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I see that Kotick also talked with the Financial Times and shots were fired 😬
About the CMA:
The CMA "seem like they've been co-opted by the FTC ideology, and [are] not really using independent thought, or thinking about how this transaction would positively impact the UK", Kotick said. He contrasted this with the EU, where he said regulators had shown "a lot more insight and recognition of what the risks are in the economy from a macro perspective".
About UK Government:
UK prime minister Rishi Sunak is "smart" and "understands business", Kotick said. But "it doesn't seem like there is any real vision in the leadership for pursuing these kinds of opportunities", he said, adding: "It seems like a bit of a fragile government. Where's the leadership?" "If I look at our hiring plans, we're more likely to find the next 3,000 to 5,000 people that we need in the UK than almost any other country," Kotick said.
About Sony:
"Suddenly, Sony's entire leadership team stopped talking to anyone at Microsoft," Kotick said, adding that his own calls to Sony's chief and other executives were not returned. "I think this is all Sony just trying to sabotage the transaction," Kotick said. "The whole idea that we are not going to support a PlayStation or that Microsoft would not support the PlayStation, it is absurd."
In response to a request for comment, Sony said: "We are in contact with Microsoft and have no further comment regarding our private negotiations."
About the Future of the Deal and the FTC:
Kotick was optimistic the Microsoft acquisition would close by July 2023.
In its fight with the FTC, Kotick noted that Microsoft had hired Beth Wilkinson, a Washington-based lawyer who was hired by the commission in 2012 to lead a probe into Google. "She feels like if she is going to have to litigate against the FTC, she will absolutely crush them."
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