Paizo Expands Leadership Team

Best way to find diverse hires with management experience is to hire diversely and give them the experience.

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.

I’ll call out your assumption that they didn’t consider diverse candidates.

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?

I don’t make that assumption. Why do you assume that I did? And why do you assume that no strides were attempted? After 50+ posts I note that I am the only person here who has actually asked the question before leaping to a conclusion.

I’ll be honest, y’all. I’m getting sick and tired of the condescending stances that are on display here and in other threads, where it seems folks are just trying to shout each other down. Take a step back and try to assume at least positive intent. And start with honest questions, not accusations. Be civil.

Best way to find diverse hires with management experience is to hire diversely and give them the experience.

This is exactly right. I 100% agree. But you have to get folks to a point where they can be successful in that role. You can’t hire someone off the street and give them an executive job. (Yes, that is an oversimplification, but it makes the point.

keftiu wrote:

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?

I don’t make that assumption. Why do you assume that I did?

The part where you said:

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.

How many people here complaining about diversity at Paizo have applied at Paizo? Why not be the change you're talking about.

Vardoc Bloodstone wrote:

keftiu wrote:

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?

I don’t make that assumption. Why do you assume that I did?

The part where you said:

Quote:

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.

dose does not exist vs not a lot, one of these is not like the other.

YawarFiesta wrote:

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.

Basic statistic comprehension will tell you that is perfectly plausible to have 5 randomly selected individuals in majority white country be white before taking into account any regional or cultural variance that could skew chances even farther.

To give you an example, if you go to an Evo tournament you are likely to find that more than 90% of attendants and competitor are black and/or asian. Does this means that there is a systematic antisemitic, anti-white or anti-latino discrimination problem or some cultural quirk?

Humbly,
Yawar

How many people here complaining about diversity at Paizo have applied at Paizo? Why not be the change you're talking about.

I'm a white woman, I'm not exactly fixing the problem at hand if I do.

Given that they demand you live in Washington to do so, I imagine not many could apply. There's also the question of what the pay looks like, or the fact that the job we're specifically discussing here is corporate management, which is hardly something you can just pick up on the fly... this reply is a half-step above "yet you live in a society."

TriOmegaZero wrote:

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?

It's reverse racism and hypocrisy to be concerned about color and not people's ability. "So Woke they are sleeping".

"I’ll call out your assumption that they didn’t consider diverse candidates."

You posited there wasn't enough diverse candidates due to the industry, I didn't make the claim that they didn't.

"Take a step back and try to assume at least positive intent."

They would need to win back that positive intent after betraying it, if you mess up you don't get a free reset all the time you can bank on. Paizo management is not currently in a position where they have the presumption of good intent, and certainly not anywhere where others can demand others view them with that light. They want to be viewed with positive intent? Do positive deeds. "We made new management positions and filled them with cis white males" is neutral at best.

"And start with honest questions, not accusations."

You must have missed key points over the past two/three months. Honest questions have been asked. Repeatedly. They have gone unanswered.

"Be civil."

We have been, as has this conversation for the most part. Unless you mean don't bring it up at all, but then that's not civility.

Congratulations Jim and Mike.

How many people here complaining about diversity at Paizo have applied at Paizo? Why not be the change you're talking about.

They don't openly advertise their executive positions, in general.

The complaints above are specifically about management.

Vardoc Bloodstone wrote:

keftiu wrote:

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?

I don’t make that assumption. Why do you assume that I did?

The part where you said:

Quote:

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.

Reread my post. I said “may” and “guess”. And I followed that statement with a question. Neither you nor I know how the selection process was handled.

…and I’m out of this thread. There’s a few more responses here, but I’m not going to respond to each. I was hoping to steer this into a more constructive conversation, but now I’m feeling attacked, and I don’t see a benefit to continuing this dialogue.

Ashbourne wrote:

How many people here complaining about diversity at Paizo have applied at Paizo? Why not be the change you're talking about.

this reply is a half-step above "yet you live in a society."

I wasn't being sarcastic I really meant why not be the change you want. Have you seen the movie Whip it? There's a line in it "be your own hero." I took that line to heart, when I first saw a roller derby bout, I couldn't even stand on roller skates, but I bought skates the next day, then I found out there was no men's team in the state I live in, so I started one. 14 months later I'm playing in front of 4000 people against the the women's team that had first inspired me.

Ashbourne wrote:

How many people here complaining about diversity at Paizo have applied at Paizo? Why not be the change you're talking about.

They don't openly advertise their executive positions, in general.

The complaints above are specifically about management.

From the interviews I've seen, sounds like the best way to get a job in the TTPRG industry is networking at conventions.

There is no path for career advancement at Paizo. Jim’s VP position was created for him, it was not something anyone was able to apply for. Staff didn’t even know it existed until we were informed he was hired. Likewise the position Mike is in was not one anyone was able to apply for, it was created for him when he was hired.

And as far as promoting upwards in the company, well after nearly 5 and a half years and still having an entry level title despite doing things like managing the satellite booths at GenCon, and training new hires (all of the CSRs currently at the company weren’t only trained by me, I was also the one who went through their applications, and set up interviews, likewise for some that are no longer with the company) I asked for a promotion in December 2019. After 3 months of leading me on, in March 2020 I was informed I didn’t NEED a promotion. I did finally get one a year later in January 2021, but that was because they had to, not because they wanted to. Incidentally before Paizo I was the front end manager at a Harbor Freight Tools for 2 and a half years, and before that the warehouse manager at a Borders for several years until the company liquidated. So it’s not even that I was unqualified for a leadership position.

There is no getting promoted up through the ranks at Paizo. Either you’re a friend or contact of Lisa or Jeff’s and you get hired straight into leadership positions, or you’re not and you have no career advancement options.

keftiu wrote:

Ashbourne wrote:

How many people here complaining about diversity at Paizo have applied at Paizo? Why not be the change you're talking about.

this reply is a half-step above "yet you live in a society."

I wasn't being sarcastic I really meant why not be the change you want. Have you seen the movie Whip it? There's a line in it "be your own hero." I took that line to heart, when I first saw a roller derby bout, I couldn't even stand on roller skates, but I bought skates the next day, then I found out there was no men's team in the state I live in, so I started one. 14 months later I'm playing in front of 4000 people against the the women's team that had first inspired me.

You can see why "move to another state to take a management position that wasn't advertised anywhere, in a specialized line of work" wasn't a reply I read in good faith. Doubly so when the problem at hand (the lack of diversity in management) isn't one my presence would fix (as I am white).

How many people here complaining about diversity at Paizo have applied at Paizo? Why not be the change you're talking about.

Coming from a freelancer perspective there are in fact many diverse voices who would qualify for a position with Paizo and have experience in the industry sometimes even over a decade of it. The assumption that these people are not applying when possible is patently false. It is a known issue that Paizo has tendency not to open up positions in development to the public as of late.

Furthermore, there are people trying to make that push towards diversity at other levels of the company as we have seen, and many of these people are also just as likely qualified to fill in leadership positions. But instead, the company has chosen to appoint two new members, one of which has been with the company less than 6 months, neither of which help to add to the diversity that the company has already been accused of suppressing for years now.

The truth is, people would love to be that change (myself included) but the problem is they aren't being allowed to. And while I was truly and very much hoping for a change to that with the Paizo Worker's Union, this blog post has made me very disappointed and now worried that Paizo will not be a part of that change, after all.

There is no path for career advancement at Paizo. Jim’s VP position was created for him, it was not something anyone was able to apply for. Staff didn’t even know it existed until we were informed he was hired. Likewise the position Mike is in was not one anyone was able to apply for, it was created for him when he was hired.

And as far as promoting upwards in the company, well after nearly 5 and a half years and still having an entry level title despite doing things like managing the satellite booths at GenCon, and training new hires (all of the CSRs currently at the company weren’t only trained by me, I was also the one who went through their applications, and set up interviews, likewise for some that are no longer with the company) I asked for a promotion in December 2019. After 3 months of leading me on, in March 2020 I was informed I didn’t NEED a promotion. I did finally get one a year later in January 2021, but that was because they had to, not because they wanted to. Incidentally before Paizo I was the front end manager at a Harbor Freight Tools for 2 and a half years, and before that the warehouse manager at a Borders for several years until the company liquidated. So it’s not even that I was unqualified for a leadership position.

There is no getting promoted up through the ranks at Paizo. Either you’re a friend or contact of Lisa or Jeff’s and you get hired straight into leadership positions, or you’re not and you have no career advancement options.

Thank you for speaking up, Diego.

Steve Geddes wrote:

Ashbourne wrote:

How many people here complaining about diversity at Paizo have applied at Paizo? Why not be the change you're talking about.

They don't openly advertise their executive positions, in general.

The complaints above are specifically about management.

From the interviews I've seen, sounds like the best way to get a job in the TTPRG industry is networking at conventions.

And wouldn't you know, one of the main #PaizoAccountability allegations was "a trans employee was denied the ability to attend conventions, preventing her from doing important industry networking."

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

Just a note that it's Native American Heritage Month, not National Native American month. Thanks!

Diego and Isis thanks for the inside info.

Dose Pathfinder/Starfindr Infinite open up opportunities to be your own boss? or is it too small of a market or profit margin for that?

Ashbourne wrote:

Steve Geddes wrote:

Ashbourne wrote:

How many people here complaining about diversity at Paizo have applied at Paizo? Why not be the change you're talking about.

They don't openly advertise their executive positions, in general.

The complaints above are specifically about management.

From the interviews I've seen, sounds like the best way to get a job in the TTPRG industry is networking at conventions.

And wouldn't you know, one of the main #PaizoAccountability allegations was "a trans employee was denied the ability to attend conventions, preventing her from doing important industry networking."

If they were specifically deined becuse they're a Trans person then I'm with you on that.

keftiu wrote:

Ashbourne wrote:

Steve Geddes wrote:

Ashbourne wrote:

How many people here complaining about diversity at Paizo have applied at Paizo? Why not be the change you're talking about.

They don't openly advertise their executive positions, in general.

The complaints above are specifically about management.

From the interviews I've seen, sounds like the best way to get a job in the TTPRG industry is networking at conventions.

And wouldn't you know, one of the main #PaizoAccountability allegations was "a trans employee was denied the ability to attend conventions, preventing her from doing important industry networking."

If they were specifically deined becuse they're a Trans person then I'm with you on that.

The specific allegation was that a trans woman was not allowed to room with a consenting cis woman, even though pairs of cis women were allowed to room together, and that hotel rooms for convention-attending employees had to be booked in pairs - meaning that the trans woman just couldn't go.

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

Perhaps the non-leadership employees are no longer willing to be displayed as tokens of 'diversity' at Paizo.

Honestly though this is reminding me of why I wouldn't want to find a company:

If I managed to find a company and it to do well in its goal, I'd be terrified of handing out the company to someone I don't know that well in fear that company becomes more greedy corporation or such :'D So while advancing through corporation hierarchy would probably be more beneficial to company, there is appeal in idea of keeping control to yourself since then failure is only your responsibility. But if the company grows larger from "small team of people" to actually needing more managers, you kind of have to start hiring other people in leadership position because it kinda breeds resentment to hoard all power to yourself.

Basically I can see how someone falls into nepotism trap. Its not necessarily about "I'm giving my friends more money" as it is about keeping feeling of being in control by giving power only to people you personally know :'D Which is very nasty trap indeed. I think lot of evil starts from people being desperate for control

^I think you mean "found", not "find", but point taken.

Terevalis Unctio of House Mysti wrote:

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

Just a note that it's Native American Heritage Month, not National Native American month. Thanks!

The point is still the same. Thanks.

Terevalis Unctio of House Mysti wrote:

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

Perhaps the non-leadership employees are no longer willing to be displayed as tokens of 'diversity' at Paizo.

They cab recognize and honor the month even if they have no indigenous employees, right?

Vardoc Bloodstone wrote:

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?

Why not accept they could be the best people? Do not be so biased against them just because they are white males, or assume racism decided this. Do you think biasing against hiring white males and employing a non white male is no less racist or biased?

Meritocracy, not quota's and agendas will ensure Paizo stays in business and produces the games we love and spend money on.

Can't you open your mind that they just might be the best? How do you know? You come across as biased! I could not care if every person who is best belongs to any group, or all belong to one group if they are good.

Meritocracy is what produces success. So could non white males have the skill and merit? Yes, but it appears none were as competitive or available for these positions except if you propose a conspiracy theory. Instead you would have 2 good people biased against and not advanced just to put someone else in because they meet your preferred sexual, racial or whatever else distribution. Facts is, you are biased against the meritocratic advance of a white male in this case.

keftiu wrote:

Vardoc Bloodstone wrote:

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?

Why not accept they could be the best people? Do not be so biased against them just because they are white males, or assume racism decided this. Do you think biasing against hiring white males and employing a non white male is no less racist or biased?

Meritocracy, not quota's and agendas will ensure Paizo stays in business and produces the games we love and spend money on.

Can't you open your mind that they just might be the best? How do you know? You come across as biased! I could not care if every person who is best belongs to any group, or all belong to one group if they are good.

Meritocracy is what produces success. So could non white males have the skill and merit? Yes, but it appears none were as competitive or available for these positions except if you propose a conspiracy theory. Instead you would have 2 good people biased against and not advanced just to put someone else in because they meet your preferred sexual, racial or whatever else distribution. Facts is, you are biased against the meritocratic advance of a white male in this case.

No one was permitted to compete for those positions, and it sounds like no one checked if anyone else was available for those positions, as those positions allegedly (an allegation made by a widely respected former member of the company) where created for those people. Trying to claim that no people of colour where competitive enough or qualified enough or available is a baseless assumption, because no one bothered to look to see if that was the case.

edit: In a meritocracy, you don't create positions for specific people. You openly advertise the position and let people compete for it, to try and get the best possible candidate.

General Orc wrote:

keftiu wrote:

Vardoc Bloodstone wrote:

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?

Why not accept they could be the best people? Do not be so biased against them just because they are white males, or assume racism decided this. Do you think biasing against hiring white males and employing a non white male is no less racist or biased?

Meritocracy, not quota's and agendas will ensure Paizo stays in business and produces the games we love and spend money on.

Can't you open your mind that they just might be the best? How do you know? You come across as biased! I could not care if every person who is best belongs to any group, or all belong to one group if they are good.

Meritocracy is what produces success. So could non white males have the skill and merit? Yes, but it appears none were as competitive or available for these positions except if you propose a conspiracy theory. Instead you would have 2 good people biased against and not advanced just to put someone else in because they meet your preferred sexual, racial or whatever else distribution. Facts is, you are biased against the meritocratic advance of a white male in this case.

No one was permitted to compete for those positions,...

No assumption "Trying to claim that no people of colour where competitive enough" in my writing, at all. I said maybe. And did I say people of color, what about transgender whites???? Bias shows in your interpretation of what i said.

No assumption "Trying to claim that no people of colour where competitive enough" in my writing, at all. I said maybe. And did I say people of color, what about transgender whites???? Bias shows in your interpretation of what i said.

Are you seriously trying to tell me (a transgender white woman) that I am biased against transgender white women?

edit: you also repeatedly said non-white males, and focused entirely on race in your post, which is why I addressed things in the context of race.

I'd like to remind certain posters in this thread that "reverse racism"does not exist in any way shape or form, and there is no systemic oppression of white people in America (or most places in the world, really).

Diego's story also really makes me question what Lisa is even still doing at the company. Does she collect a paycheck as CEO? It's disheartening to see such mismanagement, and though I wish the best for Jim and Mike, I do wish other people could have at least been *considered* for the position.

I'd like to remind certain posters in this thread that "reverse racism"does not exist in any way shape or form, and there is no systemic oppression of white people in America (or most places in the world, really).

Diego's story also really makes me question what Lisa is even still doing at the company. Does she collect a paycheck as CEO? It's disheartening to see such mismanagement, and though I wish the best for Jim and Mike, I do wish other people could have at least been *considered* for the position.

Exactly. Prejudice or Discrimination can be specific, but Racism/Sexism/etc are historical, structural and systemic. That is what makes them -isms.

"Meritocracy is what produces success. So could non white males have the skill and merit? Yes, but it appears none were as competitive or available for these positions except if you propose a conspiracy theory. Instead you would have 2 good people biased against and not advanced just to put someone else in because they meet your preferred sexual, racial or whatever else distribution. Facts is, you are biased against the meritocratic advance of a white male in this case."

... dood, they were picked because of nepotism, it doesn't get more biased than that.

I can hardly believe how tonedeaf a move this was by Lisa. With the allegations Paizo is facing, to create positions for two friends of hers out of thin air without doing interviews or considering any current employees is just mind blowing. I can’t imagine how tough an environment it must be to be a worker there right now. And two middle aged white dudes? Just wow.

I’m afraid Paizo has entered a spiral and there’s no way out.

General Orc wrote:

No assumption "Trying to claim that no people of colour where competitive enough" in my writing, at all. I said maybe. And did I say people of color, what about transgender whites???? Bias shows in your interpretation of what i said.

Are you seriously trying to tell me (a transgender white woman) that I am biased against transgender white women?

edit: you also repeatedly said non-white males, and focused entirely on race in your post, which is why I addressed things in the context of race.

employing a non white male clearly could be a white woman, a black person,anyone except a white male.

"Are you seriously trying to tell me (a transgender white woman) that I am biased against transgender white women?" Nope, you are just biased against a white male.

There is no path for career advancement at Paizo. Jim’s VP position was created for him, it was not something anyone was able to apply for. Staff didn’t even know it existed until we were informed he was hired. Likewise the position Mike is in was not one anyone was able to apply for, it was created for him when he was hired.

And as far as promoting upwards in the company, well after nearly 5 and a half years and still having an entry level title despite doing things like managing the satellite booths at GenCon, and training new hires (all of the CSRs currently at the company weren’t only trained by me, I was also the one who went through their applications, and set up interviews, likewise for some that are no longer with the company) I asked for a promotion in December 2019. After 3 months of leading me on, in March 2020 I was informed I didn’t NEED a promotion. I did finally get one a year later in January 2021, but that was because they had to, not because they wanted to. Incidentally before Paizo I was the front end manager at a Harbor Freight Tools for 2 and a half years, and before that the warehouse manager at a Borders for several years until the company liquidated. So it’s not even that I was unqualified for a leadership position.

There is no getting promoted up through the ranks at Paizo. Either you’re a friend or contact of Lisa or Jeff’s and you get hired straight into leadership positions, or you’re not and you have no career advancement options.

Diego. Thank you. I can only assume that when you left either they didn't offer you a 'severence' to keep quiet or you refused it.

I can't tell you how grateful I am for your voice in this community.

2021, a company guilty of failures to respect minorities among its workforce hires two white dudes to top leadership positions via the industry's infamous "yeah we drank so much beer at GenCons over the last 25 years, why doncha come work for us?" camarderie-not-competence based route while refusing to provide meaningful opportunities for advancement to existing staff.

The worst part of this is that I'm not surprised this is happening.

Tender Tendrils wrote:

General Orc wrote:

keftiu wrote:

Vardoc Bloodstone wrote:

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?

Why not accept they could be the best people? Do not be so biased against them just because they are white males, or assume racism decided this. Do you think biasing against hiring white males and employing a non white male is no less racist or biased?

Meritocracy, not quota's and agendas will ensure Paizo stays in business and produces the games we love and spend money on.

Can't you open your mind that they just might be the best? How do you know? You come across as biased! I could not care if every person who is best belongs to any group, or all belong to one group if they are good.

Meritocracy is what produces success. So could non white males have the skill and merit? Yes, but it appears none were as competitive or available for these positions except if you propose a conspiracy theory. Instead you would have 2 good people biased against and not advanced just to put someone else in because they meet your preferred sexual, racial or whatever else distribution. Facts is, you are biased against the meritocratic advance of a white male in this case.

No one was permitted

...

Did you bit read Diego's post or are you choosing to ignore it?

Jim is a good guy, at least from my experience interacting with him. I don't know Mike.

This isn't reflective of either of their skills or personalities. They may even be fantastic picks for the jobs.

Anyone out there defending the hiring of these 2 against people who have legitimate concerns about representation? You aren't actually going to have a productive conversation that you think you are.

Diversity and Inclusion at the top is historically a HUGE HUGE HUGE issue in..... just about every aspect of life. But definitely in corporate America.

It is valid for people to bring this up, especially in light of what has been reported at this specific company.

And please go read Diego's post if you haven't. If you read his post, and trust that he has no ulterior motive, which mind you he has been extremely fair considering his reasons for departing, then take a look at the hiring's through that lens.

Hiring your buddy for a job when no other candidates are even in the running is exactly what people are talking about when they raise awareness about inclusion and diversity in the workplace. Fact that Diego's own story about no upward path within the company isn't shocking, but it is why we are having these conversations right now.

Good luck!

Hahaha

Jim is a good guy, at least from my experience interacting with him. I don't know Mike.

You can be an excellent employee with utmost integrity and have more oil in your head than the entire leadership combined, but you're still a) white dude b) hired not through a recruitment on merits, but on count of being long time friends with whoever is running the company.

Speaking of good old friend white dudes, I wonder how does Paizo's leadership feel about Ryan Dancey, Pathfinder Online and how that story played out, because from where I'm standing the partnership with Ryan and launching PFO was a textbook exercise in hiring your old GenCon bro and then watching it all become a flaming wreck.

Grankless wrote:

I'd like to remind certain posters in this thread that "reverse racism"does not exist in any way shape or form, and there is no systemic oppression of white people in America (or most places in the world, really).

Diego's story also really makes me question what Lisa is even still doing at the company. Does she collect a paycheck as CEO? It's disheartening to see such mismanagement, and though I wish the best for Jim and Mike, I do wish other people could have at least been *considered* for the position.

Exactly. Prejudice or Discrimination can be specific, but Racism/Sexism/etc are historical, structural and systemic. That is what makes them -isms.

No, but it requires a college course in Newspeak and Doublethink to make that artificial distinction. The whole racism = power + prejudice is made to excuse racism against white people by obscuring language.

Humbly,
Yawar

Was PF Online their planned VTT that never materialized but they made a lot of noise over, like their Kingmaker project?