Gabe Newell accused of libertarianism. Former Valve employee criticized Steam

A wide variety of games have been launching on Steam in recent years. This has become a subject of criticism, and employees are also unhappy with this state of affairs

Gabe Newell is a controversial figure. The head of Valve allows developers to publish almost any games on Steam, which has repeatedly drawn criticism.

It turns out that not all employees agree with the head of Valve. An investigation was published on People Make Games.

During a survey of Valve employees, it was revealed that such fairly free publishing of games on Steam is linked to Gabe Newell’s libertarian views. Formally, games considered “illegal, or straight up trolling” are not allowed on Steam (meaning there is still room for maneuver, as proven multiple times by certain specific releases). Gabe’s views have allowed games where “racism and sexual violence are used as game mechanics” to remain on Steam, even though customers and employees express outrage over their presence on the service.

They also  note Valve’s reaction to the murder of George Floyd and the Black Lives Matter movement (the events of 2020). The company ultimately made no statements, as senior staff allegedly opposed employees who wanted the company to speak out. It is reported that Valve later gave $10,000 to employees so they could donate it to charities of their choice (again, without any public statements, without drawing attention to the situation with BLM, etc.).

The heavily advertised “bossless structure” also  raises questions. Bosses allegedly still exist; these “secret” responsible individuals at Valve are called “team leads.” Roles at the company are temporary and change frequently. The process of changing managers takes time, and projects associated with them often “go up in flames.”

There is an opinion that Valve would have released more games if not for the “money fountain” (the massive profits from Steam).

Valve practices peer reviews of employees. Around October each year, employees (groups of 4–6) are called to meetings where they evaluate the “performance” of ten other colleagues. Based on the results, a list is compiled, and in January Gabe sends out letters with information about new salaries and bonuses. As a result, colleagues’ opinions of an employee significantly affect their income.

There is an issue with diversity. Valve mostly hires white men.

Firing practices are opaque, which causes concern among employees.

Mini-investigation.