Internal Investigation of TSM CEO Finds 'No Unlawful Conduct'

TSM's internal investigation of CEO Andy "Reginald" Dinh for allegations of bullying and verbal abuse has found "no unlawful conduct" by the executive.

The results were announced by Dinh in posts on Twitter and Reddit on Friday, detailing the process that went into concluding the findings, as well as including an investigation summary seemingly made by the law offices of Gutierrez Marca LLP.

As recommended by Gutierrez Marca, and "immediately accepted" by Dinh, Dinh will undergo mandatory executive coaching, leadership training, and culture-building training.

According to the summary by Matthew Marca, Dinh's alleged history of workplace bullying and verbal abuse was first brought up by an employee who made several internal complaints in early November 2021.

In response, a special committee of the Board of Directors of Swift Media — the parent company ⁠of TSM, Blitz and ICON — was formed and hired an independent outside investigator to begin an internal investigation. As Dinh described in his announcement on the matter, Dinh seemingly recused himself from the process and supported the formation of the special committee to allow a thorough investigation to be done without any constraints. Gutierrez Marca was retained by this subcommittee to advise and oversee the investigation.

The investigation was said to be conducted by investigator and attorney Lynne Davis, who reached out to 39 witnesses — current and past employees of Swift companies (including all direct reports to Dinh and all members of the current TSM League of Legends team) — and ultimately interviewed 31 of them.

"None of the witnesses interviewed had witnessed or were aware of conduct or derogatory comments aimed at and/or based on any protected characteristic (i.e. gender, race, religion, sexual orientation)," Marca's summary reads. "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. There was also no conduct observed in the workplace that was sexual in nature or harassing. In sum, there was no sexual harassment or gender discrimination."

The summary also acknowledged that Dinh provided feedback to employees, including players, "in an aggressive and harsh tone."

More specifically, three witnesses, two of which are noted as past employees, said they heard Dinh call employees names such as "stupid," "trash" or "worthless." The other 28 witnesses, however, seemingly said that when Dinh used these words, "he was referring to work product" and not calling the employees those terms.

"No other words (such as F word or other swearing) were mentioned," Marca's summary reads. "There were six employees (four past and two current) of the 31 witnesses interviewed who characterized Mr. Dinh’s conduct as being a 'bully' and creating a 'culture of fear.' The remaining 25 current employees interviewed did not feel they were working in a culture of fear or toxic workplace. There was one report of an employee crying as a result of Mr. Dinh’s conduct."

According to Dinh's announcement, in addition to the aforementioned anonymous reporting hotline, TSM's executive team is looking to implement several company-wide initiatives, including:

• "A three-month top to bottom, full evaluation of our company culture. This will be a collaborative effort, and all employees no matter their role will play a significant part in this important initiative."
• "Implementing an anonymous reporting hotline for anyone to share concerns in the workplace."
• "Facilitating consistent and ongoing employee workshops with outside experts to re-emphasize our commitment to a positive and productive working environment."

On May 4, a source in a report by the Washington Post said the CEO fostered a "culture of fear" in both TSM and Blitz.

Dinh remains under a separate investigation by Riot Games, which "coordinated" with TSM's investigation regarding interviews of current Swift employees.

Riot opened its investigation in November 2021 after former TSM player and content creator Yiliang "Peter" "Doublelift" Peng made public comments on stream and on various social media outlets regarding the alleged mistreatment of TSM employees by Dinh.