Staff members at PlayStation are reportedly angry at CEO Jim Ryan for sending an email to employees urging them to “respect differences of opinion” on abortion rights before writing, at length, about his two cats’ first birthday party.
According to Bloomberg, the email begins by addressing current events such as the recent leak of a US Supreme Court opinion draft signaling an intent to overturn Roe v. Wade, the landmark case which federally legalized abortion. Ryan did not take a stance on the subject in the email, instead writing that the company and its employees are “multi-faceted and diverse, holding many different points of view.”
“We owe it to each other and to PlayStation’s millions of users to respect 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 valued global brand.”
Ryan then went on to write five paragraphs on something “lighthearted to help inspire everyone to be mindful of having balance that can help ease the stress of uncertain world events:” his cats. The CEO described his two cats’ first birthday party–including their cakes–and his desire to get a dog one day.
In internal discussions viewed by Bloomberg, PlayStation staff members expressed anger at the tone of the email, writing they felt Ryan had trivialized their rights. One employee reportedly stated they had “never been so mad about a cat birthday before.”
While it is not unusual for companies to shy away from making political statements–especially ones regarding abortion–Ryan’s attempt to put employees at ease with cat stories might be a first. GameSpot has reached out to Sony for a comment regarding Ryan’s email, and is still awaiting a response.
One company that is taking a stand against the Supreme Courts apparent attempt at overturning Roe v. Wade, however, is Destiny developer Bungie. In a blog post shared on the studio’s official website last week, the company called the decision “a direct attack on human rights.” The company then listed a number of pro-coice organizations supporters can donate to including URGE (Unite for Reproductive & Gender Equity) and NARAL Pro-Choice America. It is interesting to note, however, that Bungie is now a PlayStation studio, having been recently acquired by the company.
We at GameSpot share Bungie’s sentiment, and have written an article explaining the impact overturning Roe v. Wade might have on American citizens, as well as outlining a number of pro-choice organizations you can support.
