Microsoft's announcement of a planned acquisition of Activision Blizzard sent ripples through the industry for a number of different reasons. The ramifications for Microsoft's library, Xbox Game Pass, exclusivity, and more are all staggering. But much of the discussion has centered on what will ultimately happen to current Activision Blizzard CEO Bobby Kotick, who for months has been resisting pressure to resign amid allegations of a toxic workplace culture and lax-at-best leadership. With news of the acquisition, Kotick is likely headed for a massive payday at the end of this process, which just feels wrong. And while this, rightly, will be a difficult pill to swallow for many, as a practical matter, it's important to focus on the positive steps that will improve working conditions for the employees and the role we can have in ensuring this happens.

First, to state the obvious: Yes, it is viscerally frustrating for bad actors to be rewarded in society. It feels unjust. We have a cosmic sense that karma isn't supposed to work that way. So the focus on Kotick's payday is totally understandable. Assuming the allegations regarding his own culpability in failing to respond to a culture of harassment and abuse are true, it is extremely human to bristle at the idea that a big fat paycheck is coming his way as a reward for enabling the work culture that has led to the widespread reports of toxicity at Activision Blizzard and then stubbornly refusing to step aside.

To offer a thousand-foot view, though, Bobby Kotick is already obscenely rich, with a net worth valued at $870 million. That is a level of wealth that is difficult to wrap one's mind around. It's enough to last hundreds of lifetimes without working another day, even before you account for how investments and interest can themselves produce all the money you'd ever need to live comfortably. The large payout that probably awaits Kotick at the end of this acquisition is not likely to make his life discernibly easier than it already will be. According to SEC documents, he would certainly be getting a generous payout upwards of $260 million upon leaving the company whether an acquisition had happened or not. It's very much a case of the rich getting richer. His accumulation of even more wealth is frustrating as a matter of principle, not practicality.