Over the last eight months, we’ve been internally focused on listening, learning, and acting as we work to transform our culture and create a more diverse and inclusive Riot. Along the way, we’ve shared some of these efforts with you. You can read more about some of that work here, here, and here. In the spirit of transparency, we also want to address the ongoing public conversations around Riot’s arbitration agreements. As prospective Rioters, former Rioters, players, partners, and fans, we need you to know where we stand today and how we expect that to change in the future, so we’re sharing with you now what we shared with Rioters earlier today.
Over the last week we discussed this topic with Rioters across the organization, including tonight at our bi-weekly all-company town hall. We’ve made a call that we will pivot our approach. As soon as current litigation is resolved, we will give all new Rioters the choice to opt-out of mandatory arbitration for individual sexual harassment and sexual assault claims. At that time, we will also commit to have a firm answer around expanding the scope and extending this opt-out to all Rioters.
We know that this resolution will not satisfy all Rioters. We understand and respect Rioters who choose to protest this decision on Monday, and admire their conviction and willingness to stand up for their beliefs.
We do want to take a moment to break down what arbitration currently means at Riot. Not all arbitration agreements are the same. Here are some details about ours:
Riot covers all costs of the arbitrator.
Both parties must agree on the arbitrator. Either party can reject an arbitrator — for example, based on their history of past cases — and the case will not proceed until a neutral arbitrator is selected.
The plaintiff can hire a lawyer of their choosing.
There is no confidentiality clause, which means the plaintiff can communicate about their suit against the company in the same ways they could in court.
The plaintiff is allowed fulsome discovery.
The agreement does not limit damages, which means there is no cap on total potential damages awarded, or the types of damages awarded — for example punitive or consequential damages.
We are facing a complicated situation with no perfect solution, so arriving at a decision has not been easy. We are working diligently to resolve all ongoing litigation, so that we can quickly take steps toward a solution that more Rioters feel good about. This is where we are right now, but this is an ongoing process and there’s more to come.
Commitments and Timelines for D&I and Culture Initiatives
We last updated our diversity, inclusion, and cultural transformation progress in late February. And now, with Emily and Angela on the team, we can significantly accelerate our People team and D&I initiatives across Riot. At our town hall, we shared our 90-day plan to demonstrate this acceleration:
In 30 days we will:
Pilot an internal jobs board so it’s easier for Rioters to explore new roles (aka “laneswap”) and advance*
Update our code of conduct to ensure we’re doubling down in the right places and that all our policies are crystal clear
Kick off new training programs in feedback and ally skills
Commit to interviewing a diverse slate of candidates for new job listings
Within 60 days we will:
Complete the launch of the internal jobs board*
Implement a new process for interviewing for values and gaming experience
Launch a new anti-harassment training for all new hires
Complete Chief Diversity Officer D&I and Values listening sessions
Hold Values workshops for the executive team and senior leaders
Finish our full pay equity analysis
Within 90 days we will:
Make changes to ensure fairness throughout our recruiting process
Begin to roll out the results of our “job architecture” review that will help provide logic and consistency in job titles and expectations by role
Launch a new cultural recognition program
Create a D&I scorecard that will allow us to continue to track progress over time
*These bullets were edited to accurately reflect what we shared with Riot on May 2