In an effort to boost the Microsoft Activision Blizzard acquisition, Microsoft collaborated with its union ally the CWA to post an ad in the Washington Post.
The Microsoft and Activision Blizzard acquisition has made headlines recently, along with all the drama surrounding it.
The latest news on this situation is that Microsoft has made the move to post an advert in the Washington Post. This shows that Microsoft is actively pursuing the acquisition no matter what is being thrown at them.
Microsoft has had many hurdles to jump since it first announced the acquisition, with Sony being their biggest opposition. Sony has tried various different tactics to try and stop the acquisition.
The FTC was also publicly opposed to the acquisition citing that the agreement would give Microsoft an unfair competitive advantage in the video gaming market, ultimately stifling competition.
The ad in the Washington Post starts with the headline: “ A New Year Opens New Doors.”
There is no doubt that Microsoft wants everyone to know that it is pro-union, regardless of internal motivation.
In the ad, it states:
“As we enter a new year, we remain committed to creating the best workplaces we can for people who make a living in the tech sector. When both labor and management bring their voices to the bargaining table, employees, shareholders and customers alike benefit.
This includes the more than 300 employees at Microsoft’s ZeniMax Media studios who have exercised their legal right to vote to form a union.
This is in keeping with new groundbreaking labor neutrality principles that the Communications Workers of America and Microsoft established last year. During 2023, we hope to bring the same agreement and principles to Activision Blizzard, which Microsoft has proposed to acquire.”
In contrast to its initial claim that the FTC’s actions were unconstitutional. The advertisement commends the commission and asks it to investigate any possible anti-competitive effects of the acquisition.
They reiterated this by saying:
“We aren’t asking the FTC to ignore competition concerns. On the contrary, we believe it’s important to explore solutions that protect competition and consumers while also promoting the needs of workers, economic growth, and American innovation. We believe this is the spirit that led Congress to establish the FTC in 1914.”
What is the purpose of a physical advertisement in The Washington Post? It’s easy: The FTC is based in Washington, DC, the Post’s hometown. It’s pretty common for government contractors to buy ads to reach regulatory and government employees in the city.
Microsoft clearly wants to reassure the public and whoever else is listening that the acquisition should go ahead.