Cw ZS, Mearls
When Mike Mearls shared identities of those who had reported ZS to him, it should have been a massive ethics violation to WotC, severe enough to result in firing. Perhaps their ethics policy was not so so robust to protect victims of harassment from harassers.+

From a leadership ethics perspective, WotC failed on multiple counts.

- ZS was not adequately vetted or else the claims against him of harassment would have been found OR they did not care about those claims.
- When the issue was raised and Mearls didn't protect identities,+

(cont) they did nothing to address this that was substantial, & definitely nothing visible to the public, which could have/should have included: updated EEO policies, a public apology from Mearls, formal separation from ZS, firing of Mearls, demotion w/probation of Mearls, etc.+

-Mearls personally should have taken initiative to apologize directly to victims - publicly, since some victims did not speak directly to him but still received blowback because of his actions.
-WotC simply reassigning him & then quietly allowing him to continue work on D&D+

(cont) is a significant violation of trust & even the most meager ethical standards, lying to their fanbase & consumers while benefitting from the work of someone who had harmed marginalized individuals.
-At this point, they are unlikely to fire Mearls, but they should require+

(cont) a public apology, especially knowing the allegations against ZS re: sexual assault & abuse & that Mearls' boosting of ZS' profile may have enabled further harassment & abuse. They should also hire an outside diverse individual to write a comprehensive EEO policy for+

(cont) internal & external ethical dilemmas with clear workflows & an outside party for mediation & review when such issues as these arise. There should also be an updated consumer privacy policy that disallows internal WotC employees from releasing information to contractors.+

I have no particular ill will toward WotC aside from them being a capitalist monstrosity like all other major businesses, but I do think Mearls did wrong and should own up to it, and that WotC should consider also giving him a demotion financially and authority-wise as penance.+

Full disclosure: my interactions with ZS have been mixed, mostly negative, & I do consider myself a victim of harassment at his hands & the hands of his fans. However, I wish him no ill, just to be separated and safe from him, & for others to be protected from him as well.+

Please let me know if you have questions. Trolls and D&D/Mearls/ZS stans will not be tolerated, I just don't have the energy. I don't think having lunch with a few people absolves Mearls or proves his goodness, so this is my perspective as someone educated in leadership. Thanks!