I understand why Pincus runs Zynga like he does. But I don't understand why Zynga's employees want to work there. They are (were?) probably hoping for a big lottery ticket, but they must realize that every day they go to work and rip off someone's original work.
I'm reminded of Pigdog's "d00d, Quit being a FUCKING ASS" rant addressed to the programmers of Sony's malicious copy-protection:
I know you didn't start off like this. I know that you're like me, that you're
like all of us. That you love these things called computers, that your fingers
itch when you're away from them, that your whole essence pours out of your
fingertips into the keyboard when you make that system DO YOUR MAGIC. It's
incredible, it's power, it's a tradition that goes back centuries, and it's
flowing through you right now, right this very second.
And you're BETRAYING it. You're standing on the shoulders of giants and SHITTING
on them. For something you believe in? For something you're PROUD OF? Or for the
dollars of Sony Megacorp and the opportunity that that brings?
A lot of Zynga's employees are game industry developers and Zynga tends to pay better than most for a comparable title and skillset. I know a lot of people thay have left "beloved" console and PC developers to get a better paycheck at Zynga. This is especially true for game designers and artista who have less ability to simply leave games entirely to make more money.
I'm reminded of Pigdog's "d00d, Quit being a FUCKING ASS" rant addressed to the programmers of Sony's malicious copy-protection:
http://www.pigdog.org/auto/software_jihad/link/2581.html