Don Mattrick Reportedly Tried to Buy Zynga While at MSFT

By Catherine Cai
published

Don Mattrick just recently jumped ship from Microsoft Xbox to Zynga and took up the CEO position. According to Bloomberg, Mattrick has apparently been gunning for the top spot at the social gaming company for a while.

A few years ago, Mattrick had been negotiating a Microsoft buyout of Zynga. The idea was to bring social games to Xbox, which were doing rather well on Facebook back in 2010. Unfortunately, according to anonymous sources, these talks never amounted to anything, but Mattrick and Pincus kept a close relationship. It's no doubt part of the reason why Mattrick has made the jump to Zynga. Of course, the $50 million compensation package he's receiving as part of the switch sweetens the deal.

It would have been interesting to see how the situation would have played out should that deal have gone through. Zynga probably would have seen better fortunes. As of late, the company is no longer profitable, its stocks have plummeted, and it was forced to bring down mass layoffs and close many of its offices.

Catherine Cai
Topics
Gaming
7 Comments Comment from the forums
  • velosteraptor
    I find it infuriating that they have to have "mass layoffs and close many of its offices" but yet give $50m to someone who will only make it worse. If the company isnt doing good, the top execs should be feeling it as well. They are usually the ones at fault anyway.
    Reply
  • back_by_demand
    Presumption to say he will make it worse, Head of Xbox at Microsoft and a successful one at that sounds like exactly the type of person to turn things around
    Reply
  • C 64
    Maybe his jumping ship could be interpreted as getting Zynga ready for M$ takeover (like khmm Nokia khmm)?
    Reply
  • Vorador2
    11124202 said:
    I find it infuriating that they have to have "mass layoffs and close many of its offices" but yet give $50m to someone who will only make it worse. If the company isnt doing good, the top execs should be feeling it as well. They are usually the ones at fault anyway.

    It is a golden oportunity for a CEO. Get paid an obscene amount for "fixing the company" while closing divisions and firing people and generally having no fucking idea how to get the company to recover, then secure another position on other company, get the current company to go under in a way that pleases the shareholders the most while screwing the workers in the process, and finally paying themselves an obscene severance package while jumping ship on a golden cushion.

    Welcome to capitalism. It's fucking great as long as you're part of the 1%

    Reply
  • jhansonxi
    11125188 said:
    It is a golden oportunity for a CEO. Get paid an obscene amount for "fixing the company" while closing divisions and firing people and generally having no fucking idea how to get the company to recover, then secure another position on other company, get the current company to go under in a way that pleases the shareholders the most while screwing the workers in the process, and finally paying themselves an obscene severance package while jumping ship on a golden cushion.
    It's the shareholder's fault but it's a known problem.
    Reply
  • Vorador2
    11125482 said:
    11125188 said:
    It is a golden oportunity for a CEO. Get paid an obscene amount for "fixing the company" while closing divisions and firing people and generally having no fucking idea how to get the company to recover, then secure another position on other company, get the current company to go under in a way that pleases the shareholders the most while screwing the workers in the process, and finally paying themselves an obscene severance package while jumping ship on a golden cushion.
    It's the shareholder's fault but it's a known problem.

    Interesting read. Michael Dell is in the middle of that, currently wrestling control of his own company from the shareholders. Last time i heard it wasn't going so good, with shareholders arguing that the current offer wasn't good enough.
    Reply
  • doomtomb
    11124202 said:
    I find it infuriating that they have to have "mass layoffs and close many of its offices" but yet give $50m to someone who will only make it worse. If the company isnt doing good, the top execs should be feeling it as well. They are usually the ones at fault anyway.
    If the leadership of the company gets cut or laid off as you would have it, the whole ship would sink.
    Reply