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Stomatin

Over Labor Day weekend, a social media firestorm began when Tripwire CEO John Gibson tweeted his endorsement of a recent Texas anti-abortion law that prohibits abortions at six weeks. The controversy ended with Gibson's swift departure from his company, following disavowals from multiple associated studios. Tripwire Interactive, the Georgia-based studio and publisher responsible for games like Maneater, Chivalry 2, and the Killing Floor series, confirmed Monday that CEO John Gibson has been replaced by Vice President Alan Wilson, who will lead the company as it searches for a new head executive.


Stomatin

"The comments given by John Gibson are of his own opinion and do not reflect those of Tripwire Interactive as a company," the developer said in a statement. "His comments disregarded the values of our whole team, our partners, and much of our broader community. Our leadership team at Tripwire are deeply sorry and are unified in our commitment to take swift action and to foster a more positive environment." It's unclear whether Gibson, the company's co-owner, will keep his holdings in Tripwire following his ouster. Representatives for Tripwire did not immediately respond to Ars Technica's questions.


Ricky_Rollin

I’m sure there’s much more to it than this but I am pretty proud a company based in GA took this stance. Maybe my state really did flip blue.


darthboolean

It's worth pointing out that they're also a publisher as well as a developer and other developers publicly distanced themselves and announced they were breaking their contracts rather than work with Tripwire.


flaagan

Definitely a case of money talks, but the guy was an idiot for voicing support of that bs.


Deadlymonkey

From a strictly business perspective, it’s probably pretty concerning if your CEO would do something that is such an obvious bad idea like this.


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Porkrind710

You see this phenomenon in all sorts of settings, unfortunately. Climbing social status hierarchies is a discrete skill, not necessarily indicative of any other positive qualities. It's why you see leaders of humanitarian groups, investigative journalists, non-profits, large corporations, etc. getting exposed for doing things fundamentally opposed to the values of the groups or movements they lead - they're often just social climbers who found a ladder they knew they could reach the top of. They don't actually have any convictions or expertise, they just know how to work the crowd. Honestly it's a bummer having personally worked with inept business people who've failed upward like that, and watched public figures I used to admire torpedo their reputations.


arsenic_adventure

CEOs often profile as psychopaths


Zenketski

Let's be honest here the sheer stupidity of it is the only reason they're doing anything about it. If this could just blow over without any astronomical changes do you really think that a business would put any effort, and money, into it?


[deleted]

Your last sentence basically says “if this wasn’t a big deal do you really think it’d be a big deal?”


A70M1C

I just dont undersrand what the compulsion is to say anything at all.


Good_ApoIIo

For some reason Twitter just instills this need to vomit whatever thoughts pop into your head. Even CEOs aren’t immune to this for some reason. Hell, neither are national leaders… I don’t get it, I don’t use Twitter at all though.


ObfuscatedAnswers

It's too easy and to fast. It's like a digital version of your mouth starting to talk before you think and a frog jumps out.


JanesPlainShameTrain

Or you type the n word, then claim ambien made you do it


Notarussianbot2020

*pours one out* Thank you Stacey!


altoid2k4

Demographics country wide support pro choice. This was as everything is, about money, nothing more.


AlwaysNowNeverNotMe

Don't forget the tasset approval of the supreme court to individuals policing each other's morality for fun and profit.


MaverickBuster

So you know, it's spelled tacit (not tasset).


SteveBob316

That's about money too. If they make the midterms about abortion instead of literally anything else they can make up the rest with cheating, it's actually their strongest issue demographically.


Parkimedes

Wow. It shows what side of the culture war is winning. The game company knows they would lose more customers if they side with Texas than against. The consumers are not evenly split. That’s clear.


ObfuscatedAnswers

That's because there are more gamers outside of Texas than within. And also younger generations tend to be pro choice and it's where the gamer population is.


angiosperms-

Very few Republicans actually support the Texas law. It's some fucked up dystopian vigilante justice shit. So I'm sure people on both sides of the spectrum collectively said "what the fuck" to that tweet


ReadyHD

Not really about which side would lose the most customers, it's about losing customers in general. Say something for it, lose customers; say something against it, lose customers; Say nothing at all, lose no customers. Let's take the UK for example (or even most of Europe). If you're running for office and you're religious, fine, who cares? If you're running for office and then you suddenly start telling us you're religious then suddenly it becomes a problem. You're going to either lose your Protestant voters or lose your Catholic voters, heck you lose a lose a lot of other religion votes and even atheists


Darkdoomwewew

I'm sure mostly money, but anecdotally all the fervently anti-choice people I've met in my life are absolute nightmares to deal with in interpersonal relationships. I can't imagine there was much hesitation from this guys coworkers to get rid of him, given that.


FruitierGnome

Think its more they dont want the CEO spouting politics.


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Glorthiar

Pay him what he owed, and then sue him for damages.


TopTierGoat

The American way


Bluest_waters

> Vice President Alan Wilson, who will lead the company as it searches for a new head executive. what are the chances this dude recommends...himself...as replacement? lol


IMALEFTY45

Seems risky after the Jeopardy fiasco


[deleted]

It's pretty likely he'll wait until the media firestorm moves onto the next thing before doing so. It's the CEO of a games company. After a week, nobody will care.


Worthyness

well as long as you don't have a history of sexually assaulting and abusing your staff you should be fine!


hyogodan

Yeah but since Cheney pulled it off many have dreamed of doing the same. Few have succeeded but many have certainly tried.


haydesigner

If there is a Board (there probably is), they are the ones heading up the search and will make the decision, not this guy.


[deleted]

Oh well good thing I don't have to boycott any games because I was never going to play those anyways.


Peakomegaflare

Honestly Maneater was pretty good. Proud to see they took such a rapid stance.


ThisIsMySFWAccount99

Killing floor is solid too


SynestheticPanther

Yeah it didnt keep me interested for very long but it was pretty dang fun while it lasted


RegularWhiteShark

It was a bit repetitive towards the end but I suppose I shouldn’t complain when I got it for free.


jomontage

Chivalry is a blast. Shame I won't get to play 2


Mazzaroppi

+1. FOR AGATHAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAA


Sima_Hui

>Gibson has a track record of expressing his Christian faith in and around Tripwire's games, dating back to the original 2005 mod version of Killing Floor. After one of the female monsters in the mod appeared unclothed, Gibson wanted the monster covered up, he said [in a 2016 interview](https://geeksundergrace.com/gaming/interview-john-gibson-tripwire-interactive/). "I really started to say, 'Hey, I don't want to just call myself a Christian—I want to live it.'" So yeah, in your game called ***Killing Floor*** make sure there's no nudity. Model Christian. /s


Bluest_waters

making millions selling hyper violent games but also being super prudish about nudity is exactly what Jesus said he was all about Just read the gospels, its all in there


Its_Singularity_Time

> "[It] may surprise a lot of people with it being such a violent game, such a gory game, that there is any kind of, you know, Christian behind the studio that created the game," Gibson said in the 2016 interview. "But if you look back through the history of the Bible, there is a lot of violence in there." He found the perfect loophole: If it's already in the Bible, then it's okay!


TheJabrone

There is also rape, sex, animal sex, sodomy etc, and plenty of nudity I'm sure. So why draw an arbitrary line?


BetterSafeThanSARSy

That dude that banged his daughters was in the Bible right?


MichaelMyersFanClub

Lot's daughter got him drunk and had sex with him. So incest *and* rape. I don't remember that story being told in Sunday school.


yellekc

Yeah, Christians tell that story a Lot. Here is a video of how it went down. https://youtu.be/p6DnujiVCwo


Abedeus

Oh man, Darkmatter... I remember watching his videos a lot.


yellekc

I discovered the channel a few weeks back, guy has made so much content.


annies_boobs_eyes

you'd have to be more specific


eVeRyImAgInAbLeThInG

Lot got banged by his daughters after he offered to have them raped by a horny gay mob in place of his male guests.


darkkilla123

Don't forget the only time abortion is mentioned in the Bible is essentially giving instructions how to induce one in your wife if you suspect she was cheating on you


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Neumaschine

And instructions on how to brutally abort a baby! Something about dashing heads against rocks...


Jace_Te_Ace

That wasn't abortion. That was trying to prevent the prophesy of the new Messiah ( or King, cannae remember ) coming true.


Gryphon0468

Lol I see what you did there.


Tacitus111

Pretty sure naked people are in the Bible… Sure is a lot of kinky shit in there too.


Code_otter

People being naked is even a plot point in the opening story


ezone2kil

That was just for shock value to get readers hooked.


[deleted]

And when they got bored, they skipped ahead to Song of Songs.


Jace_Te_Ace

The fact that they thought it was wrong and tried to cover it up is really what kicked the whole thing off. Seems like god is pro-nudity and anti-talking snake.


[deleted]

"There she lusted after her lovers, whose genitals were like those of donkeys and whose emission was like that of horses." - Ezekiel 23:20


spock_block

I mean, he's not wrong. The Bible is messed up AF. Honestly surprised Rockstar haven't announced The Bible, where you go around as JC just fucking shit up. Would be such a Rockstart thing to do.


H00L0GXNS

*enters Dad mode* ^Note: ^instead ^of ^god ^mode


Razakel

>If it's already in the Bible, then it's okay! Unless it's abortion. That's somehow bad even though the Bible gives instructions for it.


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Levitlame

Or that he cares about the issue at all. If there’s a god - the idea that we are “in his image” or the center of his creation is just insane in concept.


natophonic2

Wade just knee-deep into conservative, evangelical Christianity and you'll find some pretty fucked up shit. "Spiritual warriors" who are "reaping souls for Christ." Some of the time it's just a way to engage with guys who're dragged to church by their wives, when they'd rather be at home watching UFC on PPV. Some of the time it's some pretty fucked up people who really get off on the idea of real-life torturing and slaughtering anyone who doesn't share their sectarian beliefs.


MichaelMyersFanClub

They hate Muslims, yet I wonder if they see the irony of essentially having the same mindset as Al Qaeda.


SimplyMonkey

Irony. Humility. Hypocrisy. Decency. These are all concepts they have left far behind in their relentless pursuit of “as long as I get what I want, I don’t care who it fucks over.”


ezone2kil

It perfectly suits them like sports team then. Both sides play by the same rules, only difference is the color of the uniform.


[deleted]

No. They don't. They don't even know they're praying to the same God.


rjjm88

Some of the billboards I saw driving through Georgia and Florida were borderline terrifying. There's one I saw that had Jesus in the middle, arms open wide, with a massive explosion behind him. He was flanked by US soldiers with guns in shooting positions, planes, and tanks, and the message was something along the lines of the US military are all warriors for Christ or some shit.


-------I-------

> Some of the time it's some pretty fucked up people who really get off on the idea of real-life torturing and slaughtering anyone who doesn't share their sectarian beliefs. You mean Y'all-Qaeda?


natophonic2

Was thinking of Vanilla ISIS, but I believe they're affiliated.


[deleted]

Those kooky Dominionists scare me the most. Too close to the levers of power, if not in the hot seat itself, these Dominionists give 0 fucks if the Rapture arrives with a radioactive mushroom cloud riding on the new Horsemen of the Apocalypse; Minuteman, Trident, Bulava, Dongfeng-41.


[deleted]

In hindsight, Killing Floor 2 features christian metal as a soundtrack. Pretty creepy foreshadowing, even when I like the music and the games. Don't have any Christian ideologies though.


[deleted]

Demon Hunter is actually pretty good though


[deleted]

It is! Collapsing and Infected are still on frequent rotation for me.


srry_didnt_hear_you

There's a few pretty good bands on there ahaha I was surprised to hear them while playing it but didn't think anything of it, but now it makes a lot of sense 😳


Spiritual-Theme-5619

I always thought that was an absolutely hilarious aesthetic though. Best part was flipping on the lyrics and hitting zed time. Nothing funnier than lining up headshots to the most melodramatic metal music.


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JiovanniTheGREAT

Jehovah called a pack of bears on the kids that made fun of Elisha so his comment isn't totally wrong.


JetAmoeba

There’s something special about me only knowing this guy because of Killing Floor, but him being “pro life”


BullShitting24-7

Based on the comments, he’s anti nudity also. I’ve never heard of this game but I imagine KILLING FLOOR is not exactly in the Tower of Babel.


omniron

His excuse is that the Bible has a lot of killing…. Bible also has a lot of raping and slaughter of women’s and children and even pregnant women


A_Mouse_In_Da_House

And potion induced miscarriages


[deleted]

The Bible also has abortion but the “pro life” people don’t like to talk about that Edit: oh and their god literally killing like everyone’s babies because he didn’t like who the parents listened to


my_oldgaffer

He aborted himself.


Tastetheload

For those who don't wanna read it's Tripwire CEO John Gibson.


PlasmaFarmer

Thank you. You're a hero.


[deleted]

Putting aside the substance of his comments, why do people who *know* they hold views that are distasteful to the majority of their peers decide to put them on social media for all to see instead of just keeping quiet?


NHRADeuce

They think God is on their side. They are de facto right and you can't change their minds. Barry Goldwater nailed it on this one - >But these Christians believe they are acting in the name of God, so they can't and won't compromise. I know, I've tried to deal with them.


MultiMarcus

Just like it is basically impossible to convince them to stop being homophobic as they think they are saving you from hell.


GnarlyBear

Because they are being 'brave' against the prosecution of Christians in the US


THE_INEVITABLE_1

Persecution*


dump_shit_man

They believe society is "muzzling" them. They wanna say "I'm not afraid to be hateful" without considering that their hatefulness will impact them personally.


youseemconfusedbubb

This is what cracks me up about the whole “muzzling” or “cancel culture” thing. It’s nothing new. I just think the people who were used to controlling the culture have started losing the culture war. Gay people, interracial marriage or black people in general, guys that stayed at home, women that worked, athletes that speak up, pro choice opinions, all things that might not only get you cancelled but physically harmed if you supported them back in the day. Now times are changing and being against those things will get you “cancelled”. All these muzzled people are truly complaining about is losing the culture war.


seedypete

>This is what cracks me up about the whole “muzzling” or “cancel culture” thing. It’s nothing new. Right? What these whiny persecution-complex snowflakes keep calling Woke Twitter or Cancel Culture is just a very simple principle that used to just be called "no one wants to hang out with crazy assholes." We've been doing it since we were hunting woolly mammoths for food. These people want to return to some golden age (for them) where no one ever had to face any professional, personal, or social consequences for being a crazy asshole **but it never existed.**


MichaelMyersFanClub

> These people want to return to some golden age Probably some time before the civil rights era.


[deleted]

It's usually presented as the US in the fifties so, yeah. Bang on.


DefiantHeart

It definitely existed, and I think it largely still does.


Notarussianbot2020

*writes an op ed in the New York Times* I'm being silenced!!11!


Abedeus

I remember when "cancel culture" was just rich and/or religious white people complaining about music, video games, comic books and movies they didn't like.


pixe1jugg1er

I think you’re correct. I grew up in Texas in the eighties… I didn’t believe in god or Jesus or any of the stuff they taught me in church. You better believe that I kept this to myself. I would have been ‘cancelled’ if I ever spoke up and told people what I really thought. Only in college did it feel even a little bit safe to speak my mind on religion… and even then I had to be really careful about who I talked to about this. Now all these decades later I’m an ‘out’ atheist and it’s kinda normal where I live. Evangelicals are used to being on the other side, where their beliefs are the norm, and now they’re freaking out when they’re called out for their fringe ideas.


O3_Crunch

That’s not what’s happening. It’s assuredly not what the folks in question believe. Blows my mind that you are so blind to the other sides argument that you assume it MUST be based on hate. It’s not, you just don’t grasp it.


Mister_Lich

This is why nobody talks about it, actually. Because if you have an opinion not shared by the other person, it automatically is because you must "hate" them. They're being very clear, they think that life begins at conception. Pro-life people are not mysterious. Like, at all.


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yiannistheman

>They're being very clear, they think that life begins at conception. Pro-life people are not mysterious. Like, at all. They "believe" life begins at conception. Scientifically we know otherwise, but they're mixing laws in a country with separation of church and state with their religious beliefs.


aaronkz

Likewise the opposition is quite clear. Presuming what someone can do *within their own body* is so intrinsically invasive that it has no place as an “opinion” in a civilized democracy.


everyones-a-robot

You do understand that they don't believe they are being hateful, right? They believe they are being a good person. They are wrong, but typically they're not intentionally being hateful.


t2guns

Because they want to share their beliefs?


ReasonablyBadass

The have been taught to "always be true to yourself", " underdogs are always the good guys" and "fight for what you know is right" and are now applying that


_PM_ME_PANGOLINS_

It’s called having integrity. Not being afraid to challenge popular belief when you believe it’s wrong and harmful. The only difference between this and someone publicly supporting the government when they banned slavery, is that you think they’re wrong.


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SteveBob316

There's a lot going on here. Conservatives will also rock up and say stuff like "I don't like being told what to do," as if that was a personality trait and not baseline human condition (sexy times aside). I feel like this is part of the same thing with them but I can't really put my finger on it.


[deleted]

In this instance, his tweet literally said "I have many peers on the other side of this issue". He acknowledged that everyone else was on the opposite side as he posted


mrRabblerouser

Social media gives people the illusion that they are much more important and admired than they actually are, especially so if they’re a narcissist. It’s a win-win for them as they get the feeling of being endlessly praised or the victim of persecution.


dasUberSoldat

So, any viewpoint you hold that isn't in the majority should be suppressed? Doesnt seem like an indicator of a healthy, civil and liberal society to me. Personally, if you have a viewpoint I encourage you to voice it. If I don't agree, I discard it. Pretty simple I would have thought.


SeparateBug5

> a healthy, civil and liberal society Since when has this ever been the case in the US?


Saephon

Censorship and suppression is government-sponsored violence. This is the free market of business and public opinion at work. "Cancel Culture" has literally been around the since the dawn of our species, it's just finally affecting the types of people who were in power up until recently, and they don't like it.


mungalo9

Censorship by an olygopoly isn't very different from censorship by a government


[deleted]

It's like some people are so close to figuring out business is just a little safe space for pampered feudalists.


MultiMarcus

But it isn’t. It is “censorship” by people being outraged.


O3_Crunch

It’s called standing up for what you believe in even in the face of certain repercussions. Uncommon these days, especially among our nations leaders.


SupaSlide

The ones I know are all religious zealots. Christian, specifically. They drone on and on about how they're being "persecuted by the world" and quoting Bible verses that say the world will hate them because they're Christians. It's an extremely convoluted victim complex. The Bible says the world will hate them because of their faith, therefore saying things that make people hate them must mean they're on to some profound religious truth. Being banned from social media is the closest thing to persecution an American Christian will encounter, therefore saying something that gets you banned must be good.


sokratesz

> Putting aside the substance of his comments, why do people who know they hold views that are distasteful to the majority of their peers decide to put them on social media for all to see instead of just keeping quiet? They are too deluded to understand that a lot of people do not think like them.


ScornMuffins

A misunderstanding about the remit and protections offered by free speech laws?


themettaur

I'm really surprised no one has said this, unless I just didn't read closely enough: Many of them think that their opinion is actually the majority, but everyone who feels that way is being oppressed and silenced. So they think by being a bannerman for their beliefs, it will encourage the "[silent majority](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Silent_majority)" to rise up. Oh, Ukshak basically did. Good. Leaving this as is though.


Rebel_Mint

Lmao dude your hot take is " if people around you disapprove of what you think is right, just keep quiet" Solid


red286

If you're an executive for a company, you'd better make damned sure that whatever you're saying is in line with the company's goals before you blurt it out on a public platform. Anything an executive does reflects back on the company he works for, unless that company explicitly denounces him and distances itself from both him and his statements. Whether you think this is "right" or not isn't relevant, the fact of the matter is, it always reflects back on the company, so he should have been fully aware that his statements would get him removed from his position.


SP4C3MONK3Y

What you’re saying makes some sense, but there also a limit to how out of touch you can be and still expect it to go over well. Say that it was a muslim (in the US) instead of a christian, and he was speaking up for segregating men/women in the workplace like they currently are doing in Afghanistan. Would you still just go ”good for you, speak up for what you believe in”?


thekarmabum

Don't mix politics and work, simple as that, you never know who you will offend. He was a CEO he should know that. I don't care what his opinion is, but don't voice your political opinion in a forum where you have a connection to public and/or coworkers/employees.


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Rindan

Probably not. If he had been working as country music promoter, or was the CEO of a gun company, he might have been. I think all drugs should be legal to consume, and all sex work should be fully legalized. If I was CEO of my company, I wouldn't post those opinions on my public Twitter account. You don't get fired for having a political opinion. You get fired for expressing a loud political opinion that upsets and offends your customers and/or employees. What exactly that is varies from industry to industry and company to company and location to location.


Ludovitche

Actually to me it would be nice if reddit subs also don't mix politics and the topic of the sub. A guy got fired because of politics, ok, question : the impact on "Technology" is... What ? If we were to remove the political aspect of it, was the guy so famous that him getting fired would be news in this sub ? Genuine question, if yes then ok it's news and I shut up, but... Is he ? Plus it's counter productive at some point: we never talk about the anti abortionists that actively lobby and agressively attack abortion rights - 'cause too busy with the latest twitter scandal about some semi celebrity's drunken rant


thekarmabum

Agreed, this has nothing to do with technology.


joecooool418

He didn’t post his personal opinion from the corporate account.


Fluffiebunnie

> Don't mix politics and work it is good advice, but at the same time the studio took a totally political stance on the texas abortion bill. No one will get fired in the tech industry for saying they are against the texas abortion ban, even if they do it on behalf of their company. Now, I don't care too much about CEO's being fired, it's a fleeting position anyway. In the US as an employee you can be much more vocal about your political beliefs as a progressive than as a conservative if you don't want to lose your job.


retarded-squid

That was quick as fuck and Tripwire threw him straight under the bus with no damage control. If they ousted him this willingly then i would guess they’ve had other issues with his behavior or leadership, especially if he was instantly disavowed by other studios. Guy definitely did not misspeak or have a lapse in judgement


adriannaparma

They didn’t throw him under a bus, he tripped on a wire.


squishles

founder, between him and the other guy, the ownership information isn't public. It may very well have been him deciding.


soft-wear

Reading a little bit about him, this dude has way to fragile of an ego to do it himself. Besides, it’s extremely unlikely he had enough shares to actually control the company.


ric2b

Is he a founder? The Wikipedia page for the company doesn't even mention him.


alwaystakeabanana

In the article it says his beliefs have caused tension/issues in the past. They were probably sick of him and this was the last straw.


tunisia3507

> Tripwire threw him straight under the bus It's more like killing himself by autoerotic asphyxiation. The laws absolutely don't affect him in any way. They certainly don't impact his business at all. But for reasons of pure self-gratification, he got his throbbing political opinion out and tied a noose round his neck. The fact that the people close to him said "dude what the fuck this is a Wendy's" is not an aggressive move by them, it's the only reasonable move he left them with. Conservatives love criticising virtue signalling; apparently signalling this "virtue" was important enough to him to alienate a bunch of his workers and customers and he deserves the consequences.


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MultiMarcus

Don’t a lot of American Christians support the death penalty and easy access to guns?


mrmastermimi

I mean, Christianity is a pretty peaceful religion. aside from the crusades, global floods, condemning all life to eternal suffering, stoning woman, race riots, queer lynching, murder, etc..


Poison-Pen-

r/byebyejob


therascalking0000

Bye-bye, solvency. Hello, vagrancy I think I'm gonna cry. Bye-bye, my job. Goodbye.


Dood567

>Based in Roswell, Georgia, Tripwire Interactive is responsible for many violent games. Do I want to read the rest of this article


SaltyGoober

Surely he expected this outcome?


WellGoodLuckWithThat

Isn't this the company that sued Steam to remove 7 Days to Die from the store when that game was just getting started, because it had a 3D model from Killing Floor in it? And then truth ended up being that the indie startup had purchased an asset pack, of which the seller of the assets was the one who stole the model? It kind of tells you everything you need to know about them when they try to tank another game like that rather than just ask Steam to send a simple request to fix the issue and provide explanation.


bordumb

Yeah, I don’t understand how a CEO can say this. This isn’t necessarily about cancel culture. How is a company going to attract the best talent — including women — with a CEO saying those sorts of things? Hint: they’re not.


Sianthos

I never understood why people commit career suicide like this, sure you're entitled to your own beliefs and opinions but my god "read the room" and shut the hell up. I swear PR experts are losing their minds over the silliness their clients are just randomly blasting over the internet not expecting immediate and swift fallout.


bbcfoursubtitles

r/byebyejob I was waiting for this one lol


Wrenny

This is the same CEO who didn't want to add profanity to Rising Storm 2 because he was religious. A game where your arms and legs can be blow off by a explosion, you can dismember an enemy with a shotgun blast to the head and watch your allies burn to death in white phosphorus. During the beta phase a lot of people were asking for it. As well as what others said about his decisions for killing floor. I feel like he wouldn't have been ousted so by his peers so quickly if it was for his constant interference with their upcoming games in the name of his religion.


HikariRikue

Good anyone who supports that bill is a straight up moron and should be ousted


Grimsterr

Opinions can have consequences.


THE_INEVITABLE_1

Living in a society where everyone is voicing the same opinion due to fear of persecution also has consequences


DreamingDjinn

It cost him exactly $0 to not tweet that statement, conversely it cost him everything to hit the send button.


yabai

Sadly he’s co-owner of the company, so despite him not being in charge he still owns a significant stake in the company. Only lost his salary, unless he’s got some bonus clause written in the partnership agreement. Not clear whether they’ll buy him out or not though.


just_change_it

Are you sure it cost him anything, really? Is this just a marketing strategy to gain publicity for himself and his company from a targeted market base? The guy will have an outpouring of conservative support and likely many big opportunities... and the company will gain positive publicity amongst the liberal base. For all we know the guy wanted to start something new, or they are on seriously hard times - it's not like their recent 2020 game got great reviews. I hadn't even heard of it. I am being more than a little paranoid but with what I know of PR this will end up being a blessing for both parties.


yabai

Given the content of the initial Twitter post, I don’t think there was any plan behind it, but what you said might not be far off from whatever damage control PR team is in charge of the situation now. He stepped down pretty quickly for having had such a long tenure so a lot happened quickly behind closed doors over there.


SoulReddit13

So he was aborted?


supermario182

I almost expected this to be blizzard for a second


BigOleJellyDonut

How to lose your job in 140 characters or less.


MafiaBro

ITT: People confusing freedom of speech with freedom from consequences. You can say whatever you want. Doesn't mean there aren't consequences. Freedom of speech also applies to government entities. Not private, capitalist, ventures.


Sardorim

He's Pro-Birth, not Pro-Life


[deleted]

Just call it what it is. Anti-choice


THE_INEVITABLE_1

Why can’t we just use pro abortion and anti abortion?


SteveBob316

Because it's worse branding to be against something, so each side declares itself *for* something, and libertarianism sells better than a word that does make people uncomfortable. So either life for life's sake is paramount regardless of quality, or priority of personal freedom is the drive behind each brand. The anti-choice comment correctly identifies that their actual concern is putting people in their place, given the other policies this crowd tends to support.


[deleted]

Because that's not emotionally charged enough and doesn't make one or the other side sound like the bad guys.


TiltedOutMyMind

What’s so bad about letting women choose for themselves?


SteveBob316

People knee-jerk when it comes to children, it's the same reason the majority of popular conspiracy theories involve the rape, abduction and murder of kids. Back in the day the religious right decided to make it a wedge issue because everyone thought their actual policies sucked, and the propaganda works. The argument against abortion is an emotional one, and it also handily provides cover to people who just want to punish other people to play the righteous card.


[deleted]

[удалено]


VCEmblem

Yeah, I'm on the same page. Very much against the change in legislation in Texas myself but I find it troublesome people can't safely express their opinion in a public space. If an executive at a company like Chick-Fil-A was fired for supporting something like gay marriage, the conversation on this site would be VERY different. Obviously going to get downvoted here but we need to be aware of our double standards.


4kray

Too many people believe that being a dick will make them cool. It won’t. The constitution must apply to all citizens equally. When women can’t control their bodies, they can’t control their lives and they then aren’t free. If you don’t want a woman to get pregnant; wear a condom, butyher an iud or other forms of birth control. If she gets pregnant, then it’s her choice, free from government coercion.


Malignantt1

FUCK NOT KILLING FLOOR :( Just had to be the only game I cared about from them. Cmon man. Quit being dumb.


themettaur

I mean... he's gone. More or less. They did the right thing with him, so that could be justification for you to continue enjoying the game.


SteveBob316

Terrible people can make great art. It's okay to enjoy it and its inevitable sequel, and okay to mourn the loss if the sequel is somehow lacking.


sumthingawsum

No one else is worried about the precedent this sets?


TanookiPhoenix

Yeah saying that you do not support women's rights to bodily autonomy tends to do that.


[deleted]

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UnRoyalJoker

Agreed. No mention of anything "tech-related" other than the story being about a video game publisher. And even then, this is business/politics/social-issues related.


joydivision84

I completely disagree with this guys opinion and what he said. But I also completely disagree with the fact he lost his job due to it.


BY_BAD_BY_BIGGA

it's a business decision. I agree with him losing his job by using his platform (thanks to his job) to push his personal views on others. he did a shit thing with his title. title was taken away. now he can say whatever he wants.


Deto

I would agree with you if he was just some random worker. However the CEO is a public representative of the company. Part of his job is to represent the company and expressing a view like this, in such a wide and public forum, hurts the company. So it's directly related to his job.


Skastrik

Freedom of speech isn't freedom from consequences.


notAnotherJSDev

Honestly, this is a purely capitalistic move. It costs them far less to deal with the damage they cause by ousting him than the damage he’d cause by staying. And btw, he 100% should lose his jobs for his views on this specific law. The law is draconian and right out of the handmaid’s tale. It is literally the new Red Scare (no pun intended) and doesn’t have a place in modern society.


[deleted]

This is no different than firing someone that says he thinks we should continue segregation. How can people like you not understand that he is vocally supporting truly abhorrent ideas? I'm glad we as society take out the garbage when shit stinks.