A big one (Destiny)

by car15, Saturday, September 05, 2015, 22:20 (3464 days ago) @ Fuertisimo

I'll grant that there could be some history between Marty and the board that goes beyond the scope of the court case, which could have predisposed them to fire him and treat him like shit, but there is never a justifiable reason to steal property from somebody just because "he's a big meanie" or whatever. Come on, Bungie, you're better than that.

What I find deliciously ironic about the whole situation is that Bungie's stated reason for firing Marty was (in part) the negative impact his behavior had on the game's publicity, but in reality, nothing he did had a more negative impact on the game's publicity than Bungie's poor management. This looks really bad, for both of them, but for Bungie in particular.

I say "deliciously" ironic because I admit that I'm pleased with the poetic justice of thieves being exposed in public. It makes me feel good to see that. You don't get to steal shares from people; that's not how business works. I saw the exact same thing happen years ago with one of the clients at my old firm. (I'm an accountant.) The other members of the firm conspired to take 15% ownership interest from some douchebag on the board for the simple reason that they didn't like him. For the record, the guy was a douchebag, but it was still completely amazing to me that not one of them raised an objection at the thought of stealing from him. They didn't just give him those shares. He paid for them, which provided capital for the company to pursue objectives they would not otherwise have been able to pursue. Stealing them from him shows an utter lack of respect for this transaction.

The company ended up giving them back when he threatened to sue and they realized that they had no actual justification for taking the shares.