Zynga lures Microsoft's gaming chief with bulging package

Shiny new Zynga chief Don Mattrick will get a hefty package when he joins the firm next week, with around $50m hitting his bank account in the next few years. The firm said in a regulatory filing that Mattrick, who's leaving his job as head of Microsoft's Xbox business to join the mobile gaming biz, will get a base salary of $ …

[Vladimir Plouzhnikov]

Gonna end in tears

They already pay him so much that he does not have any incentive to do anything. All he needs now is to sit on his hands: if it all goes sour he will get some money out of it, it it miraculously recovers - he will get even more money.

[Mark Broadhurst]

Re: Gonna end in tears

Its in his interest as the $30m is shares will be worthless if the company goes under before he can sell them.

[Randalfson]

Re: Gonna end in tears

I agree with the OP's sentiment - he's going to get paid regardless of what he does.

Maybe a better description is that he has to do "just enough" in his first year, and then he gets a huge chunk of change in his paypacket as his first tranche of shares vest.

[dogged]

In other news, apparently Mary Jo Foley is touting a rumour that J Allard is taking back his "Head of XBox" job.

[returnmyjedi]

Jay 1.0 or 20?

I prefer the original William Hague-esque Allard of the first Xbox era. His resurrection as the son of Braniac was a little unsettling.

I want them to bring back Peter Moore and his tatts.

[rcorrect]

It must be nice to be an executive. Each time I move onto a new job it is because I want to do so not because I am receiving a bribe.

[Stuart Castle]

OK... So the guy that said the Xbox one being always online is good, and that anyone that has a problem can just use a 360 is out of the company and the woman that was in charge of the team that designed Windows 8 is now running the Xbox/Hardware team?

Could it be that Microsoft have finally realised something has gone wrong?

[returnmyjedi]

Steve?

I thought that it was Steve Sinofsky that was responsible for Windows 8?

[MJI]

What was funny

All the twats on twitter about it from MS ended with the letters PS

They forgot the 4