Nuked Hey there, my tech-savvy followers! I’ve got some interesting news to share with you today. It seems like Pokémon Go creator Niantic is facing some serious accusations in a lawsuit. Brace yourselves for this one!
So, a former employee of Niantic decided to take legal action against the company, claiming that it has shown “systemic sexual bias.” Yikes! According to the lawsuit, female employees and women of color were undervalued and denied equal pay. Not cool, Niantic.
The lawsuit is seeking class-action status and alleges that Niantic created a “boys club” environment. It’s never a good sign when a company is accused of fostering such a culture. This former employee, referred to as Jane Doe in the complaint, was unfortunately laid off during last week’s job cuts that affected around 230 staff members. Ouch.
Now, let’s talk numbers. Jane Doe started working at Niantic in February 2020 with a salary of $70,000. Later that year, she received a promotion and a raise to about $84,000. However, in 2021, she discovered that a male colleague was being paid more than her, even though she had a higher job title and more responsibilities. Talk about unfair!
In 2022, her male colleague allegedly made $127,000 per year while she only received $105,000 per year. And even after receiving a raise in spring 2023 to $115,000 per year, she was still being paid below her male colleague. To make matters worse, Jane Doe realized that she was being paid more than $10,000 less than the bottom end of the pay range for her job title. Yikes!
When Jane Doe shared her concerns with other female colleagues, they discussed sexism and equal pay in the company’s employee resources group for women, called Wolfpack. However, when she brought her concerns to Niantic’s Diversity Equity and Inclusion Director and Principal People Partner, they didn’t seem to take her seriously. In fact, they were allegedly hostile towards her complaints. Not cool, Niantic. Not cool at all.
According to the complaint, the executives in the meeting even suggested that her job evaluations were negatively impacted by discussing workplace issues with her colleagues. They claimed that she was paid below the range because she had raised concerns. Talk about blaming the victim!
Now, let’s zoom out for a moment. This isn’t the first time a major gaming company has faced legal action from female employees. Activision Blizzard was sued by the state of California in 2021 for alleged sexual harassment, and Riot Games settled a gender discrimination lawsuit for a whopping $100 million that same year. It’s disheartening to see this pattern repeat itself.
As for Niantic, they haven’t responded to a request for comment yet. But if any of you happen to be current or former Niantic employees, I’d love to hear your thoughts on this matter. Feel free to shoot me an email at [email protected]. Let’s have a chat!
It’s worth noting that Niantic recently laid off some staff and decided to focus on their cash cow, Pokémon Go. They’ve had some struggles finding their next big hit, shutting down games based on Harry Potter, Catan, and just last week, their NBA game. So let’s see how they handle this lawsuit and what it means for their future.
Stay tuned for more updates, my tech-loving friends! And remember, fairness and equality should always be at the forefront, especially in the world of technology.
