Paizo Expands Leadership Team

Interesting.

The same Jim Butler of Alternity fame? Either way, congrats!

Shiny enough lists of accolades on both, but it’s a little disheartening to see yet more white dudes. Here’s hoping they and the union can steer Paizo onto a better course than we’ve seen.

I admit, in light of recent events it is a bit concerning that the exec suite is being expanded just in time to effect negotiations with United Paizo Workers. Especially since their titles imply they are responsible for very corporate things. I certainly hope these folks will also negotiate in good faith and support all the staff of the company that makes such great games.

If the executive team can live and work in another state, why can't the employees?

The same Jim Butler of Alternity fame? Either way, congrats!

Guilty as charged.

-Jim

If the executive team can live and work in another state, why can't the employees?

A very good question I would also like the answer to.

keftiu wrote:

Shiny enough lists of accolades on both, but it’s a little disheartening to see yet more white dudes. Here’s hoping they and the union can steer Paizo onto a better course than we’ve seen.

Im going to flag this. Jim is openly gay. Does that not count in your counter or do you only see his skin tone?

I share keftiu's concern. The interactions I have seen with Jim give me hope, but then I never saw instances of the complaints against management beforehand, so that's no sure thing.

Anorak wrote:

keftiu wrote:

Shiny enough lists of accolades on both, but it’s a little disheartening to see yet more white dudes. Here’s hoping they and the union can steer Paizo onto a better course than we’ve seen.

Im going to flag this. Jim is openly gay. Does that not count in your counter or do you only see his skin tone?

I share keftiu's concern. The interactions I have seen with Jim give me hope, but then I never saw instances of the complaints against management beforehand, so that's no sure thing.

You have concerns because they're white? Not that they may be inept or whatever bad at managing?

You have concerns because they're white? Not that they may be inept or whatever bad at managing?

Por que no los dos?

I hope that Butler and Webb both understand the importance of working with the union and workers, and they help to address the continuing concerns (as can be seen in other threads) about Paizo's exective team (particularly Jeff).

I would hope they help Paizo apologise for transphobic practices that occured in the past.

keftiu wrote:

Shiny enough lists of accolades on both, but it’s a little disheartening to see yet more white dudes. Here’s hoping they and the union can steer Paizo onto a better course than we’ve seen.

Im going to flag this. Jim is openly gay. Does that not count in your counter or do you only see their tone?

This may come as a surprise to you, but you can be white and be gay at the same time - speaking as a white transgender lesbian. My frustrations about the management team lacking people of color has nothing to do with orientation. Hope that clears it up!

So who is responsible for addressing doxxing and transphobia in management now?

For a company that allegedly is all about diversity the management does not seem so diverse.

I was not aware that Sardianians were considered POC.

Mike and Jim, you’re jumping into a leadership role at a company where management has been conspicuously silent on allegations of systemic transphobia and where the working conditions recently led to a freelancer work stoppage and the founding of the first major union in this industry. I hope you know what you’re getting into, and can give us more honesty than your new peers have had for us so far; a fanbase that wants to love this company is in a lot of pain, and that buck now stops with you.

Best of luck with it. There’s a lot of eyes on you.

Mike and Jim, you’re jumping into a leadership role at a company where management has been conspicuously silent on allegations of systemic transphobia and where the working conditions recently led to a freelancer work stoppage and the founding of the first major union in this industry. I hope you know what you’re getting into, and can give us more honesty than your new peers have had for us so far; a fanbase that wants to love this company is in a lot of pain, and that buck now stops with you.

Best of luck with it. There’s a lot of eyes on you.

Jim is a long time Paizo employee. This is not a new hire.

Shiny enough lists of accolades on both, but it’s a little disheartening to see yet more white dudes. Here’s hoping they and the union can steer Paizo onto a better course than we’ve seen.

It is extremely disheartening to see someone openly judging people by the color of their skin on these forums. I expected more here.

keftiu wrote:

Shiny enough lists of accolades on both, but it’s a little disheartening to see yet more white dudes. Here’s hoping they and the union can steer Paizo onto a better course than we’ve seen.

It is extremely disheartening to see someone openly judging people by the color of their skin on these forums. I expected more here.

By all means, tell me how being upset that a team lacks racial diversity is bigotry.

Think of it as judging the diversity of management.

If we minorities would just be quiet and not ask a company that is supposed to be diverse accountable for that diversity that would just be great.

I admit, in light of recent events it is a bit concerning that the exec suite is being expanded just in time to effect negotiations with United Paizo Workers. Especially since their titles imply they are responsible for very corporate things. I certainly hope these folks will also negotiate in good faith and support all the staff of the company that makes such great games.

I would raise the opposite argument -- Is now a good time to shrink management? A couple of fresh minds not already mired in the bad decisions that made a union necessary seems to be exactly what they need.

Removed a couple of posts that broke community guidelines due to baiting, malicious, and/or personal content. I left some comments addressing diversity, though I ask the community to make sure any discussion of the topic doesn't break community guidelines (there is a link below the posting box reference is needed). Assistance is appreciated.

Who is the right person on the new look executive team to raise the historic incidents of transphobia with?

I'm disappointed that the mods have opted to leave some incredibly rude posts at the top. It's clear that certain vulgar opinions are permitted.

What the hell happened to my post? The reply is still up?

Apologies. I missed the reply when I removed the sub-thread.

I'm disappointed that the mods have opted to leave some incredibly rude posts at the top. It's clear that certain vulgar opinions are permitted.

What’s “rude and vulgar” about wanting more diversity in leadership?

Having worked with Mike at Alliance a number of years ago that makes me feel incredibly old, I can say with confidence that he is a great guy and will be a great addition to the team. Congrats Mike!

Maybe someone will be able to honor National Native American month in the actual month now.

Sirfuzzzy wrote:

keftiu wrote:

Shiny enough lists of accolades on both, but it’s a little disheartening to see yet more white dudes. Here’s hoping they and the union can steer Paizo onto a better course than we’ve seen.

It is extremely disheartening to see someone openly judging people by the color of their skin on these forums. I expected more here.

By all means, tell me how being upset that a team lacks racial diversity is bigotry.

I'll assume you're arguing in good faith, Sirfuzzy, and address your point accordingly.

Hiring a mostly-white executive team ensures that at the very top of the chain, the people making the decisions that affect everyone down the line are going to be working from a mostly-white perspective.

Contrary to what grade school platitudes may have told you, existing systemic prejudices ensure that a white perspective is very likely to be different from a black perspective, from an indigenous perspective, from a Hispanic perspective, etc.

Ergo, people down the line are not going to be as well represented in management's decisions if the management does not have people who can advocate for those differing and equally valuable perspectives.

*Particularly* in Paizo's case, when there's so much work done on the books to hire a diverse team of writers, having mostly white management is akin to letting someone in Texas sit on the state Senate in Vermont.

Diversity is not, as certain corners of the internet may insist, some kind of "woke metric" with no practical application. Members of a given demographic are, simply by merit of experience and cultural familiarity, going to be better advocates for that demographic than people outside said demographic.

It is therefore right and good that there are questions about the people at the top and which cultures and perspectives they bring to the table. Absent a reflection of the people who work for them present to offer solutions and perspectives, these managers may end up making decisions that hurt marginalized communities.

In short: diversity in management is an important method of ensuring representation and fairness in how the workforce is treated. This isn't bigotry, it's concern that - especially given recent circumstances - Paizo upper management is paying lip service to better leading the people whose livelihoods lie in their hands.

Who is the right person on the new look executive team to raise the historic incidents of transphobia with?

-Jim

Steve Geddes wrote:

Who is the right person on the new look executive team to raise the historic incidents of transphobia with?

I'm aware of the transphobia incidents raised over social media and the forums. You're free to email me at jim.butler@paizo.com or send me a private message with any additional details. This has not been forgotten, but the pace at which we can release updates has been slower than we'd like.

-Jim

Thank you, Jim. I appreciate that “nothing yet” is a different answer from “nothing”. I will send you an email.

Leon Aquilla wrote:

I'm disappointed that the mods have opted to leave some incredibly rude posts at the top. It's clear that certain vulgar opinions are permitted.

What’s “rude and vulgar” about wanting more diversity in leadership?

The racist implication that people who share their skin tone form a sort of monolithic gestalt collective for starters. Representation is cool, but representation for representation'sake is harmful.

Do you think the persons were hired because their impressive CVs or because Lisa Stevens, like Robin D'Angelo, feels uneasy around black people?

Humbly,
Yawar

Steve Geddes wrote:

Who is the right person on the new look executive team to raise the historic incidents of transphobia with?

I'm aware of the transphobia incidents raised over social media and the forums. You're free to email me at jim.butler@paizo.com or send me a private message with any additional details. This has not been forgotten, but the pace at which we can release updates has been slower than we'd like.

-Jim

I note that you use the term 'incidents,' rather than 'allegations,' suggesting that you acknowledge that it actually occurred. That's already an improvement, though an extremely small one. I look forward to hearing the full statement once it occurs. And it must occur. Time will tell.

keftiu wrote:

Leon Aquilla wrote:

I'm disappointed that the mods have opted to leave some incredibly rude posts at the top. It's clear that certain vulgar opinions are permitted.

What’s “rude and vulgar” about wanting more diversity in leadership?

The racist implication that people who share their skin tone form a sort of monolithic gestalt collective for starters. Representation is cool, but representation for representation'sake is harmful.

Do you think the persons were hired because their impressive CVs or because Lisa Stevens, like Robin D'Angelo, feels uneasy around black people?

Humbly,
Yawar

That you don't even know the difference between diversity and representation is evidence enough that you are out of your depth for this conversation, and I think the best thing you can do is excuse yourself from it before you embarrass yourself further.

keftiu wrote:

Leon Aquilla wrote:

I'm disappointed that the mods have opted to leave some incredibly rude posts at the top. It's clear that certain vulgar opinions are permitted.

What’s “rude and vulgar” about wanting more diversity in leadership?

The racist implication that people who share their skin tone form a sort of monolithic gestalt collective for starters. Representation is cool, but representation for representation'sake is harmful.

Do you think the persons were hired because their impressive CVs or because Lisa Stevens, like Robin D'Angelo, feels uneasy around black people?

Humbly,
Yawar

Man am I tired of this particular refrain.

Wanting more diverse people in positions of power is not representation GONE MAD. It's basic math comprehension revealing worrying hiring trends and underlying biases within the industry that need to be addressed. The only way to address them is through ACTION.

Congratulations to Jim and Mike! I love the products your company puts out and I’m excited to see how your contributions make Paizo better and stronger.

On the diversity front - I’m going to take a wild guess and say there may not be a lot of diverse candidates with the experience necessary for these positions. This whole industry has lacked diversity for a long time. I know Paizo had a panel during Gencon talking about how they are trying to promote diversity within their workforce, which may be relevant to review.

So maybe a more fair question is: How was diversity considered during the selection process?

"I’m going to take a wild guess and say there may not be a lot of diverse candidates with the experience necessary for these positions. This whole industry has lacked diversity for a long time."

I could just say "I wonder why" but instead I'll call out the assumption that there's not diverse candidates capable of leadership and/or creative positions.

"We only interviewed white men" and "No PoC or women applied at all" are two problems stemming from the same issue.

Especially if one of the managers does bot even live in WA.

Congratulations to Jim and Mike! I love the products your company puts out and I’m excited to see how your contributions make Paizo better and stronger.

On the diversity front - I’m going to take a wild guess and say there may not be a lot of diverse candidates with the experience necessary for these positions. This whole industry has lacked diversity for a long time. I know Paizo had a panel during Gencon talking about how they are trying to promote diversity within their workforce, which may be relevant to review.

So maybe a more fair question is: How was diversity considered during the selection process?

Why assume no people of color with management experience exist? Furthermore, since this is a known issue in the industry... why not take strides to buck that trend, and actually hire some?