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one of the The esports industry’s most prominent leaders are under investigation for workplace misconduct. Sources told WIRED that current and former employees, as well as esports professionals, have accused Team SoloMid founder and CEO Andy Dinh of verbally abusing and bullying them. Riot Games operates League of Legends The Championship Series, which TSM participated in, launched an investigation into Dinh’s conduct late last year. TSM also confirmed that it opened its own investigation around the same time.
“We are aware of the allegations against the TSM CEO/Owner,” Riot Games told WIRED via email. “As the league operator, we have engaged the law firm O’Melveny & Myers LLP to conduct an independent investigation into allegations of misconduct against the team’s leaders in accordance with standard league procedures.” Riot and Dinh both declined to comment on specific allegations. The reason is the ongoing investigation process.
Dinh, 29, has been leading the esports organization since 2009 and is well known in the esports community for his gamepad “Reginald”. 2020, Forbes named TSM is the most valuable esports company with a valuation of around $410 million. Last year, the organization changed its name to TSM FTX after layoffs Naming rights deal worth $210 million with Hong Kong cryptocurrency exchange. TSM operates esports teams and has contracts with players and streamers spanning multiple fields Fortnite, Valuation, Apex Legends, Super Smash Bros.., and other top games with millions of followers on social media.Most importantly, TSM has become synonymous with competition League of Legends, the biggest esports title of all time, attracting rabid international fans.
The company is headquartered in Southern California and has 51 full-time employees. Several of those employees told Wired that they were drawn to TSM because of its high status in the esports world and their personal fan base. Many were disappointed by what Dinh called “mental abuse,” in the words of one current employee. All requested anonymity because of concerns about professional repercussions in the isolated and tight-knit world of esports. “The esports industry is really young and toxic,” said one. “Your relationships lead to jobs more than anything else.” Dinh’s close ties to other esports team owners and professionals prevent current and former employees or players from being held accountable, two sources said.
“He’s like a bully because he’s strong and because people are afraid to stand up to him, so he can get away with being the bad guy,” top League of Legends Player known as Doublelift and former TSM teammate “Peter” Peng Yiliang goes public live last November. “I’m sick of someone who is basically just a bully and gets away with it because it’s in everyone’s best interest not to get in his way.”
Four people who have worked with TSM told Wired that esports organizations are dominated by a culture of fear. Back in 2013, Dinh was known for verbal abuse and yelling at players and staff, they said. He called employees “stupid” or “worthless,” two sources said. Two sources recalled that Dinh called employees after hours and yelled at them. Three current or former TSM employees said Dinh would sometimes mock employees for hours. His long speeches are often caused by small mistakes. Other times, as part of an “exhibit,” he yelled at employees in front of gathered colleagues, which Dinh seemed proud of, a current employee said. A former employee recalled hearing Dinh say he wanted to “set an example” with people he publicly rebuked.
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