Sheryl Sandberg Reportedly Buried Stories About Bobby Kotick
Kristin Snyder is dot.LA's 2022/23 Editorial Fellow. She previously interned with Tiger Oak Media and led the arts section for UCLA's Daily Bruin.
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Meta Platforms chief operating officer Sheryl Sandberg extinguished two articles about her controversial ex-boyfriend, Activision Blizzard CEO Bobby Kotick, the Wall Street Journal reported Thursday.
Sandberg allegedly contacted MailOnline, the Daily Mail’s digital edition, in 2016 and 2019 to quash stories unearthing a temporary restraining order against Kotick. The restraining order was reportedly issued in March 2014 after Kotick harassed his ex-girlfriend at her home, and it was dissolved in April of that same year.
Sandberg and Kotick, who dated for three years, reportedly tapped employees from both Facebook and Activision, along with lawyers and public relations advisors, to construct a plan to stop both stories from being published, according to the WSJ. Sandberg and her team are said to have been concerned about how the stories would impact the "Lean In" author's status as a supporter of women in the workplace.
Facebook initiated a review into whether Sandberg broke company policy after the WSJ began reporting on the matter, according to the publication. Both Kotick and a Meta spokesperson denied the WSJ's report.
The claims come as Activision has faced mounting controversies under Kotick's leadership. Last month, three women called for the CEO to be fired after detailing alleged sexual harassment at the Santa Monica-based video game company. Activision employees also staged a walked out last year, after the WSJ reported that Kotick knowingly did not inform Activision's board of directors about a sexual assault settlement involving the company.
Kristin Snyder is dot.LA's 2022/23 Editorial Fellow. She previously interned with Tiger Oak Media and led the arts section for UCLA's Daily Bruin.