Riot Games Investigating Esports Team Founder Andy Dinh Amid Bullying Allegations

Samson Amore

Samson Amore is a reporter for dot.LA. He holds a degree in journalism from Emerson College and previously covered technology and entertainment for TheWrap and reported on the SoCal startup scene for the Los Angeles Business Journal. Send tips or pitches to samsonamore@dot.la and find him on Twitter @Samsonamore.

Riot Games Investigating Esports Team Founder Andy Dinh Amid Bullying Allegations
Column: How to Turn the Esports Moment into a Movement

Riot Games is investigating TeamSoloMid founder and CEO Andy Dinh for workplace misconduct, after receiving complaints that the esports team owner verbally abused and bullied current and former employees and esports players.

West Los Angeles-based Riot launched an investigation into Dinh’s behavior late last year, Wired first reported on Tuesday. Dinh’s TSM competes in Riot’s flagship annual “League of Legends” World Championship tournament, one of the esports world’s largest and most prestigious competitions.


The 29-year-old Dinh—better known in gaming circles by his handle “Reginald”—founded TeamSoloMid in 2009. Originally a pro gamer, Dinh was captain of TSM for four years before transitioning into his current management role. TSM, which is based in Playa Vista, has since grown into the world’s most valuable esports organization, according to Forbes, with an estimated $410 million valuation and estimated annual revenues of $45 million. The team’s big-name corporate sponsors include Lenovo, Red Bull, Axe, and HTC.

But that could all be in jeopardy amid reports that Dinh has been under investigation for abusive workplace conduct by both Riot Games and TSM since November, shortly after former TSM player Yiliang “Doublelift” Peng called him out on a Twitch livestream.

“He’s like a bully who gets away with being a bad person because he’s powerful and because people are afraid to stand up to him, and that’s what I’m sick of,” Peng said of Dinh during the stream. “I’m sick of someone who’s basically just a bully getting away with it because it’s in everyone’s best interest to not get in his way.”

Multiple current and former TSM employees echoed similar complaints about Dinh’s “mental abuse” to Wired. One current employee, who spoke on the condition of anonymity, told the publication that Dinh would tell people their work was “trash,” and recalled that there was a time when Dinh made somebody at the company cry at least every other week. Another former TSM employee added that sometimes Dinh’s wrath would extend to his esports pros, who also were reportedly reduced to tears.

There is also public footage of Dinh berating pro “League of Legends” player Marcus “Dyrus” Hill during a stream, calling him a “little bitch” and a “fucking brat.” Last March, Dinh was fined $5,000 by Riot for violating its social media rules after making derogatory comments toward a player on rival esports team Cloud9. Dinh later apologized and said he “went overboard” with his comments.

According to Wired, more than a dozen people reported Dinh’s misconduct to the North American Players Association, with the esports players’ group passing on complaints to Riot Games.

“We are aware of the allegations made about the CEO/owner of TSM,” Riot said in a statement provided to dot.LA. “As the league operator, we have engaged the law firm of O'Melveny & Myers LLP to conduct an independent investigation into claims of misconduct made against the leader of this team, in accordance with standard league process.” The company declined to comment further in order to safeguard its ongoing investigation, it said.

In its own statement to dot.LA, TSM said that it is taking the allegations “very seriously.”

“Immediately upon learning of these allegations, TSM and its Board of Directors, with Andy’s full support, created an independent subcommittee, enlisted the services of outside legal counsel, and hired an independent investigator to conduct a robust investigation,” the esports team said. It added that Dinh has “recused himself from any oversight of the scope, nature, and conclusions of the investigation,” and that both Dinh and TSM are “fully cooperating” with Riot’s investigation, as well.

Dinh also provided his own emailed statement addressing the allegations. While declining to respond to specific claims, Dinh acknowledged that he has “zero tolerance for underperformance.”

“I set an extremely high bar, and when I feel that someone is not delivering, I directly and bluntly share that feedback,” Dinh said in the statement. “I do acknowledge that when I look back, my vocabulary was at times too harsh and ineffective. I know I need to work on my delivery, and I am working to improve the way I communicate with my team and those around me. I support and am fully cooperating with the independent investigations that are already underway and will gladly embrace any recommendations from the investigators.”

https://twitter.com/samsonamore
samsonamore@dot.la

Subscribe to our newsletter to catch every headline.

How the 'Thrift Haul' Trend Boosted the Secondhand Ecommerce

Lon Harris
Lon Harris is a contributor to dot.LA. His work has also appeared on ScreenJunkies, RottenTomatoes and Inside Streaming.
How the 'Thrift Haul' Trend Boosted the Secondhand Ecommerce
Evan Xie

If you can believe it, it’s been more than a decade since rapper Macklemore extolled the virtues of thrift shopping in a viral music video. But while scouring the ranks of vintage clothing stores looking for the ultimate come-up may have waned in popularity since 2012, the online version of this activity is apparently thriving.

According to a new trend story from CNBC, interest in “reselling” platforms like Etsy-owned Depop and Poshmark has exploded in the years since the start of the COVID-19 pandemic and lockdown. In an article that spends a frankly surprising amount of time focused on sellers receiving death threats before concluding that they’re “not the norm,” the network cites the usual belt-tightening ecommerce suspects – housebound individuals doing more of their shopping online coupled with inflation woes and recession fears – as the causes behind the uptick.

As for data, there’s a survey from Depop themselves, finding that 53% of respondents in the UK are more inclined to shop secondhand as living costs continue to rise. Additional research from Advance Market Analytics confirms the trend, citing not just increased demand for cheap clothes but the pressing need for a sustainable alternative to recycling clothing materials at its core.

The major popularity of “thrift haul” videos across social media platforms like YouTube and TikTok has also boosted the visibility of vintage clothes shopping and hunting for buried treasures. Teenage TikToker Jacklyn Wells scores millions of views on her thrift haul videos, only to get routinely mass-accused of greed for ratching up the Depop resell prices for her coolest finds and discoveries. Nonetheless, viral clips like Wells’ have helped to embed secondhand shopping apps more generally within online fashion culture. Fashion and beauty magazine Hunger now features a regular list of the hottest items on the re-sale market, with a focus on how to use them to recreate hot runway looks.

As with a lot of consumer and technology trends, the sudden surge of interest in second-hand clothing retailers was only partly organic. According to The Drum, ecommerce apps Vinted, eBay, and Depop have collectively spent around $120 million on advertising throughout the last few years, promoting the recent vintage shopping boom and helping to normalize second-hand shopping. This includes conventional advertising, of course, but also deals with online influencers to post content like “thrift haul” videos, along with shoutouts for where to track down the best finds.

Reselling platforms have naturally responded to the increase in visibility with new features (as well as a predictable hike in transaction fees). Poshmark recently introduced livestreamed “Posh Shows” during which sellers can host auctions or provide deeper insight into their inventory. Depop, meanwhile, has introduced a “Make Offer” option to fully integrate the bartering and negotiation process into the app, rather than forcing buyers and sellers to text or Direct Message one another elsewhere. (The platform formerly had a comments section on product pages, but shut this option down after finding that it led to arguments, and wasn’t particularly helpful in making purchase decisions.)

Now that it’s clear there’s money to be made in online thrift stores, larger and more established brands and retailers are also pushing their way into the space. H&M and Target have both partnered with online thrift store ThredUp on featured collections of previously-worn clothing. A new “curated” resale collection from Tommy Hilfiger – featuring minorly damaged items that were returned to its retail stores – was developed and promoted through a partnership with Depop, which has also teamed with Kellogg’s on a line of Pop-Tarts-inspired wear. J.Crew is even bringing back its classic ‘80s Rollneck Sweater in a nod to the renewed interest in all things vintage.

Still, with any surge of popularity and visibility, there must also come an accompanying backlash. In a sharp editorial this week for Arizona University’s Daily Wildcat, thrift shopping enthusiast Luke Lawson makes the case that sites like Depop are “gentrifying fashion,” stripping communities of local thrift stores that provide a valuable public service, particularly for members of low-income communities. As well, UK tabloids are routinely filled with secondhand shopping horror stories these days, another evidence point as to their increased visibility among British consumers specifically, not to mention the general dangers of buying personal items from strangers you met over the internet. - Lon Harris

Here’s What Happened in LA’s Entertainment Tech World This Week 🍿

How Token and Tixr plan to take on Ticketmaster in L.A.

What is ‘embodied audio?’ And can it help pro sports teams fill their stadiums?

Social Media 📱 

Five takeaways from TikTok’s congressional hearing.

How the TikTok ban could impact LA employees.

With a TikTok ban on the horizon, Zigazoo is working to attract teens.

Clean Tech ♻️

Mullen Automotive pays millions to settle lawsuit with Qiantu.

Why are lithium prices falling?

Relativity Space launches world’s first 3D-printed rocket, but falls short of orbit.

Generative AI apps still have a long way to go before they start swaying elections.

Listen Up 🎧

Behind Her Empire: ComplYant Founder and CEO Shiloh Johnson on helping small businesses.

LA Venture: B Capital’s Howard Morgan on what to look for in potential founders.

Office Hours: VC legend Bill Gurley on startups, venture capital and scaling.

Also 💬

Without neuromarketing, tech firms’ ads get lost in the noise.

How to startup: mission acquisition.

Virgin Orbit’s swift descent.

Adobe announces new generative AI app that doesn’t steal artists’ work.

Get caught up on this week's career moves in L.A.'s tech world with our weekly roundup.

And check out our weekly 'Raises' roundup of L.A. startups that raised capital this week.

How to Startup: Mission Acquisition

Spencer Rascoff

Spencer Rascoff serves as executive chairman of dot.LA. He is an entrepreneur and company leader who co-founded Zillow, Hotwire, dot.LA, Pacaso and Supernova, and who served as Zillow's CEO for a decade. During Spencer's time as CEO, Zillow won dozens of "best places to work" awards as it grew to over 4,500 employees, $3 billion in revenue, and $10 billion in market capitalization. Prior to Zillow, Spencer co-founded and was VP Corporate Development of Hotwire, which was sold to Expedia for $685 million in 2003. Through his startup studio and venture capital firm, 75 & Sunny, Spencer is an active angel investor in over 100 companies and is incubating several more.

How to Startup: Mission Acquisition

Numbers don’t lie, but often they don’t tell the whole story. If you look at the facts and figures alone, launching a startup seems like a daunting enterprise. It seems like a miracle anyone makes it out the other side.

  • 90% of startups around the world fail.
  • On average, it takes startups 2-3 years to turn a profit. (Venture funded startups take far longer.)
  • Post-seed round, fewer than 10% of startups go on to successfully raise a Series A investment.
  • Less than 1% of startups go public.
  • A startup only has a .00006% chance of becoming a unicorn.

Ouch.

Read moreShow less
https://twitter.com/spencerrascoff
https://www.linkedin.com/in/spencerrascoff/
admin@dot.la

From The Vault: VC Legend Bill Gurley On Startups, Venture Capital and Scaling

Spencer Rascoff

Spencer Rascoff serves as executive chairman of dot.LA. He is an entrepreneur and company leader who co-founded Zillow, Hotwire, dot.LA, Pacaso and Supernova, and who served as Zillow's CEO for a decade. During Spencer's time as CEO, Zillow won dozens of "best places to work" awards as it grew to over 4,500 employees, $3 billion in revenue, and $10 billion in market capitalization. Prior to Zillow, Spencer co-founded and was VP Corporate Development of Hotwire, which was sold to Expedia for $685 million in 2003. Through his startup studio and venture capital firm, 75 & Sunny, Spencer is an active angel investor in over 100 companies and is incubating several more.

Bill Gurley in a blue suit
Bill Gurley

This interview was originally published on December of 2020, and was recorded at the inaugural dot.LA Summit held October 27th & 28th.

One of my longtime favorite episodes of Office Hours was a few years ago when famed venture capitalist Bill Gurley and I talked about marketplace-based companies, how work-from-home will continue to accelerate business opportunities and his thoughts on big tech and antitrust.

Read moreShow less
https://twitter.com/spencerrascoff
https://www.linkedin.com/in/spencerrascoff/
admin@dot.la
RELATEDEDITOR'S PICKS
LA TECH JOBS
interchangeLA
Trending