivist, authoritarian illiberalism will creep up again under a different disguise. Problem is, most people are too dumb to recognize the devil when it stands before them. He really has to take off his mask to be seen for what he is by the majority of the population. Word soup activism, I think, has finally done just that and normal people are waking up to the fact these parasitic fascists are trying to take away their freedoms. Good thing lies and deceit never work in the long term.
 

Cyberpunkd

Member


It's too early to celebrate, yet, but we can be 100% certain that at some point in the future, this type of collectivist, authoritarian illiberalism will creep up again under a different disguise. Problem is, most people are too dumb to recognize the devil when it stands before them. He really has to take off his mask to be seen for what he is by the majority of the population. Word soup activism, I think, has finally done just that and normal people are waking up to the fact these parasitic fascists are trying to take away their freedoms. Good thing lies and deceit never work in the long term.

Listen, I’m all for ending the woke craziness, but can people find a different prophet than Jordan Peterson? Guy has a grift, kudos to him.
 

Dr.Morris79

Gold Member
Not that long ago we had an employee (mid/early 20s) that would fit the description of this thread. One afternoon, I had to go into her department and see this young woman laying on ground (legs/arms spread) and co workers gathered around. Instinctively, I ran over thinking there was a medical emergency. Turns out, when this young woman felt stressed, she would lay on the floor and ball her eyes out...( stress of being misgendered, rude customer, hard assignment...whatever). The co workers would gather around and encourage, take her work load, etc.
To make this short, In a meeting the employees director, I brought this up and she (the director) said they wanted to be accommodating and (inclusive) so they promoted her to a manager of a small team..... shocking I know.
My wife works in a school, secondary. The new librarian they took on is exactly the same as that. She goes by they/them and has all those traits.
 

SJRB

Gold Member
What is with these weirdos and their persecution complex, anyway? “Everyone at the office is mean to me. They’re all out to get me,” buddy nobody cares about you. You really believe entire groups of colleagues set their alarm clock in the morning and go to work just to ruin your day?

It’s literally the meme:

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If entire groups of people have a problem with you, then maybe the problem is you.
 
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Clear

CliffyB's Cock Holster
Its baffling to me that people think they can defend their jobs on the bases of identity traits and self-reported quality. Has it really never occurred to them that the most powerful metrics in a commercial environment are always going to be financial/business-performance related?

I mean hypothetically you could hire the greatest dramatists in the entire history of humanity to work on a show, but if that show wasn't attracting an audience predictably they'd all be looking at being laid off because of that single factor!

Its bordering on delusional to think otherwise. For heaven's sake where do they think their pay comes from? Do they really believe that they are intrinsically owed jobs for as long as they desire?
 
Listen, I’m all for ending the woke craziness, but can people find a different prophet than Jordan Peterson? Guy has a grift, kudos to him.
Who are you talking to? Do you think that Blackrock guy sees him as a "prophet"? Or me, even? I've been reading Burke, Locke, Mill and Heidegger many many years before anyone ever heard Petersons name, lol. I didn't receive my PhD in philosophy from a renowend German university because I watched some Canadians YouTube videos :messenger_tears_of_joy:
 
Its baffling to me that people think they can defend their jobs on the bases of identity traits and self-reported quality. Has it really never occurred to them that the most powerful metrics in a commercial environment are always going to be financial/business-performance related?

I mean hypothetically you could hire the greatest dramatists in the entire history of humanity to work on a show, but if that show wasn't attracting an audience predictably they'd all be looking at being laid off because of that single factor!

Its bordering on delusional to think otherwise. For heaven's sake where do they think their pay comes from? Do they really believe that they are intrinsically owed jobs for as long as they desire?

Of course they do.... they're poorly disguised Marxists.
 

ManaByte

Gold Member
these people are literally children, with no actual real world 'lived experience' whatsoever. yet they are confidently determining what is & isn't acceptable, proper, & wholesome for everyone. that our sense of what is moral & what is real is being decided by people young enough to be our kid brothers & sisters is something not even philip k. dick saw coming...
I remember that Japanese message to creators on Twitter about the cancel mob:
abDzK3c.png
 

OneBigPuss

Member
I remember one dialogue from Dexter that fits perfectly here:
"This isn't the first time that you and I have squared-off. So what exactly is your beef with me? My gender? My race? What?"
"Your arrogance."
People like this will cry wolf about the injustice but in most cases you just justifying your shitty behavior because you always need to be and are right (its all about meeee) and there can't be something wrong with what you are doing.
 

Redneckerz

Those long posts don't cover that red neck boy
I identify as hee/hee.

Dancing GIF


Jokes aside, sadly we live in a society where being utterly incompetent at what you are ought to do is seen as something worth promoting. Fun fact: This doesn't rely on your gender-orientation, your pronouns, your hair, or your appearances. However, i do wager the argument that rainbow hair people have boosted this negative trend in the working society. After all, the term diversity hire exists with reason, no?

What''s more likely is that of the 670 people being put to exit, you also have people out there that worked in departments where it is relatively easy to let people go, like HR, or innovation or have you not. Its less likely that each of the 670 people let go are all rainbow unicorn people who are there to be diverse.

Why is it always queer folks and not queer people......it makes them sound like fantasy characters,lol.......anyway,I'm sure they all got sacked because they were an absolute fucking nightmare to work with.
Queer Folk sounds like a music genre where every instrument is either made up or overblown and makes music in very colorful ways.

This is the problem with hiring people who base their identity entirety on their victimhood and DEI status. Meritocracy is in direct conflict with their beliefs and therefore there's no reason for them to want to actually work hard. They believe that they are "owed" their paychecks and that they should be promoted simply for being who they are. And when you fire them or don't give them what they want, this is the result. They will cry discrimination and bigotry and try to take down the entire company if they have to. These people don't give a shit.

And just to clarify, I'm not referring to all minorities or all LGBT people. It's a small group of wackos that are the most vocal and have slithered their way into every company and every institution.
Its a a large small group then, haha. Curiously, it doesn't always involve trans people either - I call them rainbow people because they love the colours of the rainbow, but they involve many kinds of people, including protesters, Karens, autistic people. What they all share in common with the rest of the LGBT crowd is a pendulant desire to be always right and have the authority to complain 24/7.

The second they get any flagback, they just employ their convoy of similar minded minions to boo that individual away... highlighting that they aren't as open as they claim to be.

All what that behavior does is reinforcing your own opinion into a ever smaller bubble to the point where no criticial dissent can exist. I think that's the saddest part of them all; these people literally delude themselves into thinking that only their world view actually matters and can change the world.

Going by her Linkedin, the longest she's ever been a company is around 2 years like Respawn (which is the longest at 2 years and 3 months). She left Respawn in May 2023 and hasnt worked since.

it looks like she started her career with her first real job in 2014. In 10 years, she's hopped around to 5 different companies already. And if she gets a new job soon, it'll be 6 companies in 10 years.
Job hoppers are terrible in the sense that you never fully can expect them to have your back. For all you know, they may just jump ship..
 

cormack12

Gold Member
I identify as hee/hee.

Dancing GIF


Jokes aside, sadly we live in a society where being utterly incompetent at what you are ought to do is seen as something worth promoting. Fun fact: This doesn't rely on your gender-orientation, your pronouns, your hair, or your appearances. However, i do wager the argument that rainbow hair people have boosted this negative trend in the working society. After all, the term diversity hire exists with reason, no?

What''s more likely is that of the 670 people being put to exit, you also have people out there that worked in departments where it is relatively easy to let people go, like HR, or innovation or have you not. Its less likely that each of the 670 people let go are all rainbow unicorn people who are there to be diverse.


Queer Folk sounds like a music genre where every instrument is either made up or overblown and makes music in very colorful ways.


Its a a large small group then, haha. Curiously, it doesn't always involve trans people either - I call them rainbow people because they love the colours of the rainbow, but they involve many kinds of people, including protesters, Karens, autistic people. What they all share in common with the rest of the LGBT crowd is a pendulant desire to be always right and have the authority to complain 24/7.

The second they get any flagback, they just employ their convoy of similar minded minions to boo that individual away... highlighting that they aren't as open as they claim to be.

All what that behavior does is reinforcing your own opinion into a ever smaller bubble to the point where no criticial dissent can exist. I think that's the saddest part of them all; these people literally delude themselves into thinking that only their world view actually matters and can change the world.


Job hoppers are terrible in the sense that you never fully can expect them to have your back. For all you know, they may just jump ship..
Agree. They are effectively this generations version of 'I can't do that because I have a sore back' and need long term provisions and adjustments. And we all knew it was bullshit.
 

SCB3

Member
They got rid of people who were expendable. Companies care about profit, they won't lay off valuable employees no matter their backgrounds.

We cut out 13% of the workforce at my job and those who were let go were mostly people that weren't critical to the operations. People in HR got hit the hardest and surprise, they also had the highest proportions of queer and transgender folks. Had nothing to do with their sexual orientation or what have you. Our forecasts didn't pan out, we had massive budget cuts, so we had to trim the fat to stay afloat.
Exactly this, HR and Community/customer service get hit first, long before devs or anyone doing the main "work" making/fixing the game
 

DaGwaphics

Member
If certain groups were legitimately targeted, that's not a great look. But just as much chance this is just a disgruntled employee trying to punch back at the boss for something.

Need to see more corroboration.

Meme Reaction GIF by MOODMAN
 

nush

Member
Agree. They are effectively this generations version of 'I can't do that because I have a sore back' and need long term provisions and adjustments. And we all knew it was bullshit.

One of my first jobs had a high headcount of staff and I noticed a pattern of certain new starters being able to do every task of the job right up until they passed the 3 month probation period. Then they would turn up with doctors notes and claim to have "conditions" that seemed only to allow them to do the easiest parts of the job. As it was shift work and their "Conditions" were not accounted for on the schedule they would complain that they can't do that part of the job and someone like myself would get shifted into one of these least desirable parts of the job for them.

I got pissed off with it having to always do the worst jobs rather than a fair share on rotation and management not seeing what was going on. I just got my own doctors note.
 
Pretty sure that majority of LGB portion of the above don’t do that shit. They are just normal people.

At least out of a decent number of folks at work and acquaintances who are gay/lesbian I have yet to see one post that info in their social media accounts.

The ones who do are outliers, but they are very loud ones.
Yes exactly

Im part of the LGBTQ myself and I dont feel the need to shout it from every rooftop because well...its nobody else's business.

Then again *unlike some people* I dont feel the need to wawe my orientation as some get out of jail card...
 

Filben

Member
Maybe the games queer folk were working on are being sunset for a reason, e. g. the games just suck (and yes, just having queer people on board doesn't make them automatically efficient, good at their jobs or educated; same as for the white cis folks, who, by the way, are getting layed off left and right in the industry, too), and hence these people are being layed off.

Some folks love to jump to conclusions. And create drama.
 

Panajev2001a

GAF's Pleasant Genius
Yes exactly

Im part of the LGBTQ myself and I dont feel the need to shout it from every rooftop because well...its nobody else's business.

Then again *unlike some people* I dont feel the need to wawe my orientation as some get out of jail card...
Like like we have an Uncle Tom here with internalised phobias…

< /s >

Sigh… because in a lot of cases this is how it lands…
 

ReBurn

Gold Member
Layoffs hit those who are least productive and contributing least to the success of the company.

If most of those happen to be PoC, queer, etc, then so be it. 🤷‍♂️

💯 it’s just business and not personal or vindictive. As the person implies.
This is a person who feels that everything bad that happens to them is because of how they identify. Which it very well could be, because people they work for are probably sick of hearing them talk about their identity all the time instead of seeing them get work done.
 

DonkeyPunchJr

World’s Biggest Weeb
Layoffs hit those who are least productive and contributing least to the success of the company.

If most of those happen to be PoC, queer, etc, then so be it. 🤷‍♂️

💯 it’s just business and not personal or vindictive. As the person implies.
It’s telling that he didn’t say “they laid off some talented and hard working people whose contributions were vital to Respawn’s past successes.”

Instead it’s “they laid off people from the victim class and not people from the oppressor class, no fair!!”
 

DonkeyPunchJr

World’s Biggest Weeb
Oh my god, I can’t even tell what part is the funniest:

- his team’s job is hanging up newsletters in the restrooms

- none of the women showed up to the office on “hang up the newsletters in the restroom” day

- so his team went with the next best option and got the non-gendered queer guy who looks like a chick to do it

- he had a mental breakdown and from then on avoided the office on “hang up the newsletters in the restroom” day



Man, what a tragic loss for Respawn, how will they even function without such valuable employees like these ones?
And I forgot the funniest point of all: that he imagined this story was so appalling that he posted it on X for pity points.
 
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