TSM co-owner Andy “Reginald” Dinh tweeted on Friday that a third-party investigation confirmed “no unlawful conduct” within the organization. However, both Reginald and the report conceded that the CEO failed to communicate with certain staff at times.
Those issues, both those discovered and ruled out by the investigation, stemmed from accusations that Reginald contributed to a “culture of fear” detailed in a Washington Post report that shared the stories of anonymous employees. The investigation is also separate from the one Riot Games is conducting for similar reasons.
TSM Investigation Results
Read: https://t.co/vz7ZlEJI3W
— TSM Reginald (@TSMReginald) May 27, 2022
Aggressive ownership, no broken laws
The Twitlonger Reginald provided also included the official investigation summary. Conducted by the law firm Gutierrez Marca LLP and led by attorney Lynne Davis, the investigation formed a committee within Swift Media Entertainment’s board of directors. While Reginald is normally a part of that group, he recused himself from participating as an investigator.
According to the summary, Reginald did nothing unlawful according to 31 interviewed witnesses. These people confirmed that, based on their experiences, Reginald hadn’t been derogatory toward them. This summary also touched on the CEO’s interaction with female employees at the company.
“Specifically, and of particular note given the male dominated esport industry, all females interviewed did not feel that they were marginalized and/or that gender prohibited advancement within Swift,” the investigation summary read. “There was also no conduct observed in the workplace that was sexual in nature or harassing.”
While not unlawful, some interviewed witnesses confirmed aspects of the Washington Post report. Six of the witnesses, four past and two current employees, confirmed the aspect of a “culture of fear.” However, the other twenty-five interviewees disagreed. There was one witness who reported Reginald made an employee cry, though.
Reginald talks about improving TSM
Within the Twitlonger itself, Reginald said he plans to work on the way he communicates with team members, specifically regarding how he describes the value of employee work. Reginald had been accused of telling staff that their work “creates no value” for the company, previously.
“I understand that this can and does make people feel as if I think they are ‘worthless,’” Reginald said. “This is not my intent and I am sorry. The bottom line is that my tone and delivery matters, and when I communicate with team members in ways like this, the result can be demotivating.”
Reginald also addressed the issue of name calling, which he described as terms of endearment that began back when TSM was a smaller company with a tight knit staff. As the company expanded, he admitted that the names might have made others who lacked the context of their origin uncomfortable.
In terms of what Reginald said the company is doing to improve the organization following this investigation, everything starts with a three-month-long evaluation of the company’s culture. He also mentioned an anonymous reporting hotline for workplace concerns, employee workshops with outside experts to facilitate a positive work environment and executive coaching to improve his interactions with staff. All of these steps were recommended by Gutierrez Marca LLP following the investigation.
Finally, Reginald reaffirmed his commitment to improve the company culture.
“I began my professional esports journey as a teenager, and now, over a decade later, am the proud founder and CEO of the world’s most valuable esports organization,” Reginald said. “I am grateful for the opportunity to push my company to the next level, and I will take up this challenge with the same drive and determination that brought TSM here.”
Meanwhile, the previously mentioned Riot Games investigation is still ongoing.
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