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Social gaming kingpin Zynga is under fire from an anonymous group claiming to be former employees – with claims that the company hijacks ideas and elects a “predatory attitude” towards its industry rivals.
One source, speaking to regional magazine SF Weekly, says “Zynga’s motto is ‘Do Evil’ – I would venture to say it is one of the most evil places I’ve run into, from a culture perspective and in its business approach.”
The source says he vividly remembers a conversation with the firm’s CEO Mark Pincus, who was paraphrased as saying: “I don’t fucking want innovation. You’re not smarter than your competitor. Just copy what they do and do it until you get their numbers.”
That claim comes amid allegations that Zynga routinely copies ideas from its competitors and uses its marketing nous to build a successful product out of them.
The SF Weekly report reads: “Former employees nevertheless describe a corporate ethos based in a predatory attitude toward rival companies and gamers. Zynga sought to cash in quickly by repackaging, and then furiously peddling, the ideas of others.”
Zynga has not been accused of breaking any laws. The company has yet to comment on the rumours.
