Apex Legends developer fired over racist, sexist comments made in 2007

[midian182]

A hot potato: Daniel "Zenon" Klein, a lead designer on Apex Legends, has been fired by Respawn Entertainment over racist and sexist comments he made in a blog post from 2007. He says that the company and parent EA were absolutely within their rights to terminate him, however much he may disagree with that decision.

Screenshots from the blog surfaced last month. They include derogatory comments about "Africans" and women. Klein acknowledged that these screenshots were real on July 27, noting that they were written around 14 years ago. Apex Legends content creator Thordan Smash worked out that Klein would have been 27 at the time.

"You may or may not have seen the awful, bigoted things I said in 2007," Klein wrote. "I wholeheartedly agree that THAT guy should have been fired. I have poured so much energy into becoming a better person since then, and right now I'm just very depressed because it feels I'll never be able to make up for who I was."

"I said racist and sexist things, not because I deeply believed any of them, but because I knew I could get a reaction out of people. That does not excuse anything I said; the impact of my words was the same regardless of what I believed."

Klein believes people went digging into his past over his clashes with Apex Legends players on social media about balance changes in the game. "I fully own the awful, bigoted statements I made in 2007 and am disgusted with my younger self for making them," Klein told Kotaku. "But there's also no doubt in my mind that they came to light because someone went looking for things to hurt me with. EA was aware of this allegation, and I specifically asked them to be on the lookout for these strategies being used against other employees in the future."

Back in 2018, Klein, who was then described as an "outspoken feminist," left League of Legends developer Riot Games, which had been under fire for discriminating against female employees. Responding to angry comments in a Reddit thread about PAX events that were open to women and non-binary people only, he tweeted: "Systemic sexism and racism exist at the intersection of bigotry and power dynamics. Racism isn't just being called the n-word, it's that + no one caring when you protest + not being given a loan a white person would have gotten + being shot by the police for no reason."

I imagine the same power dynamics apply to cosplay and fan events. I'm sure women are objectified and harassed, both verbally and with unwanted physical contact. I'm sure they're spoken over and made to feel unwelcome at events like these.

— Daniel Zenon Klein (@danielzklein) September 1, 2018

Permalink to story.

https://www.techspot.com/news/90765-apex-legends-developer-fired-over-racist-sexist-comments.html

 

[Uncle Al]

As a young man I had grown up with a bigoted parent that had taught me some of the worst habits one could imagine. When I was in the Army, in combat, I learned how to depend upon my brothers-in-arms and quickly discovered that many of the things I was taught as a young man were wrong; dead wrong. It is doubtful that everyone gets this 2nd chance in life and will stay on the path they were first taught.

Just goes to show how important it is for parents to be level headed and not pollute young minds, rather allow them to grow up with the ability to think for themselves. It would have been far better for Apex to turn this into a teaching experience, allow the young man to recant earlier statements, and learn from his mistakes. When we just fire a person we arn't helping society, just casting out a problem child to continue their behavior which will be made worse by such a heartless discharge.

Shame on Apex for contributing to the problem rather than helping to heal ......

 

[VitalyT]

This is illegal, because the statute of limitation applies here. He should sue the company under the unfair/wrongful dismissal act.

 

[Irata]

This is illegal, because the statute of limitation applies here. He should sue the company under the unfair/wrongful dismissal act.

Haven't you noticed that laws / constitutional rights don't appear to apply to companies, particularly when they partake in cancelling.

I am sure they could spin this into "he damaged the company's reputation and did not disclose the tweets when we hired him" or some BS.

 

[JStacts]

Wonderful...

 

[BrotherMichigan]

Haven't you noticed that laws / constitutional rights don't appear to apply to companies, particularly when they partake in cancelling.

I am sure they could spin this into "he damaged the company's reputation and did not disclose the tweets when we hired him" or some BS.

Respawn is in California, which is in an "At Will" employment state, meaning they can fire employees for any reason other than their inclusion in a protected class (I.e. sex, race, religion, color, or national origin). Effectively this means they can be fired for any reason whatsoever, and that's not against the law or unconstitutional in any way.

 

[winjer]

Making mistakes is part of the human condition. Learning with your own mistakes was normal in human society.
To persecute someone, making that person lose his job, for a mistake done 14 years ago, is just wrong and unethical.
If he still ascribed to those thoughts. If he persisted on the same mistake, I could understand him being fired. But he admitted the error and moved away from it, a long time ago.
This is just witch hunting.

 

[Irata]

Making mistakes is part of the human condition. Learning with your own mistakes was normal in human society.
To persecute someone, making that person lose his job, for a mistake done 14 years ago, is just wrong and unethical.
If he still ascribed to those thoughts. If he persisted on the same mistake, I could understand him being fired. But he admitted the error and moved away from it, a long time ago.
This is just witch hunting.

I think the ability to destroy people at will with no cost has become addicting.

Probably most of us have done / said stupid and/or inappropriate things in our lives, be it because we actually believe it at that point or maybe just to provoke others.
So, if this was recorded in any way, it means most of us could be equally cancelled if someone felt like doing so.

 

[Dimitriid]

I saw the news item before and what I can say is that he may outwardly state he's very sorry and not that person anymore but was this something he brought up himself constantly? He says he did but there's a substantial difference between a public statement intended to reach a large audience like a blog post and then not apologizing and mentioning it in a similar fashion by himself bringing attention to it on a similar public statement intended to reach a large audience.

So this might be the unpopular opinion but the size and form of the apology should match the size and reach of your mistake otherwise, it just looks like the thing you're sorry about is getting caught and not having it stay buried.

 

[nodfor]

Never apologize.
Even if you don't agree now, they don't have the right running around as inquisitors and asking people to repent.
If you are ever targeted for things like these, If you have the guts defend you right to free speech but If not, don't apologize.
Don't bow down and ask for forgiveness,it will do you no good, the social justice warriors are not the forgiving type.

 

[Hardware Geek]

That's one of the many reason I quit using most forms of social media. I've made my fair share of mistakes and have paid an enormous price for those mistakes. Fortunately I'm far older and wiser. There used to be an understanding that people made mistakes and it was possible to move forward but social media has effectively eliminated second chances in general. I grew up in a very "religious" area, which basically was an excuse to be openly racist and sexist. Fortunately I was able to see through the BS and no longer tolerate that kind of behavior from anyone I associate with and will stop associating with people who have those "beliefs".

 

[DukeJukem]

I really think people are forgetting what an equal opportunity employer can do. You can be fired for anything. The boss could fire you because you're wearing a red shirt that day. Is it fair? No. Does anyone remember the Hulk Hogan incident?

Idk why people try to change things about other people. Humans are literally the most disgusting, violent and cruel animals to have ever graced this planet.....do you really expect them to not say bad things.....or to change their ways for that matter? It will never happen.

When it comes to the person who found this insanely old post.......what a loser lol. Get a life. Fix the game. People like this should be shamed. "I remember what you said 20 years ago and I'm still angry about it." Grow up lol.

 

[hahahanoobs]

"I'm not that guy anymore."
Looks like he did a complete 180 on his own.
Impressive.

 

[Plutoisaplanet]

That's one of the many reason I quit using most forms of social media. I've made my fair share of mistakes and have paid an enormous price for those mistakes. Fortunately I'm far older and wiser. There used to be an understanding that people made mistakes and it was possible to move forward but social media has effectively eliminated second chances in general. I grew up in a very "religious" area, which basically was an excuse to be openly racist and sexist. Fortunately I was able to see through the BS and no longer tolerate that kind of behavior from anyone I associate with and will stop associating with people who have those "beliefs".

I live in a very religious area myself and racism and sexism is not accepted here. I think it had more to do with the times. As you said, people used to be more forgiving whereas now the Internet is basically an excuse to not tolerate any history of misconduct because it can stay on record permanently. Would you be forgiving of someone saying inappropriate things 14 years ago and admitting their mistake, or would you cancel them like Apex Legends did?

 

[wiyosaya]

As a young man I had grown up with a bigoted parent that had taught me some of the worst habits one could imagine. When I was in the Army, in combat, I learned how to depend upon my brothers-in-arms and quickly discovered that many of the things I was taught as a young man were wrong; dead wrong. It is doubtful that everyone gets this 2nd chance in life and will stay on the path they were first taught.

Just goes to show how important it is for parents to be level headed and not pollute young minds, rather allow them to grow up with the ability to think for themselves.

Absolutely.

It would have been far better for Apex to turn this into a teaching experience, allow the young man to recant earlier statements, and learn from his mistakes. When we just fire a person we arn't helping society, just casting out a problem child to continue their behavior which will be made worse by such a heartless discharge.

I cannot say that I agree. IF this guy gets angry at Apex for firing him, then IMO, he would essentially be blaming Apex for his mistake, and to me, that indicates a lack of personal responsibility, potentially indicating that he was only sorry he got caught.

Maybe now, even without being fired by Apex, he realizes that it was an attitude he no longer harbors and would never make the same mistake again. If he refrains from that anger at Apex and commits to making something positive out of it, then he, at least has the chance to turn this into something that may transform his life, IMO.

IMO, what would really help him is if another company reached out their hand to him and offered him employment. IMO, what is Apex's intentional loss is another employer's potential to hire a great employee.

Shame on Apex for contributing to the problem rather than helping to heal ......

Healing, or not, is going to be up to him and how he handles what has happened to him. Having been fired in the past for less (mainly downsizing, we no longer need you, etc.) I have come to look on those instances as having a positive impact on my life. They have always lead to circumstances that made my life better. As I said above, the healing, or not, will be his choice of how he views and reacts to the situation.

 

[wiyosaya]

I live in a very religious area myself and racism and sexism is not accepted here.

“Remember, one just man causes the Devil greater affliction than a million blind believers.”

Khalil Gibran

I think it had more to do with the times. As you said, people used to be more forgiving whereas now the Internet is basically an excuse to not tolerate any history of misconduct because it can stay on record permanently.

And that's the key - the internet is an excuse.
"I deserted the world and sought solitude because I became tired of rendering courtesy to those multitudes who believe that humility is a sort of weakness, and mercy a kind of cowardice, and snobbery a form of strength."

Khalil Gibran

Would you be forgiving of someone saying inappropriate things 14 years ago and admitting their mistake, or would you cancel them like Apex Legends did?

Admitting a mistake is a strength, IMO.

 

[waclark]

This is illegal, because the statute of limitation applies here. He should sue the company under the unfair/wrongful dismissal act.

It is not illegal. There is no "statute of limitations" because there is no crime here. Just a bad decision. Companies in the US, depending on the State where they operate, can fire you for no reason whatsoever. It's called a "Right to Work" State, meaning no Union affiliation is required to be able to work in that State. Therefore, with no protections against unfair dismissal, companies can just fire you. And even if you are unionized, you might be dismissed for many reasons such as posting sexist and racist comments.

 

[waclark]

I think the ability to destroy people at will with no cost has become addicting.

Probably most of us have done / said stupid and/or inappropriate things in our lives, be it because we actually believe it at that point or maybe just to provoke others.
So, if this was recorded in any way, it means most of us could be equally cancelled if someone felt like doing so.

Absolutely. The problem is certain people screamed bloody-murder over making sexist, racist, or otherwise distasteful comments only to find that some of those screaming the loudest were the ones making the comments. e.g. Gov. Cuomo.

Because they offered no forgiveness or understanding that people do change, they are now having to eat their own. Welcome to cancel culture where anything you ever did will come back to haunt you.

I'm thankful I made most of my stupid mistakes long before the Internet where everything is kept forever.

 

[Lew Zealand]

Admitting a mistake is a strength, IMO.

Man, that should be In Everybody's O.

Imagine how much better things would be if people could get over needing to be "right" about everything and just accept they make mistakes, and put in a good effort to fix them.

 

[arrowflash]

At times like this I'm glad I've never used antisocial media. If any employer or potential employer search me up looking for skeletons in my closet, they will find nothing. I don't exist on the internet, at least not on my real identity. This might close some doors, I know some employers might find the lack of social media presence strange or a red flag, but still, much better than the alternative.

 

[Prosercunus]

As a young man I had grown up with a bigoted parent that had taught me some of the worst habits one could imagine. When I was in the Army, in combat, I learned how to depend upon my brothers-in-arms and quickly discovered that many of the things I was taught as a young man were wrong; dead wrong. It is doubtful that everyone gets this 2nd chance in life and will stay on the path they were first taught.

Just goes to show how important it is for parents to be level headed and not pollute young minds, rather allow them to grow up with the ability to think for themselves. It would have been far better for Apex to turn this into a teaching experience, allow the young man to recant earlier statements, and learn from his mistakes. When we just fire a person we arn't helping society, just casting out a problem child to continue their behavior which will be made worse by such a heartless discharge.

Shame on Apex for contributing to the problem rather than helping to heal ......

This is the measured approach, but unfortunately we live in a society where we rather just cancel people entirely. It doesn't change the behavior, it doesn't create any sort of dialogue or learning experience, it just further polarizes people.

 

[defaultluser]

As a young man I had grown up with a bigoted parent that had taught me some of the worst habits one could imagine. When I was in the Army, in combat, I learned how to depend upon my brothers-in-arms and quickly discovered that many of the things I was taught as a young man were wrong; dead wrong. It is doubtful that everyone gets this 2nd chance in life and will stay on the path they were first taught.

Just goes to show how important it is for parents to be level headed and not pollute young minds, rather allow them to grow up with the ability to think for themselves. It would have been far better for Apex to turn this into a teaching experience, allow the young man to recant earlier statements, and learn from his mistakes. When we just fire a person we arn't helping society, just casting out a problem child to continue their behavior which will be made worse by such a heartless discharge.

Shame on Apex for contributing to the problem rather than helping to heal ......

Well, his commentary on this seems kinda *** holish..

"I said racist and sexist things, not because I deeply believed any of them, but because I knew I could get a reaction out of people."

Sometimes it's hard to tell the difference between someone who has truly changed, and someine just telling people what they want to hear - if he continues to be the good part of himself, then he will eventually get rehired.

When you only ADMITTED that kind of manipulate person AFTER YOU GOT CAUGHT, it's hard to believe what is true. Give the man a few years outside the industry, and we will see if he resumes his old tactics.

This isn't really cancel culture like some of you are saying - you're not getting a red mark "Felon, never rehire" on your resume, you're just getting fired ONCE EVEN Michael Vick served his time, and eventually got back to work.

Cancel Culture whiners are just people who think there should be no consequences for anything you did wrong, while I guarantee that if I posted the same things this guy said on my Bosses email list, it would get me fired.

Sometimes a cop has to make an example of a speeder (even if he missed the three others around him.) You can't expect to get off scott free forever (but if you're not constantly breaking the rules excessively, you won't have to make a practice of dealing with consequences more than once, do you?.

 

[Nick_Knac]

Well, it may be wrong but this was 14 years ago for Christ's sake. People can change. This is the new fascism of political correctness. The outcry that forces people to produce toe curling 'confessions' of wrong doing come right out of the sickening totalitarianism of the Chinese Cultural Revolution. Remember that? Probably not, most of the noise comes from people too young to know, or older people making judicial political points for their own advantage. UGH - frightening!

No doubt I'll get pilloried, but I'm too old and experienced to care.

 

[Hardware Geek]

I live in a very religious area myself and racism and sexism is not accepted here. I think it had more to do with the times. As you said, people used to be more forgiving whereas now the Internet is basically an excuse to not tolerate any history of misconduct because it can stay on record permanently. Would you be forgiving of someone saying inappropriate things 14 years ago and admitting their mistake, or would you cancel them like Apex Legends did?

Ugh. I hate cancel culture. Considering the fact that he owned up to the mistake and has made what appear to be genuine changes, I absolutely wouldn't have gotten rid of him. Seems to me he has learned a lesson and is a better person for it. My mistakes have taught me more about life than anything else and I sincerely hope I'm a better person for it.

 

[Maxiking]

Well, his commentary on this seems kinda *** holish..

"I said racist and sexist things, not because I deeply believed any of them, but because I knew I could get a reaction out of people."

Sometimes it's hard to tell the difference between someone who has truly changed, and someine just telling people what they want to hear - if he continues to be the good part of himself, then he will eventually get rehired.

When you only ADMITTED that kind of manipulate person AFTER YOU GOT CAUGHT, it's hard to believe what is true. Give the man a few years outside the industry, and we will see if he resumes his old tactics.

This isn't really cancel culture like some of you are saying - you're not getting a red mark "Felon, never rehire" on your resume, you're just getting fired ONCE EVEN Michael Vick served his time, and eventually got back to work.

Cancel Culture whiners are just people who think there should be no consequences for anything you did wrong, while I guarantee that if I posted the same things this guy said on my Bosses email list, it would get me fired.

Sometimes a cop has to make an example of a speeder (even if he missed the three others around him.) You can't expect to get off scott free forever (but if you're not constantly breaking the rules excessively, you won't have to make a practice of dealing with consequences more than once, do you?.

And here it goes, the old tactic. It is not the cancel culture, it is not really the cancel culture, it is holding people accountable.

So firstly, since I am from Europe, the only reasons you can fire people here is if they have done something wrong job-related. Either for incompetency, being under influence, showing reckless behaviour and disregard for safety, breaking the law or simply having the surplus of employees who are not needed anymore. And if someone gets fired due to the surplus reason, you cannot rehire anyone for that position for 6 months.

Secondly, stop your low effort fallacies. The cop stopped you because you had broken the law. He didn't break any law. Logical inconsistency, but what to expect.

Freedom of speech was created so people can hold unpopular opinions. And not to be persecuted. The thing is the US is a third world country in that regard with almost no employee protection. And considering the current climate, there is a 95% chance, he didn't say anything racist or sexist. Those words have lost their meaning a long time ago. Having sexy women selling your products or in games - sexist. Doing the very same thing with men, objectifying them, having unreasonable expectations about their look - perfectly ok. Telling that white people are bad, racist, blaming them for things and passing collective guilt on them, perfectly ok. Saying something about black people - reeeeecism.

Freedom of speech, expression, association rights were created so people were protected from the state and persecution. Because back then, the power and influence of the private sector were relatively weak and the state, the Church were the largest, most common censoring bodies. So we created those rights to protect people and not being politically persecuted by the biggest institutional power back then.

And the world has been evolving since, the role of the state in the everyday life of the people was decreasing and the power of the private sector was increasing. Europe reacted and passed the new laws, regulations, such as the banning of discrimination due to age, sex, sexual preference, religion, health condition and disabilities, opinions and political opinions and so on and also, additionally regulated the labour market, so the relationship between employee and employer is strictly professional and they can not ask you about your political or any views, if you are pregnant, believe in god, who did you vote for etc.

The society, we live in, well, "as we" I mean continental Europe, was created with the rule of law in the mind.

That means you are allowed to do whatever is not prohibited by the law and society cannot persecute you due to your opinions if you do not break the law and if they are not illegal. And those granted rights have the form of constitutional laws and cannot be limited or cancelled in any way, which means including a written contract in which you would agree you are giving up your rights. Such a contract would not be legally binding and would be illegal.

Because if you can be fired for voicing a legal opinion, it is not a free society nor country.


So please, spare me of your accountability propaganda. We have laws to hold people accountable, not outraged mobs, or twitter, kotaku etc.