This week, Sony Pictures Entertainment co-chair, Amy Pascal, resigned her position at the studio. Pascal fell victim to a high-profile cyberattack last year which resulted in stolen private emails. These emails revealed conversations with producer Scott Rudin containing racist remarks about President Obama and mocking several celebrities.
Unsurprising, and Not Undeserved
This news should not be surprising to anyone. There’s no argument the things said by Pascal were abhorrent and harmful to her entire company. What is surprising, is that Pascal is the only senior Sony manager to depart after the cyberattack fallout. The rest of the Sony Pictures team will remain to deal with the aftermath and rebuild the company.
Producer Scott Rudin and writer Aaron Sorkin both said foolish things through leaked emails, but haven’t seen nearly as much backlash as Pascal. Pascal has become the face of the Sony hacking, even though she wasn’t the only person who made a mistake.
Pascal was often identified as, “the film industry’s top female executive.” This makes the whole situation even more disappointing. Pascal stood as an inspiration to women everywhere with interest in the male-dominated film industry.
The email leaks also revealed Sony Pictures has a disparity in pay when it comes to gender. Pascal was the only woman at Sony Pictures making $1 million or more. These are things Sony Pictures deeply needs to consider as they restructure their company and brand.
The Future of Amy Pascal
Pascal will move on to form a new production company with ties to Sony Pictures. While she remains involved with the film industry, it’s going to be tough to repair her reputation. Reputation is everything–once you’ve lost that, you’ve lost it all. Of course, that’s not to say that what is lost cannot be regained.
If nothing else, the attack on Pascal has taught us that nothing is hidden from the public’s eye. Private emails are no longer private, and joking with your friends can have disastrous results. Whatever happens to Pascal, I hope she has learned from her mistakes and understands why her words and actions were harmful to women and people of color.
What do you think about Pascal’s resignation from co-chair? Should she have been given a second chance or was it the right thing to do? Share your thoughts below.
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