EA Boss Accidentally Insulted Workers In Official Meeting, It's Claimed
EA Higher Up Reportedly Called Workers "Little Babies" In A Meeting - Not Realising Their Mic Was Still On
EA's incredibly controversial buyout has gone through. This means that the company and its subsidiaries are now owned by a consortium of investors, which includes the Saudi Arabian PIF and the Jared Kushner-led Affinity Partners.
Ever since the deal was announced last year, EA faced backlash both internally and externally. Workers and gamers alike feared that the buyout would lead to EA's games being censored, or projects not being greenlit if they included, for instance, LGBTQ+ characters and themes. Many also feared that layoffs would be inevitable.
Now, a new report from Game Developer gives us some insight into how EA attempted to address its workers' fears last year. Those who spoke to the publication shared how EA higher-ups held a meeting in which they shared their worries about censorship and layoffs - only for one of the bosses to allegedly insult them after the meeting, not realising their mic was still on.
EA Higher Up Seemingly Called Workers "Little Babies" For Worrying About The Saudi-led Buyout
This is said to have happened during a virtual town hall in autumn 2025. Here, EA higher-ups took questions from workers. When the meeting ended, it appeared that one of the higher-ups didn't realise that their mic was still on, and was heard to mutter "little babies".
Some of the workers who Game Developer spoke with interpreted this as an insult towards the employees who raised their concerns during the meeting. Others say they aren't certain, and it may have been an "offhand comment" that was "misinterpreted". Either way, few left the meeting feeling particularly reassured, and they still fear that job losses are inevitable.
This isn't the only gaffe that's been reported from these meetings. During another town hall, it's claimed that an EA exec said they were going to buy a new horse for their child. Some felt that this was tone deaf, even if it was meant in jest, and showed the divide between leadership and the workers.
Now, as the deal has gone through, workers can only wait and see if the reassurances they were given will amount to anything. It remains to be seen how some of EA's biggest franchises will be affected, but players will be particularly worried about The Sims, Dragon Age, and Mass Effect going forward, given the diversity in these games.