

The Evil Zynga - gsharma
http://uncrunched.com/2011/11/27/the-evil-zynga/

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drink
I think I know how this went down:

Mark Pincus: Hey Mike, since you know we're in our IPO quiet period, can you
write a rebuttal to that NYTimes article for me? I'll give you an interview or
let you invest in my next deal.

Michael Arrington: Sure thing! You better speak at my next conference!

Mark Pincus: Okay, here are some talking points:

    
    
      - Blame everything on EA.
      - I actually think we offer too many perks, point that out
      - I think Roger McNamee is still upset I never let him invest, so he's basically just a sore loser
    

Can you be sure to include that in the article?

Michael Arrington: This looks great! It will go well with my other piece
defending your terrible labor practices!

Mark Pincus: You're the best.

~~~
uiaa2
The NYTimes article was rather bizarre, with all the EA references and
connections. (And EA Spouse worked at Zynga! hah)

Mike as linked called out Zynga for their scams, which are arguably worse than
being hard on employees.

~~~
drink
Maybe everyone aside from those at EA are too afraid of Pincus to say
anything? If you're in the Valley, you know what I'm talking about.

~~~
cynest
And if you're not in the Valley?

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localhost3000
Wouldn't it make sense if you're writing an article on Zynga to talk to and
use as a point of comparison the other giant player in the video game
industry, EA? I don't know, feels pretty reasonable to me. If I'm doing a
story on Google Search I'd probably want a quote from someone at Bing...

~~~
philwelch
Is Zynga anywhere close to EA in any relevant measure, like revenue?

------
maeon3
In domestic abuse cases between wife and husband where the man is abusing the
wife. The reason the wife doesn't get help sooner is because she is trained to
focus on the good. This process can cause a phenomenon where the man only
abuses the wife and does nothing good, yet she will focus on inconsequential
things as she lives in complete denial.

I see pincus as manufacturing this situation where the employees are the
abused yet thankful wife.

~~~
pstuart
But they get free acupuncture and organic food!

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budley
Zynga and EA are douchey, hardly news.

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staunch
Yet another example of the kind of abuse of power that writers for "well
respected" publications get away with all the time. That shitty NY Times
article would have been ignored/laughed at on its own, but hosted on
nytimes.com it becomes credible and generally beyond reproach. A permanent
black mark on Zynga's reputation.

Now Arrington reveals that it's essentially a hitjob by scorned investors and
direct competitors. Big fucking surprise.

All hail independent writers. Down with "well respected" media brands.

~~~
philwelch
> Now Arrington reveals that it's essentially a hitjob by scorned investors
> and direct competitors.

He reveals nothing of the kind. It's speculation.

And frankly, the chummy relationships in the Valley itself are really no
better. Plus, Arrington's entire schtick as a startup blogger/investor depends
on a frothy startup environment, which another dud IPO--namely Zynga--would
directly endanger.

~~~
makomk
Arrington in particular has a well-deserved reputation for ignoring good
journalistic practices, writing and publishing hit pieces on startups that
don't jump through hoops when he asks them to, and similar doesn't he?

