Anne E. Villanueva 

As a Skadden labor and employment partner in Palo Alto, Anne Villanueva counsels clients on employment issues ranging from mergers and acquisitions to separations and transitions for senior executives and other employees.

A prime example of this occurred when she served as the lead labor and employment lawyer for Elon Musk in his $44 billion acquisition of Twitter, Inc., where she advised Musk about the different severance and termination requirements under California law with respect to C-suite executives and thousands of other employees.

“It was especially high-pressure, high-stakes, and you’d see it in the media each day,” she said, “so you definitely had to act practically, swiftly, and know the legal obligations in and out. It was really a way to test and push my skill set.”

In another massive merger, she also served as the lead labor and employment attorney for Activision Blizzard, Inc., in its pending $75 billion acquisition by Microsoft Corporation.

“Activision was one of my favorite deals to work on,” she said. “It was the largest-ever technology deal and largest-ever gaming industry deal, so that made it exciting. You’ve probably seen it in the news as well as to whether there’s antitrust considerations in connection with the closing of the transaction. … A lot of this stuff gets national attention from media outlets.”

In a conversation that ranged widely among diverse topics, Villanueva highlighted her past, including her father’s immigration from Cuba and her family history of a strong work ethic. Looking to the future, Villanueva predicts that the most pressing issues for labor law will soon arise surrounding the use of Artificial Intelligence.

“In short order, it’s going to be constant questions about use and policies regarding AI,” she said, “and I think it’s going to also depend on the industry that you’re in. Whether it’s the retail or legal industry, there may have to be different, carefully tailored approaches. That’s an exciting new wave, and I look forward to advising clients about it.”

— Kathryn Stelmach Artuso