Quote · My First Million
Brainstorming business ideas with a billion-dollar founder
Where this was said
The Nickelback problem
At 1:21:18 · chapter starts 1:19:50
Pincus's strategic silence was not accidental. He had a concept: the fur coat moment, drawn from American Gangster — the scene where the drug kingpin wears a conspicuous fur coat to a boxing match and ends up on the front page of The New York Times, triggering his downfall. [1] — Mark Pincus "I don't want to have my fur coat moment. I don't want to be on the cover of Fortune. The fur coat moment came from that movie American Gang…" 1:18:38 Pincus was the equivalent: a 41-year-old retired guy who was not supposed to be building anything relevant, and whose financial performance was so extraordinary it would have invited competition he was not ready for. So he kept it hidden. He told investors he would give them a price, show them the financials, and let them decide — a move that made investors want in even more. The actual numbers, when they finally came out at IPO: over $1 billion in cash on the balance sheet, having never spent a dollar of the venture capital raised, and approximately $450 million in free cash flow in the year before going public. [2] — Mark Pincus "Zynga: $450M free cash flow year before IPO: In the year before its IPO, Zynga generated approximately $450 million in free cash flow, a fi…" 1:21:18 Shaan adds the cultural component: FarmVille had the 'Nickelback problem' — universally mocked by tastemakers, yet played by 30 million people daily who would never admit to loving it. Pincus confirms the gaming industry had officially anointed him Darth Vader, and he responded: 'None of my users go to GDC.'
When Zynga was forced to go public after just four years, it had over one billion dollars in cash on its balance sheet and had never spent a dollar of the capital it had raised.
In the year before its IPO, Zynga generated approximately $450 million in free cash flow, a figure Pincus kept secret to avoid competition and unwanted press.
