In an internal Sony email, first received Bloomberg, PlayStation President and CEO Jim Ryan declined to take a stance on the topic of abortion in light of a leaked Supreme Court draft that would strike down Roe v. Wade in the United States. Mentioning that he hopes employees «respect differences of opinion,» Ryan then details the birthday celebration of his two pet cats in the next five paragraphs, leading to a bizarre email that reportedly pissed off people at the company.
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Rather than take a stand on the troubling political issue of the moment (or simply remain silent, as many CEOs have since the leak), Ryan urged Sony employees to consider the many different perspectives of PlayStation customers and how fundamental that respect is to Sony. global branding. Then, in an attempt to take a sharp turn and bring in something light-hearted, he also went into detail about how he finds dogs useful for scaring off muggers and for chasing balls in the yard. By the way, Ryan hopes to get a dog someday, but now he does not have one.
Jim Ryan’s email, seen by Bloomberg News, takes no position on Roe v. Wade or abortion rights, but does say that «dogs really are man’s best friend, they know their place and perform useful functions like biting robbers and chasing balls.» you throw for them.»
— Jason Schreier (@jasonschreier) May 12, 2022
Sony employees are reportedly furious at the email, with one saying they have «never been so mad about a cat’s birthday before.» Other female employees felt their rights were violated or simplified by the email, which teeters between a political discussion and an essay that could be published in Cat Fancy magazine.
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While Sony didn’t answer the question, the studio it now owns has been more supportive. Fate Developer Bungie released message last week said the Supreme Court decision was «a direct attack on human rights» and vowed to support anyone who needs help with reproductive choices.
Double Fine Productions, known for games like Psychonauts and Broken centuryalso released capitalized statement in support of women’s reproductive rights, stating that the upcoming decision to dismiss Roe v. Wade would «deny people their human rights». ArenaNet, developer behind Guild Wars, tweeted a simpler statement: «Your body, your right.» When prompted Washington Postother companies, such as Microsoft, have declared support for such reproductive health services, but have not made such public announcements as in the previous three examples.
