5 ms·

Zynga CEO Mark Pyncus, scolds new HBS dean on ethics (2006)

34 points by andrewljohnson 16y ago

rokhayakebe 16y ago
It may be a little one, or a big one but "Behind every empire there is a crime". I would like to know examples of companies that are significantly successful today where the founders did not do anything unethical at some point to fuel growth.
- smokinn 16y ago
  The problem with statements like those is that they aren't falsifiable. If someone does come up with an example there's the easy rebuttal: Whatever they did probably just hasn't come to light yet.
- lsc 16y ago
  how about examples of failed companies where the founders did not do anything unethical at some point to get ahead? Or hell, examples of individuals who did not do something unethical at some point to get ahead? I'm not saying this makes it okay or anything... but all of us are guilty, at one point or another, of doing something unethical. we are all human. Really, I think this is one of those things the Christians got right. we will all screw it up. (I'm not sure I agree with the way the Christians go about seeking atonement, but I agree that atonement is a very human need, and that this idea that we should be able to forgive ourselves for past misdeeds while still working hard to do the right thing next time is a good one.) So, really, I don't think your question is particularly fair... yeah, we've all done things that we shouldn't have... but I think it's a mistake to always credit our successes to our misdeeds; in fact, I've found the opposite to usually be the case. Maybe it's just my skillset, but nearly every time I've attempted to act in a deceitful or unethical way, it came back to bite me but good. - really, this is the origin of my own "keep as few secrets as possible" policy. Openness just seems to work better, at least when you have my skillset.
abyssknight 16y ago
I tried to read this, really I did, but the lack of capitalization makes me want to die a swift death. You're writing to the Harvard Business School. Man up and use the shift key already.
- _delirium 16y ago
  The lack of a blank line (or any vertical space) between paragraphs is what makes it particularly unreadable for me. It looks like the source does separate the paragraphs, so seems like a bad choice of CSS.
  - xiongchiamiov 16y ago
    Thank God for Readability: http://lab.arc90.com/experiments/readability/ http://lab.arc90.com/experiments/readability/ Doesn't fix everything, but it sure helps.
- alphaoverlord 16y ago
  well, he was able to capitalize HBS, which obviously is much more important. rather a lack of ability, perhaps this indicates a lack of regard.
- lotusleaf1987 16y ago
  That and the fact I can't shake the thought: people in glass houses shouldn't throw stones.
sili 16y ago
Followed by a template reply from the dean, which completely ignores any points maid in the original letter.
- brown9-2 16y ago
  You're reading it backwards. This blog post reads like an email reply to an email blast from the new dean to all alumni. The >'s are the quoted message.
  - ewrgqewrgqerg 16y ago
    Nice, who said top-posting was more intuitive ?
lanstein 16y ago
Pincus in title is spelled wrong, FWIW.
twir 16y ago
An ethics lecture from a man whose company sells spyware (Zwinky toolbar) and highly profitable add-ons to games under the pretext of charity (Farmville "donations" to Haiti)? EDIT: oh, and whose company essentially ripped off the idea of Farmville from someone else. Forgot about that one.
- teej 16y ago
  >> An ethics lecture from a man whose company This was written a year before Zynga was formed. I still think he's hypocritical, but let's be clear about the context. >> sells spyware (Zwinky toolbar) I have no idea where you got this idea from. Zynga does not make Zwinky, Mindspark Interactive Network does. >> highly profitable add-ons to games under the pretext of charity (Farmville "donations" to Haiti)? A 50% charity split isn't shabby. Sure, Zynga should have given 100%, but there are higher profile initiatives with MUCH lower splits. Product (red) is a great example where buying a $150 iPod nets a whopping $10 for The Global Fund. -------------------------- Disclosure: Current Zynga employee.
  - bl4k 16y ago
    > Zynga does not make Zwinky, Mindspark Interactive Network does. But they need distribution, and they got that through Pincus - See: "I did every horrible thing in the book just to get revenues" : http://techcrunch.com/2009/11/06/zynga-scamville-mark-pinkus-faceboo/ http://techcrunch.com/2009/11/06/zynga-scamville-mark-pinkus... > Product (red) is a great example where buying a $150 iPod nets a whopping $10 for The Global Fund. You really can not compare the two. The BOM and cost of production on an iPod is probably $120. The incremental cost of a Farmville credit is thousands of a cent.
    - twir 16y ago
      Thanks for the source on Zynga's connection to Zwinky. I knew there was some sort of connection, but my face got horribly red when I realized "wait, he's right--Zynga didn't make Zwinky."
    - teej 16y ago
randomguy123 16y ago
I never understood the pursuit of ethics by all business schools. I mean business schools select and reward people with questionable ethical practices. They should at least stop putting up all this hypocrisy at least. I mean Harvard considered Jeff Skilling as the best student ever until he came out as a complete sham. At least everyone in oil industry and academia has guts to speak out against climate change and to deny it. in similar fashion i expect HBS and others to show how unethical behavior is good for human kind. A la The Selfish Gene or something.
randomguy123 16y ago
Btw its old 2006, the Dean of HBS is now someone else.
deleted 16y ago
[deleted]
sabat 16y ago
Most (or all) cynics start out as dewy-eyed optimists.
raheemm 16y ago
Does this letter really capture the attitude towards ethics at HBS? Any alumni/student care to elaborate?
aspir 16y ago
This type of mentality is the reason that I stopped halfway between my HBS 2+2 application when I was able to apply. MBA culture is that of stagnant, tepid growth with a fortune 500 company. I was attracted to business from a social sciences background because I could see that some companies positively impact the world- but not the kind a high-level MBA sets you up to fit in with.
VladRussian 16y ago
just a typical MBA - ramping up to comfortable number of millions by "I did every horrible thing in the book just to get revenues" and changing business model to preaching after that. I especially like that "donations" business. Some years ago, a recent immigrant, i was surprised by how actively everybody would be harvesting donations ... until i learned that it is only (100-x)% that makes it to the charities, where "x" can be whatever donation harvester deems "expenses"

It may be a little one, or a big one but "Behind every empire there is a crime". I would like to know examples of companies that are significantly successful today where the founders did not do anything unethical at some point to fuel growth.

smokinn 16y ago
The problem with statements like those is that they aren't falsifiable. If someone does come up with an example there's the easy rebuttal: Whatever they did probably just hasn't come to light yet.
lsc 16y ago
how about examples of failed companies where the founders did not do anything unethical at some point to get ahead? Or hell, examples of individuals who did not do something unethical at some point to get ahead? I'm not saying this makes it okay or anything... but all of us are guilty, at one point or another, of doing something unethical. we are all human. Really, I think this is one of those things the Christians got right. we will all screw it up. (I'm not sure I agree with the way the Christians go about seeking atonement, but I agree that atonement is a very human need, and that this idea that we should be able to forgive ourselves for past misdeeds while still working hard to do the right thing next time is a good one.) So, really, I don't think your question is particularly fair... yeah, we've all done things that we shouldn't have... but I think it's a mistake to always credit our successes to our misdeeds; in fact, I've found the opposite to usually be the case. Maybe it's just my skillset, but nearly every time I've attempted to act in a deceitful or unethical way, it came back to bite me but good. - really, this is the origin of my own "keep as few secrets as possible" policy. Openness just seems to work better, at least when you have my skillset.

abyssknight 16y ago

I tried to read this, really I did, but the lack of capitalization makes me want to die a swift death. You're writing to the Harvard Business School. Man up and use the shift key already.

_delirium 16y ago
The lack of a blank line (or any vertical space) between paragraphs is what makes it particularly unreadable for me. It looks like the source does separate the paragraphs, so seems like a bad choice of CSS.
- xiongchiamiov 16y ago
  Thank God for Readability: http://lab.arc90.com/experiments/readability/ http://lab.arc90.com/experiments/readability/ Doesn't fix everything, but it sure helps.
alphaoverlord 16y ago
well, he was able to capitalize HBS, which obviously is much more important. rather a lack of ability, perhaps this indicates a lack of regard.
lotusleaf1987 16y ago
That and the fact I can't shake the thought: people in glass houses shouldn't throw stones.

sili 16y ago

Followed by a template reply from the dean, which completely ignores any points maid in the original letter.

brown9-2 16y ago
You're reading it backwards. This blog post reads like an email reply to an email blast from the new dean to all alumni. The >'s are the quoted message.
- ewrgqewrgqerg 16y ago
  Nice, who said top-posting was more intuitive ?

lanstein 16y ago

Pincus in title is spelled wrong, FWIW.

twir 16y ago

An ethics lecture from a man whose company sells spyware (Zwinky toolbar) and highly profitable add-ons to games under the pretext of charity (Farmville "donations" to Haiti)? EDIT: oh, and whose company essentially ripped off the idea of Farmville from someone else. Forgot about that one.

teej 16y ago
>> An ethics lecture from a man whose company This was written a year before Zynga was formed. I still think he's hypocritical, but let's be clear about the context. >> sells spyware (Zwinky toolbar) I have no idea where you got this idea from. Zynga does not make Zwinky, Mindspark Interactive Network does. >> highly profitable add-ons to games under the pretext of charity (Farmville "donations" to Haiti)? A 50% charity split isn't shabby. Sure, Zynga should have given 100%, but there are higher profile initiatives with MUCH lower splits. Product (red) is a great example where buying a $150 iPod nets a whopping $10 for The Global Fund. -------------------------- Disclosure: Current Zynga employee.
- bl4k 16y ago
  > Zynga does not make Zwinky, Mindspark Interactive Network does. But they need distribution, and they got that through Pincus - See: "I did every horrible thing in the book just to get revenues" : http://techcrunch.com/2009/11/06/zynga-scamville-mark-pinkus-faceboo/ http://techcrunch.com/2009/11/06/zynga-scamville-mark-pinkus... > Product (red) is a great example where buying a $150 iPod nets a whopping $10 for The Global Fund. You really can not compare the two. The BOM and cost of production on an iPod is probably $120. The incremental cost of a Farmville credit is thousands of a cent.
  - twir 16y ago
    Thanks for the source on Zynga's connection to Zwinky. I knew there was some sort of connection, but my face got horribly red when I realized "wait, he's right--Zynga didn't make Zwinky."
  - teej 16y ago

randomguy123 16y ago

I never understood the pursuit of ethics by all business schools. I mean business schools select and reward people with questionable ethical practices. They should at least stop putting up all this hypocrisy at least. I mean Harvard considered Jeff Skilling as the best student ever until he came out as a complete sham. At least everyone in oil industry and academia has guts to speak out against climate change and to deny it. in similar fashion i expect HBS and others to show how unethical behavior is good for human kind. A la The Selfish Gene or something.

randomguy123 16y ago

Btw its old 2006, the Dean of HBS is now someone else.

deleted 16y ago

[deleted]

sabat 16y ago

Most (or all) cynics start out as dewy-eyed optimists.

raheemm 16y ago

Does this letter really capture the attitude towards ethics at HBS? Any alumni/student care to elaborate?

aspir 16y ago

This type of mentality is the reason that I stopped halfway between my HBS 2+2 application when I was able to apply. MBA culture is that of stagnant, tepid growth with a fortune 500 company. I was attracted to business from a social sciences background because I could see that some companies positively impact the world- but not the kind a high-level MBA sets you up to fit in with.

VladRussian 16y ago

just a typical MBA - ramping up to comfortable number of millions by "I did every horrible thing in the book just to get revenues" and changing business model to preaching after that. I especially like that "donations" business. Some years ago, a recent immigrant, i was surprised by how actively everybody would be harvesting donations ... until i learned that it is only (100-x)% that makes it to the charities, where "x" can be whatever donation harvester deems "expenses"