Employees at Sony working in the PlayStation division are said to be "seething" today after reading an email sent on Thursday by head of PlayStation Jim Ryan. That email urged employees to be respectful of "differences of opinion" on abortion rights. Ryan's email then went into five further paragraphs talking about his two cats' first birthday.
According to a report from Bloomberg, Ryan's email opens by addressing various current events. One of those events discussed is the recent leak that the United States Supreme Court intends to overturn the landmark 1973 case of Roe v. Wade, a ruling that legalized a woman's right to abortion nationwide. Thus far, only a smattering of game companies have voiced support for their employees' rights to essential health care. One such studio is Bungie, which called this pending decision a "direct attack on human rights." Other companies such as ArenaNet and Double Fine have also shared their support for a woman's right to abortion and essential health care.
Ryan's email did not take a stand on the Roe v. Wade decision, nor did he take any particular stance on abortion rights. Instead, Ryan says that PlayStation is made up of "multi-faceted and diverse" employees that hold "many different points of view."
"We owe it to each other and to PlayStation’s millions of users to respect differences of opinion among everyone in our internal and external communities. Respect does not equal agreement. But it is fundamental to who we are as a company and as a valued global brand."
In the email, Ryan notes that "dogs really are man's best friend" as "they know their place."
Make of that as you will.
