Can a Tech Giant Be Woke?


Can a Tech Giant Embrace Social Responsibility? In December 2021, a Wisconsin studio owned by gaming giant Activision Blizzard announced a major overhaul, leading to the layoff of one-third of its quality assurance testers. This sparked a strike and union election, resulting in the formation of the first union at a major U.S. video game company. Microsoft's subsequent acquisition of Activision led to a shift in the company's approach to labor organizing. In a departure from most tech companies, Microsoft announced neutrality towards unionization, leading to subsequent union victories at other studios. This move has positioned Microsoft as an outlier in big tech and raised questions about what it means to be a socially responsible employer in the modern age. The article also explores Microsoft's corporate image transformation from its notorious antitrust battles in the 1990s to its current stance on issues like labor rights and unionization. It examines the potential impact of Microsoft's neutrality on the wider tech industry and its white-collar employees' growing interest in collective action.



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