Shutterstock’s president and Chief Operating Officer has told its employees that they can simply go and work elsewhere if they’re not happy with how the company is censoring images that might otherwise upset the Chinese government.
NBC News reports that over the course of several months, various Shutterstock employees were opposed to the company’s decision to block searches for terms, such as “Taiwan flag,” for users in China. This unrest culminated in a meeting at the company where company president Stan Pavlovsky told those unhappy employees that they could simply go and “pursue other opportunities.” The meeting was recorded and shared with NBC News.
Around a fifth of Shutterstock’s 1,000-strong workforce signed a petition opposing the censorship, despite the impact it could have on the company’s revenues if it were to have its access to the Chinese market restricted as a result.
Global companies frequently struggle to marry free-market sensibilities with the need to avoid upsetting the Chinese government. Last week, the Sony World Photo Awards decided to censor images of Hong Kong protests from its list of finalists, a move that is assumed to have been a result of pressure from its sponsor.
NBC News reports that three employees have quit Shutterstock in protest of the censorship.
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