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Nicole LaPointe Jameson

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Nicole LaPointe Jameson
Born (1994-04-11) April 11, 1994 (age 30)
Connecticut, United States
EducationColumbia University (B.A.S.)
OccupationFormer CEO of Evil Geniuses
HonorsForbes 30 Under 30 - Games (2020)
The Root 100 (2020)

Nicole LaPointe Jameson (born April 11, 1994)[1] is an American businesswoman who last served as the CEO of esports organization Evil Geniuses from 2019 to 2023.

Early life and career

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A native of Greenwich, Connecticut,[2] LaPointe Jameson attended Columbia University in New York City, graduating in 2016.[3][4] During the summer of her junior year, she received a job offer to join Chicago-based investment firm PEAK6. She worked with several distressed asset businesses for five years before coming across Evil Geniuses, which she described as a "diamond in the rough."[5][6] PEAK6 would later acquire Evil Geniuses in May 2019, installing LaPointe Jameson as the organization's new CEO.[7] This made her the first African American woman to lead a major esports organization.[8]

In September 2019, the organization made their return to League of Legends and Counter-Strike: Global Offensive, securing a franchise slot in the League of Legends Championship Series, along with acquiring NRG Esports' CS:GO roster.[9][10] The organization also doubled their staff count and opened new offices in Seattle and Los Angeles within a year of LaPointe Jameson's tenure.[8][11]

LaPointe Jameson was featured in the 2020 Forbes 30 Under 30 under the games category.[12]

In January 2021, Evil Geniuses became the first major esports team to sign a mixed-gender squad for Valorant. In a tweet, LaPointe Jameson stated, "I don’t care where you come from. Nor your creed, gender, religion, class, past industry, or sexual orientation. If you are the best of the best, you have a home here at Evil Geniuses."[13] In August 2021, the squad's only female player, Christine "potter" Chi, moved to a head coach position;[14] she led the squad to win the Valorant Champions in 2023.[15]

In March 2023, Dexerto reported that Evil Geniuses had failed to care for the mental health of star League of Legends Kyle "Danny" Sakamaki, who played for the team from 2020 to 2022. Despite numerous warnings from the player himself, other players, and staff about his deteriorating health, upper management and LaPointe Jameson convinced Sakamaki to keep playing tournaments.[16] Sakamaki eventually announced a mental health break from the team during the middle of playoffs, and returned home where he was hospitalized for malnutrition. The events prompted an investigation by Riot Games.[17]

In September 2023, LaPointe Jameson stepped down from her role as CEO amid several other controversies.[18] Employees reported poor and inexperienced management,[19] and ex-player Syed “SumaiL” Hassan had sued the organization for fraud and deceit, although he reportedly lost his lawsuit at a jury trial in March 2024.[20][21] From November 2022 to April 2023, the company lost close to half their sponsors, including a ten-year partnership with Monster Energy,[22] and had two rounds of layoffs.[23]

In an interview with Digiday after stepping down, LaPointe Jameson admitted: "nothing has been done perfectly, but I’m proud of where we’ve come, versus where we were." She denied that the controversy around Sakamaki had anything to do with her departure: "We — myself or EG — have still not received any actual complaints from Danny or his family around this. [...] I know people want an apology. But, as of now, I have nothing to apologize for."[24]

References

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  1. ^ "The Genius Behind Evil Geniuses". Cheddar. December 19, 2019.
  2. ^ Flowers, Tatiana (September 4, 2021). "Greenwich native 'found a social escape' in gaming. Now she is a CEO in the esports industry". Greenwich Time. Retrieved September 13, 2021.
  3. ^ "Nicole LaPointe Jameson - 30 under 30". Forbes.
  4. ^ Beyer, Rebecca (Fall 2020). "This CEO Gives "Evil" a Good Name". Columbia College Today. Retrieved August 21, 2021.
  5. ^ Patel, Nilay (February 23, 2021). "This 26-year-old CEO is helping esports grow up". The Verge.
  6. ^ Beyer, Rebecca (16 September 2020). "This CEO Gives "Evil" a Good Name". Columbia College Today.
  7. ^ Fitch, Adam (May 29, 2019). "Evil Geniuses acquired by PEAK6 Investments". Esports Insider.
  8. ^ a b Amenabar, Teddy (July 15, 2020). "Evil Geniuses' new mastermind must reckon with the past to chart a future course". Washington Post.
  9. ^ "100 People Transforming Business - Nicole LaPointe Jameson". Business Insider.
  10. ^ Geracie, Nick (September 26, 2019). "Evil Geniuses acquires Echo Fox LCS Franchise Slot; NRG Esports CS:GO Roster". InvenGlobal.
  11. ^ Hayward, Andrew (November 20, 2020). "Evil Geniuses CEO Nicole LaPointe Jameson on embracing "Evil" and pivoting through pandemic". Esports Insider.
  12. ^ Perez, Matt; Cai, Kenrick. "30 Under 30 2020: Games". Forbes.
  13. ^ Fabella, Mika (March 8, 2021). "5 women who are making esports history". ONE Esports.
  14. ^ "potter moves to Head Coach role in Evil Geniuses". VLR.gg. Retrieved 2024-03-11.
  15. ^ "Evil Geniuses become world champs at VALORANT Champions 2023". Nerd Street. 2023-08-27. Retrieved 2024-03-11.
  16. ^ "Sources: Evil Geniuses failed to care for one of their prodigies". Dexerto. 2023-03-01. Retrieved 2024-03-11.
  17. ^ "Riot confirms investigation into EG's treatment of LoL star Danny". Dexerto. 2023-03-08. Retrieved 2024-03-11.
  18. ^ Šimić, Ivan (September 1, 2023). "Nicole LaPointe Jameson steps down as CEO of Evil Geniuses". Esports Insider.
  19. ^ Lewis, Richard (2023-12-31). "Evil Geniuses Approved Exorbitant Expenses Spending For CEO Amid Layoffs And Cutbacks". Richard Lewis. Retrieved 2024-03-11.
  20. ^ Lewis, Richard (2023-03-10). "Dota Player Sues Evil Geniuses For "Breach Of Contract" And "Fraud And Deceit"". Richard Lewis. Retrieved 2024-03-11.
  21. ^ Lewis, Richard (2024-03-11). "Courtside: Sumail Loses Lawsuit Against Evil Geniuses And Peak6 On All Counts". Richard Lewis. Retrieved 2024-06-07.
  22. ^ Lewis, Richard (2023-04-07). "Multiple Sponsors Quietly Leave Evil Geniuses". Richard Lewis. Retrieved 2024-03-11.
  23. ^ Fudge, James (2023-03-28). "Breaking: Layoffs Hit Evil Geniuses". The Esports Advocate. Retrieved 2024-03-11.
  24. ^ Lee, Alexander (2023-08-31). "Evil Geniuses CEO Nicole LaPointe Jameson is officially stepping down". Digiday. Retrieved 2024-03-11.
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