Mattrick's Zynga Offer Includes $5 Mill Signing Bonus

[Karloff]

Mattrick's Zynga Offer Includes $5 Mill Signing Bonus

How much is that CEO in the window? The one with the waggly tail?

Don Mattrick's unexpected departure from Microsoft [http://www.escapistmagazine.com/news/view/125553-Xbox-President-Don-Mattrick-Leaving-For-Zynga-UPDATED] set the internet afire a short while ago and we now know how much Mattrick was offered to jump ship. It must be pretty sweet to know that your prospective employer values you so much as to offer a sign on bonus of $5 million before you so much as walk in the door on Monday. But it gets better.

Base salary is $1 million per annum, with a pro-rated 2013 guaranteed minimum annual bonus of his base salary times the greater of either 200%, or the average 2013 bonus percentage of the company's other officers. In 2014 that bonus is a minimum 200% of base salary, maximum 400%. After that, the Compensation Committee gets to decide what that bonus will be. Oh, don't forget the inducement grants - stock, stock and more company stock - and the make-whole grant intended to compensate him for any losses he may have incurred from leaving his old company scheme (again, stock, to the target value of $25 million).

All this from a golden age [http://www.escapistmagazine.com/news/view/124569-Zynga-Lays-Off-520-Closes-Three-Offices] is at hand.

Source: Zynga Report [http://investor.zynga.com/secfiling.cfm?filingID=1193125-13-282557&CIK=1439404]


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[Vault Citizen]

That's annoying, when I saw the thumbnail I thought that the news would be conker's bad fur day related.

 

[Andy of Comix Inc]

That's annoying, when I saw the thumbnail I thought that the news would be conler's bad fur day related.

That wacky conler and his hilarious fur-themed misadventures! conler, by the company that bought you bamjo kaxooie and domley long cumtry.

 

[Andy Shandy]

Fucking hell. Just...fucking hell.

Not bad work if you can get it!

 

[Mid Boss]

Five million dollars... for this guy. Why not me? I'd throw my pride and sense of self worth out the window and become a contemptuous corporate tool for 10% of that amount!

Seriously, Zynga, call me. We can cut a deal! Just give me a chance!

 

[Vault Citizen]

That's annoying, when I saw the thumbnail I thought that the news would be conler's bad fur day related.

That wacky conler and his hilarious fur-themed misadventures! conler, by the company that bought you bamjo kaxooie and domley long cumtry.

Indeed, I know that people thought that Conler was just a rip off of Rare's more well known character Conker but he really spoke to me on an emotional and spiritual level. The journey that I took with Conler will still with me forever.

(Thanks for pointing out the error, I will fix that in a moment)

 

[CriticalMiss]

I'd like to raise a practical question at this point. Does Zynga have $5 million to give him? I thought they they were just left with a couple of flat, half finished bottles of Schwip Schwap and five thousand boxes of printer toner.

 

[AndrewC]

The economy is a mess and wages like this are thrown around ._.

 

[kailus13]

That's annoying, when I saw the thumbnail I thought that the news would be conker's bad fur day related.

The article does talk about a great mighty poo though.

Where is Zynga getting this money all of a sudden? I thought they were dying a rapid death.

 

[rasputin0009]

This quite the Hail Mary for Zynga. One big gamble. Especially with Mattrick's showing at E3. Zynga is a perfect match for this guy anyways, what with all their already in-place anti-consumer policies.

 

[King Kazma]

From a financial standpoint he seems to have all to gain and nothing to lose. Provided they don't give him stock. And even if the company folds a day latter he still has 5 million pocketed.
His image is already tarnished, it's not lkike this will make it worse. But I figure this guy won't go, he's already rich. I think he'll take a nice vacation.

 

[Pinky's Brain]

This quite the Hail Mary for Zynga. One big gamble. Especially with Mattrick's showing at E3. Zynga is a perfect match for this guy anyways, what with all their already in-place anti-consumer policies.

What gamble? They get a big name, pay him enough to compensate him for the damage to his reputation and keep the game alive for as long as possible ... the game being paying out inflated paychecks to top management and board from the remaining cash reserves.

At some point the muppets will catch on that they should just liquidate most of the company, Zynga is just trying to delay that moment.

 

[1337mokro]

I think we found out why games cost so much to make. You have to pay the million dollar salaries these assholes demand for being absolutely incompetent.

To me this just seems like a giant tax evasion scheme, Zynga was supposedly dying a few months ago and is now signing away millions of dollars. Me thinks someone is embezzling money as "employee" fees.

 

[TheRightToArmBears]

I can't really blame the guy. I'd join Zynga for $5 mil, I'd just do a shitty job, leave after about a year and retire. I suspect he earned a few bob at Microsoft too, so he probably could quite comfortably.

 

[McMullen]

I'm sure there's an important message to be taken from the fact that you can be internationally famous for one and only one thing?screwing up your product so bad that your competitors receive repeat standing ovations simply for not doing what you've done?and still have people fight to put you in charge of their company and give you a million-dollar salary.

I wonder if this guy has ever put as much thought and work into what he does as any of the people I know who work their asses off every day just to keep feeding themselves.

 

[Johnny Novgorod]

Meanwhile, at Microsoft...

 

[LordMonty]

Stupid people hiring stupid people... I can say little more bar the weak 'lol'

 

[Weaver]

this is why I always roll my eyes when development costs are cited as too high.
When one person's signing bonus is 1 million dollars more than the kickstarter to fund the entirety of Project Eternity, something's wrong.