Paradox Interactive CEO Admits to 'Inappropriate Behavior'

Paradox Interactive CEO Fredrik Wester publicly apologized Monday for subjecting an employee to "inappropriate behavior" in 2018.

Wester tweeted that at a company-wide conference held that year, "a Paradox employee was subject to inappropriate behavior from me personally. This was something I immediately and sincerely apologized for in person the following Monday in a process reviewed by HR."

Wester did not provide specifics about the incident. His admission comes in the immediate wake of a leaked internal survey at Paradox that showed widespread mistreatment of workers, especially women, at the company. Female employees, who made up 26% of the survey respondents, reported "abusive behavior" at a rate of 69%. Male employees reported the same at a rate of 33%.

The survey results were delivered to Paradox in the first week of September. Then-CEO Ebba Ljungerud resigned from the role hours later — Paradox denied the two incidents were related — leading Wester to step back into the position he had abdicated back in 2018.

Wester said his own admitted misconduct, "had nothing to do with me resigning as CEO in 2018, something that had been planned for over 6 months at the time it occurred."

"I understand that this makes my cause less credible when it comes to handling these issues internally and will therefore not be involved directly with it, it will be done by HR at Paradox with external help, but of course with my full support if needed," he continued.

"Again, I sincerely regret making a person in my proximity uncomfortable and for the damage this caused. I will continue to work to not only improve myself but also improve the work environment around both Paradox and the industry as a whole."