Amid the controversy surrounding Unity Technologies, one game developer is sharing the illegal questions the software company asked her during a job interview.
Unity came under fire recently when it announced changes to its pricing plan, which would result in additional developer fees. Under the new policy, developers would have to pay $.20 per game installation once their game hits the threshold of 200,00 downloads and $200,000 in revenue. Of course, those who would be hit hardest by these fees are indie game developers who may be unable to afford to publish games under this new policy.
The company apologized and claimed that it would be revising its policy. However, the damage has already been done. Unity’s policy was very clearly anti-developer, leaving both gamers and developers furious. As if that wasn’t bad enough, Unity is also requiring Orgynizer, a game that donates all its proceeds to Planned Parenthood, to pay its installation fees. The game should be exempt since it’s for charity. However, Unity decided that Planned Parenthood isn’t a “valid charity,” and that Orgynizer should put at least 30% of its proceeds towards Unity’s fees instead of the nonprofit organization.
In addition to its greedy policy change, Unity was caught asking a female interviewee illegal questions.
Unity fumbles most basic interview rules
Most employers should know that asking personal questions in an interview is a big no-no. However, graphics programmer Manuela Malasaña was asked an illegal question during an interview for a Senior Graphics Engineer role at Unity last year, which she happened to be recording.
In a short clip Malasaña posted to TikTok, the interviewer is heard saying, “I’m curious, do you have family, kids?” Fortunately, Malasaña knew her rights and immediately called the interviewer out, shaking her finger and saying, “That’s illegal, you can’t ask me that.” Instead of apologizing immediately, the interviewer tried to defend the question and mentioned their children before finally deciding to change the subject.
Malasaña was absolutely correct that the question was very illegal. Title VII of the Civil Rights Act makes it unlawful for employers to discriminate against race, color, religion, sex, and national origin. If an interviewer asks a woman about her family situation and weighs whether she’s a mother into the hiring decision, that is a clear violation of Title VII. Considering how rampant workplace discrimination is against mothers, it would be tough for that interviewer to get away with the feeble excuse that he was just curious. That Unity’s interviewers seemingly don’t understand basic interview protocol reflects very poorly on the company. It also raises the question of whether this was just a personal fumble on the interviewer’s part or if the company is in the habit of asking these types of questions.
Not only does the video demonstrate how there are many layers to Unity’s flaws, but it’s also a great reminder to interviewees to know their rights. While most women would be taken aback by the question, some may have still felt like they had no choice but to answer. It’s important to know that you don’t have to answer any personal questions that can be viewed as discriminatory. Not only can you refuse to answer, but you may even be able to take legal action against an interviewer for asking illegal questions.
(featured image: GlobalStock / Getty)
