Krafton Launches Voluntary Resignation Program Weeks After Declaring 'AI-First Company' Future (pcgamer.com)
- Reference: 0180072788
- News link: https://slashdot.org/story/25/11/14/1118241/krafton-launches-voluntary-resignation-program-weeks-after-declaring-ai-first-company-future
- Source link: https://www.pcgamer.com/gaming-industry/krafton-launches-voluntary-resignation-program-weeks-after-declaring-its-ai-first-company-future/
> In October, PUBG and Subnautica 2 publisher Krafton announced that it would be undergoing a "complete reorganization" to become an "AI-first" company, planning to invest over 130 billion won ($88 million) in agentic AI infrastructure and deployment beginning in 2026. This week, as it boasts record-breaking quarterly profits, the Korean publisher has followed that strategic shift by [1]launching a voluntary resignation program for its domestic employees, according to Business Korea reporting.
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> The program, announced internally, offers substantial buyouts for domestic Krafton employees based on their length of employment at the publisher. Severance packages range from 6 months' salary for employees with one year or less of service to 36 months' salary for employees who've worked at Krafton for over 11 years. The voluntary resignation program follows a November 4 earnings call in which Krafton announced a record quarterly profit of $717 million. During the call, Krafton CFO Bae Dong-geun indicated that Krafton had also halted hiring for new positions, telling investors that "excluding organizations developing original intellectual property and AI-related personnel, we have frozen hiring company-wide."
[1] https://www.pcgamer.com/gaming-industry/krafton-launches-voluntary-resignation-program-weeks-after-declaring-its-ai-first-company-future/
3 years' salary for 11 years of tenure!?? (Score:2)
That's insane! Sign me up and ship me out.
Well done Krafton (Score:3)
While I despise AI initiatives in their current form, this is the way to do it.
You declare your AI intentions and lofty goals, then give the employees a decent (or, in this case substantial) voluntary resignation package.
No bad blood, and if you need to re-hire these people in the future, no burned bridges.
I hope more companies idd things like this.
JM2C
YMMV
Disagree, this is the stupidest way possible! (Score:2)
> While I despise AI initiatives in their current form, this is the way to do it.
> You declare your AI intentions and lofty goals, then give the employees a decent (or, in this case substantial) voluntary resignation package.
> No bad blood, and if you need to re-hire these people in the future, no burned bridges.
> I hope more companies idd things like this.
It's good for the employees who leave and bad for customers, and coworkers who stay. The smart thing to do is layoff the shitty performers and boost the pay of the best employees. Instead, you're ensuring those with the best resumes will get a great pay package to get a better job. So you like your job at Krafton or can't leave?...well...now the best people quit and you're left with the very worst and least ambitious coworkers.
You're a customer? This is a repeat of the offshore outsourcing rage of th
Who wants to play slop? (Score:2)
People don't even want AI in their lanugage-learning apps (Duolingo), sure as hell no one's buying games designed and built by AI.
This is going to go very badly for them.
Those severance packages are pretty good... (Score:3)
If I was offered something like that, I might take them up on it.
Who knows, maybe I could write a cool indie game during my 18 months off and I'd never need another corporate job again?
Re: (Score:2)
Imagine a truly valued employee watching one of his colleagues scoop up 3yrs of salary on his way out the door having been refused the package themselves because "wouldn't want to lose you". It's going to lead to some resentment unless they are also offering a 36 month retention bonus.
Re: (Score:2)
> Imagine a truly valued employee watching one of his colleagues scoop up 3yrs of salary on his way out the door having been refused the package themselves because "wouldn't want to lose you". It's going to lead to some resentment unless they are also offering a 36 month retention bonus.
Agree 100% with you. Voluntary severance packages should be offered in a no questions asked first come first served basis.
If manglement* or HR can say no to a request, it means that trust is broken. Manglement KNOWS that the employee wants to leave, and the employees know that they know. This leads to the employee embarking in a mad race to find a new job, for fear of being fired, and manglement trying to replace the employee ASAP (for fear of them leaving). I'v seen it first hand, with a very gifted storag
Re: (Score:2)
Yes, and you'd never see anything this good in the United States. Most companies only give severance in the United States if they think they might be sued if they don't. This is because companies in the United States don't want a severance liability on their books when they report quarterly earnings. Most other second world countries are more generous with severance. Some of them even have statutes requiring severance which increases on a sliding scale as function of the number of years of service.