Pinboard (guardiantech)

Troubled Zynga restructures - three execs step down >> AllThingsD

guardiantech — 2013-08-13T20:53:18+00:00

In one of the first major acts under newly named CEO Don Mattrick, sources said Zynga plans to announce on Tuesday a shake-up of its top ranks as part of a larger management restructuring, resulting in the departure of three C-level executives. Chief operating officer David Ko, chief people officer Colleen McCreary and chief technology officer Cadir Lee will step down from their positions and leave the company as a result, according to sources.

'Draw Something' studio OMGPOP reportedly shuttered amid Zynga layoffs >> The Verge

guardiantech — 2013-06-09T22:01:15+00:00

As we reported earlier this afternoon, Zynga is laying off 520 employees, a full 18% of its global workforce, and reportedly shutting down offices in Los Angeles, Dallas, and New York. What we didn't realize is that OMGPOP is Zynga New York.
Now, OMGPOP's official Twitter account and some of its staffers are unsurprisingly tweeting that they're out of work, including community manager Joseph Alminawi and VP of outreach Ali Nicolas.

OMG it Popped. The real problem: couldn't adjust quickly enough to mobile.

I was one of the 520 people laid off by Zynga yesterday. What do you wanna know about Zynga? AMA >> Reddit

guardiantech — 2013-06-05T22:38:50+00:00

The anonymous writer:

I was just laid off yesterday, along with 520 other employees. I'm willing to talk about the company that all gamers love to hate if anyone wants to know more about it. I need to keep my identity on the down-low because I'm job hunting now and not trying to burn bridges. So I can't give specifics on the the projects I worked on, but can talk to a lot of the games, processes, culture, infamous game copying, etc.

Fill your boots.

First insider trading lawsuit filed against Zynga after executives cash out >> The Verge

guardiantech — 2012-07-31T13:37:58+00:00

This is not going to be pretty. Chief executive Mark Pincus sold about 15% of his total holdings in April, and other senior executives sold much bigger chunks.

IS HE NUTS? This Guy Thinks He Can Beat A $5.5 Billion Company With A $10 Million Funding Round >> Business Insider

guardiantech — 2012-03-21T21:56:40+00:00

January 2011:

OMGPOP CEO Dan Porter tells us the company will use the money to "aggressively" hire Flash and mobile developers as it re-orients the company around the iPhone and Facebook. Right now the company has 35 people. Founder Charles Forman is now leading mobile games development.

Is he nuts to turn down Zynga? Read on.

Facebook Forced To Update Its IPO Filing To Confirm Its Special Relationship With Zynga >> Business Insider

guardiantech — 2012-02-08T22:33:11+00:00

Extract:

"The parties acknowledge that FB desires to enable Zynga to build the Zynga Platform on top of the Facebook Platform, and the parties desire to, amongst other goals set forth herein, work together to increase the number of users of each party’s products and services. The parties further acknowledge that Zynga is making a significant commitment to the Facebook Platform (i.e., using Facebook as the exclusive Social Platform on the Zynga Properties and granting FB certain title exclusivities to Zynga games on the Facebook Platform).

IAmA Former FullTime Zynga Engineer quit 6 months ago. Not a contractor, (Z treats em like shit). >> Reddit

guardiantech — 2012-02-06T21:26:48+00:00

This apparently former Zynga employee is letting loose on the games firm. (He posted a picture of a Zynga termination letter as proof of ID). He says:

No, this isn't payback, or about a grudge. This is just word from someone who's seen what this industry is capable of doing. Good, and Bad. No, I was not under contract, I was full time, offered stock (common shares, not that options bullcrap). I sympathized with contractors on how they were treated, most of the time. No, I was not some IT mangler. I worked for one of their "game studios", basically the front lines where content made it to the masses.

An Ex-Zynga Engineer Is Ripping The Company Apart In Plain Sight >> Business Insider

guardiantech — 2012-02-06T21:22:54+00:00

We can't be sure (at the time of bookmarking - Mon 06/02/12 2122GMT) that this 'engineer' is who he says he is, but his comments are worth a read.

Pincus Faceoff With Zuckerberg Shows Fearsome Prelude to Zynga’s IPO >> Bloomberg

guardiantech — 2011-12-12T07:37:11+00:00

A profile of Zynga chief Mark Pincus

Zynga's Tough Culture Risks a Talent Drain >> NYTimes.com

guardiantech — 2011-11-28T07:20:45+00:00

"Led by the hard-charging Mr. Pincus, the company operates like a federation of city-states, with autonomous teams for each game, like FarmVille and CityVille. At times, it can be a messy and ruthless war. Employees log long hours, managers relentlessly track progress, and the weak links are demoted or let go."