Crunchyrollthe popular anime streaming platform is in the eye of the hurricane after being accused of mistreating and saying an employee who was dealing with mental health problems. Shawn Hoffman, senior software exingenero in the company, told LinkedIn that instead of receiving support when I needed it, he was isolated, insulted and finally fired.
According to Hoffman, 2024 was “the most difficult year” of his life after his mother was diagnosed with terminal cancer. In the midst of this situation, he shared with the company that suffered from anxiety and major depression, but instead of support, he found an increasingly hostile environment. He reported that a manager insult him and make an obscene gesture (yes, they took his finger in full work video call). Despite reporting what happened, no action was taken against the person responsible, and he began to notice subtle reprisals at the beginning, but more and more obvious.
Later, Hoffman requested advice under the Law of Americans with disabilities (ADA), but instead of helping him, Crunchyrol ended up saying goodbye to it for alleged “policy violation.” According to his story, they even offered money in exchange for not making their history public. Several media have tried to contact Crunchyroll to obtain their version of the facts, but so far, the company has not responded.
Hoffman's case is not the only one. In October 2024, voice actor David Wald denounced that Crunchyroll reviewed and distributed his fans mail (that is, the gifts sent to him his fans) without his consent. In response, Wald cut every relationship with the company, while Crunchyroll said he would investigate the issue, but to date he has not shared any results.
In addition, a Bloomberg report revealed that morality inside the company is on the floor. Current and ancient employees described executives as “disconnected” and mentioned several rounds of layoffs. There is also talk of internal tensions after the fusion with funimation, something that a company vice president recently recognized that they continue to try to join teams with “different philosophies.”Will the company respond or keep keeping silent? Only time will say it.
Fountain: LinkedIn
Sony Pictures © Crunchyroll, LLC
(Tagstotranslate) Crunchyroll
