TSM FTX boss under investigation for workplace misconduct

This story about toxicity in esports, boiled down, in 1:42 minutes.

What's the fuss?

The "Jerry Jones" of esports is under fire for reported workplace harassment. With an impending investigation on the way, this could lead to positive change for the young industry.

The situation

Andy "Reginald" Dinh, the young founder of the now-massive esports organization Team SoloMid (TSM), had humble beginnings.

• Originally founded in 2009 as a community website for the game League Of Legends, Mr. Dinh began competing with TSM a couple years later.
• Since retiring from competitive play in 2013 to run the business full time, Mr. Dinh has managed to grow TSM to the $410 million juggernaut it is today through rapid expansion.

It's not all sunshine and roses for Mr. Dinh however, given an ongoing investigation against him for workplace misconduct and bullying allegations.

• Current and former employees at TSM have accused the founder of verbal abuse since 2013, going so far to say the organization is dominated by a "culture of fear".
• Riot Games, the owner of the League of Legends Championship Series in which TSM competes in, have commenced a formal investigation in response to these claims with its repercussions currently unknown.

Boiling it down

Riot Games' investigation follows an independent internal investigation by TSM themselves after public allegations came to light in November 2021.

• TSM created an "independent subcommittee" with the aid of external investigators and will likely cooperate with Riot Games to determine concrete findings.
• These responsive investigations to poor workplace culture joins similar ones conducted in the gaming development industry against the likes of Activision Blizzard, Ubisoft, and even Riot Games themselves.

Despite gaming and esports slowly clawing its way into the mainstream, toxicity still rears its head much too often.

• Esports has historically struggled with inclusion, with inherent problems like borne sexism and racism being somewhat pervasive.
• Although progress has been made to make the space safer, it's unfortunate that toxicity is prevalent both in front and behind the scenes.

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