Greg Street: Bobby Kotick and His Doughnut Machine
It may sound weird, but recently, Greg Street has shared on Twitter a story about Bobby Kotick and his doughnut machine.
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Key Takeaways
- Greg Street told the story of Bobby Kotick and his doughnut machine. Several hours later, Monte Krol dived deeper into the details of what happened.
- Bobby Kotick was invited by Monte Krol to visit the WoW team for a “Donut Rally” session.
- Originally, the meeting was for WoWTools only. But eventually, Kotick met the entire team. However, on the condition that he could bring his gigantic doughnut machine to the meeting and make the team some doughnuts.
- In the end, he couldn’t bring the machine. But he instead bought 1000 doughnuts for the team, which they thoroughly enjoyed and shared with other teams as well.
Following Bobby Kotick’s departure, employees at Blizzard, and even the former ones, reflect on his time at the company. Even Greg Street also joined the occasion with a story to tell. Street said he couldn’t confirm its accuracy but expressed no reason to doubt it. And with that, the former WoW Lead Systems Designer started the tale about Bobby Kotick and his doughnut machine.
Greg Street on Bobby Kotick and His Doughnut Machine
As per Greg Street, the WoW team often welcomed executive visits to boost team morale. Typically, figures like Mike Ybarra would be the visitors. However, on one surprising occasion, the team extended an invitation to Bobby Kotick. Much to their astonishment, he agreed—with a unique condition. Kotick had recently acquired a massive doughnut-making machine and expressed his desire to treat the team to freshly made doughnuts. This was no ordinary kitchen-sized appliance. It was a colossal doughnut factory on wheels.
The WoW team then faced the challenge of integrating this gigantic machine into their office space without causing chaos. There were controversies surrounding the machine. It remains uncertain whether someone ultimately opposed the grand doughnut plan or if external authorities stepped in. But eventually, the campus was spared from the potential chaos. However, according to Greg Street, the doughnuts never became a reality.
Street also revealed that Bobby did make a visit to the WoW team on one or two occasions. During these visits, Kotick told the team that “he wished they were faster and less expensive.”
You can read the original post here:
Monte Krol’s Full Version of Bobby Kotick and His Doughnut Machine
Several hours later, Greg Street’s friend and the initial source of this doughnut story revealed himself to be Monte Krol. He’s the former Technical Director at Blizzard. And now, he’s working as the Engineering Director at Epic Games. Krol agreed with most of Greg Street’s version of the story, however, he noted that the machine wasn’t as “crazy” as depicted by Street. He also added more details to the narrative surrounding Bobby Kotick and his doughnut machine.
Monte Krol recounted inviting Bobby Kotick to speak at the team session called “Donut Rally.” However, Krol admitted to receiving “some angry calls” from their facilities department, puzzled by the unusual requests pouring into the cafeteria.
Originally, the invitation was intended for Bobby to speak to WoWTools. But a suggestion from J. Brack sparked a heated debate about whether Kotick should address the entire team. And in the end, Bobby Kotick did meet the entire team. He talked about how he became the head of Activision Blizzard and conducted an AMA during the session. Monte Krol noted that Kotick was “very gracious and thorough.” He answered every question, even the not-so-nice ones thrown at him.
By that time, Bobby Kotick had abandoned the idea of bringing the donut machine to the meeting. But instead, he bought 1000 donuts for the team. The WoW team enjoyed the treat, and the rest was shared with the other teams at Blizzard.
You can read the original post here:
Do you have something interesting to share about Bobby Kotick? Let us know in the comments!
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