Vivid Seats - 1792 Exchange

Rating Overview

Vivid Seats is Medium Risk.

Vivid Seats is Medium Risk. The company often yields to political activism in shaping corporate governance, potentially alienating consumers, dividing employees, and harming shareholders. The company implements race and identity-based policies that replace merit, excellence, and integrity with preferential treatment and outcomes. The company occasionally embraces corporate initiatives that redirect its central focus from business goals to partisan policies and divisive issues at times. This approach fails to safeguard free exercise, free speech, and free enterprise.

Rating Criteria

Corporate Weaponization Risk Levels
Criteria	Risk Level
Cancellations	Lower Risk
Discriminatory Philanthropy	Lower Risk
Employment Protection	High Risk

Corporate Weaponization ⓘ

Corporate Governance and Public Policy Risk Levels
Criteria	Risk Level
Advocacy Bias	High Risk
Funding	High Risk
Political Actions	No Data

Corporate Governance and Public Policy ⓘ

Rating Criteria Detail

Criteria Risk Level Rationale

Corporate Weaponization

Criteria:

Has canceled customers, suppliers, or vendors due to their political views or religious beliefs OR corporately boycotts, divests, or sanctions regions, people groups, or industries.

Risk Level:

Lower

Rationale:

Vivid Seats has not publicly canceled customers, suppliers, or vendors based on political views or religious beliefs (1).

Criteria:

Charitable giving (including employee matching programs) policies or practices discriminate against charitable organizations based on views or religious beliefs.

Risk Level:

Lower

Rationale:

Vivid Seats does not appear to discriminate against charitable organizations based on views or beliefs (1).

Criteria:

Employment policies fail to protect against viewpoint or other discrimination and/or are ideological in nature.

Risk Level:

High

Rationale:

Vivid Seats appears to prioritize diversity over merit in its recruitment. From its 2025 ESG Fact Sheet: “Our hiring team seeks to mitigate bias through an equitable recruitment process and
an intentional talent sourcing strategy aimed at attracting and engaging a broader
candidate pool” (1). The company appears to prioritize diversity over merit in its leadership composition. From its 2024 Proxy Statement: “Our NCG Committee is responsible for, among other things: identifying individuals qualified to become members of our Board and ensuring our Board has the requisite expertise and consists of persons with sufficiently diverse and independent backgrounds” (2). However, in 2025, the company removed DEI from its Proxy Statement. To date, the company has not publicly addressed this change, leaving shareholders without clarity regarding the company’s reasoning or future direction (3). The company does not provide viewpoint protections for its employees (4).

Corporate Governance and Public Policy

Criteria:

Uses corporate reputation to support causes, organizations, or policies hostile to freedom of expression.

Risk Level:

High

Rationale:

Vivid Seats’s CEO Stan Chia signed the CEO Action for Diversity & Inclusion pledge, which includes a commitment to promote DEI through bias education training in the workplace, strategize on DEI programs/initiatives with other signatories, and engage boards of directors when developing and evaluating DEI strategies (1)(2). The company supports DEI within its business practices. From its 2023 ESG press release: “Vivid Seats’ management and board guide ethical decision-making across the organization. Leveraging those diverse skillsets and backgrounds, the company is committed to fostering a workplace environment that is inclusive” (3). The company supports ESG within its business practices. From its 2023 ESG press release: “I’m proud to share these metrics which are another important milestone for Vivid Seats and one that demonstrates our commitment to operating our business with environmental, social and governance principles in mind” (4).

Criteria:

Uses corporate funds to advance ideological causes, organizations, or policies hostile to freedom of expression.

Risk Level:

High

Rationale:

Vivid Seats donated $3500 to both Equality Illinois and Equality Texas (1)(2). Otherwise, there are no publicly known cases of the company using corporate funds to advance ideological causes, organizations, or policies (3).

Criteria:

Uses corporate political actions and/or financial contributions for ideological, non-business purposes.

Risk Level:

N/A

Rationale:

Vivid Seats does not operate a PAC or report on its lobbying at this time (1)(2)(3).