Xbox Head Phil Spencer Issues Apology for Sexist GDC 2016 Party

By Juvy Garcia, Christian Post Contributor Tuesday, March 22, 2016

Xbox Head Phil Spencer has issued an apology for what happened during a GDC 2016 after-party. Other Microsoft executives have also commented on the event.

Spencer sent an email to the entire Xbox organization addressing the issue that was shared publicly through the Xbox Newswire. In the email, he reiterated the organization's drive for an "inclusive culture" and how the Xbox-hosted event last week was "absolutely not consistent or aligned" to the values of Team Xbox.

"That was unequivocally wrong and will not be tolerated," an excerpt of Spencer's email read. "This matter is being handled internally, but let me be very clear – how we represent ourselves as individuals, who we hire and partner with and how we engage with others is a direct reflection of our brand and what we stand for. When we do the opposite, and create an environment that alienates or offends any group, we justly deserve the criticism."

The Xbox head said an inclusive culture will have a direct impact on products and services and affect how consumers perceive the Xbox brand and Microsoft as a whole. However, instead of promoting this culture, the Thursday night party received flak for being sexist. The event featured exotic dancers in scanty schoolgirl attire which made many attendees feel unwelcomed and found offensive. Some thought the company was "deceitful" as the event sent a contradictory message to its previous sessions which encouraged women in the gaming industry.

"It's unfortunate that such events could take place in a week where we worked so hard to engage the many different gaming communities in the exact opposite way. I am personally committed to ensuring that diversity and inclusion is central to our everyday business and our core values as a team – inside and outside the company. We need to hold ourselves to higher standards and we will do better in the future."

Kathleen Hogan, executive vice president of human resources at Microsoft, sent a note to all Microsoft employees. In the email which CNet received a copy of, Hogan said "the entire Senior Leadership Team was embarrassed and appalled." She echoed Spencer's statement saying the event was "unacceptable" and undermines the "diverse and inclusive" culture that Microsoft aims to imbue.

"We are not going to tolerate this … We all are determined that this is never repeated....Microsoft's Employee Relations Investigations Team is involved to make sure we have a full understanding of what happened," an excerpt of Hogan's note reads. "And beyond this incident, we are strengthening our commitment to our diversity and inclusion efforts, while evaluating where we must take stronger action to show we are more resolute than ever to make progress and hold ourselves accountable."

Aaron Greenberg, head of Xbox marketing, also expressed his disappointment on Twitter.

Tech and video game conferences like the CES and E3 have been noted in the past to be unwelcoming to women. The main example of this bro culture was the use of booth babes as a marketing ploy by companies which wanted to attract attention to their products and brands. This and similar practices have been criticized as both alienating women and unprofessional. Although the representation of women in tech and gaming has improved, this recent event reminds the community that much more needs to be done. Many are hoping Microsoft will not repeat the blunder.