Pokémon Go developer Niantic has sued over gender discrimination

Unidentified former employee seeks class action status for ‘systemic sexism’

• by
  
  Nicole Carpenter
  

• on July 10, 2023 11:24 AM

former employee at pokemon go Content creator Niantic is suing the company over allegations of gender discrimination and sexism that “systematically devalues[s]“Women’s Work—Especially Women of Color.” The lawsuit, First reported by The Vergeis seeking a class action lawsuit to include other people affected by what it calls the “boys club” at Niantic.

The former employee has been identified as Jane Doe, an Asian woman who worked for the company from 2020 until last week when Niantic laid off 230 people and ceased production and support on several games, including NBA all over the world And Marvel: World of Heroes. Doe alleged that other women in the company are discriminated against when it comes to pay, advancement, and value, but also that Niantic’s leadership is hostile to people who bring up these issues.

When Doe was hired at the company in 2020, she was paid $70,000 before receiving a promotion and raise in 2021—up to $84,000. That year, she learned that a colleague of hers, an “junior”, had been hired at higher pay despite “a longer tenure as an employee, more responsibilities, and a higher job title”. The male fellow continued to earn a higher salary through 2022, earning a salary of $2,022 more than her even though she still held the higher title. In 2023, Du saw a job opening for the same position listed, again, in a salary range higher than hers; She confirmed with a colleague in the same role that he was paid within the band.

When Du brought up these issues to Niantic’s diversity and inclusion leadership, she left the meeting “in fear of losing her job,” she claimed, after being told her rating at Niantic had been affected—and would be—by talking about workplace issues. Niantic continued to discourage employees from discussing sexism in the workplace, she said, after the company’s group of women, called the Wolfpack, released a survey asking about Niantic’s culture. This survey found that “many” women at the company saw a “sexist work culture” with unequal pay at Niantic. Niantic Chief Marketing Officer Mike Quigley reportedly asked the group to remove comments about sexism from its presentation, and advised the group to stop hosting surveys.

Du’s attorneys said in the lawsuit: “Niantic’s treatment of its female employees, including the plaintiff, sent them the message that they were not valued at Niantic and would be hindered in the workplace because they are women and/or women of color.” “Niantic’s treatment of its female employees who expressed concerns about discrimination in the workplace also sent them the message that Niantic did not tolerate any dissent or concern about the way women were treated there.”

The Doe has alleged that Niantic’s workplace culture is a violation of equal pay, discrimination, a hostile work environment, and retaliation laws. She’s looking for a jury to award all affected people damages, including lost wages related to alleged discrimination issues that kept women on low salaries and out of promotions.

Niantic started under Google in 2010 and spun off independently in 2015; Its first augmented reality game was in 2013 entrancebefore pokemon go It arrived in 2015. In addition to its games, Niantic is also building Lightship, a platform for augmented reality technology for use by third-party developers. Niantic is also responsible for Pikmin BloomAnd aquamarineAnd Monster Hunter now. It has stopped developing and supporting many games over the past few years, incl Harry Potter: Wizards Unite And Transformers: Heavy Metalside by side NBA all over the world And Marvel: World of Heroes that ended along with the extended layoffs last week.

Niantic did not respond to Polygon’s request for comment on the allegations.

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