Last Thursday, Sony’s PlayStation CEO, Jim Ryan, angered his employees over an internal email he sent regarding the controversy of the leaked Supreme Court document: revealing the Court is considering overturning Roe v. Wade, which allows people the right to an abortion. Due to abortion being a divisive issue in the US, seen by the numerous protests caused by the leak, Ryan sent an email instructing PlayStation employees to be “respectful” of “differences in opinion” over abortion rights. However, what landed Ryan in hot water was his additional five, detailed paragraphs about his cats and personal life in the name of being “lighthearted”. Naturally, Ryan’s aloof approach and tone towards a serious, hot-button issue was not taken well by employees. Some had felt their rights were disrespected by Ryan, with one noting they had “never been so mad about a cat birthday before.”

Following the backlash from Ryan’s email, The Washington Post reports that PlayStation’s owner, Sony Interactive Entertainment (SIE), and Insomniac, a subsidiary of Sony, are both planning to quietly donate $50K to Women’s Reproductive Rights Assistance Project (WRRAP). Insomniac CEO, Ted Price, sent an internal email on May 13, informing employees of the company’s donation and asserted that Insomniac employees can also make individual donations via the company’s PlayStation Cares program if they so choose. Additionally, Sony plans to match Insomniac’s donation and to also create an initiative, with the help of Insomniac, to “provide financial assistance to employees who might have to travel to different states to receive reproductive care.”

Furthermore, within the email, Price was explicit in that neither company will be public with their support of reproductive rights, meaning employees must also be discreet as well. According to The Washington Post, Insomniac employees were informed that they were strictly “forbidden” from retweeting or acknowledging “any announcements the WRRAP might make” about the companies’ donations. Price’s email contained a Q&A section, within which Price stated that he wished and fought for the company to be able to be vocal in their support for abortion rights, much like Bungie; however, Price admits he conceded to Sony’s demands to not be outspoken. Price wrote:

There would be material repercussions for us as a wholly owned subsidiary…Among other things, any progress that we might make in helping change [Sony Interactive Entertainment’s] approach would be stopped dead in its tracks. We’d also probably be severely restricted from doing important public-facing work in the future.

In response to Price’s email, one employee asked Price if Sony’s $229 million acquisition of Insomniac had also bought Insomniac’s freedom of speech and values. Price answered with:

As far as our freedom of speech goes, while we do have a LOT of autonomy that often gets taken for granted, there are times where we need to acknowledge we’re part of a larger organization…For the most part, our ability to tweet has been unfettered. However, there are rare times when we’re in opposition (like this week) and SIE will have the final say.