Quantcast
Channel: Business Insider
Viewing all articles
Browse latest Browse all 126779

Now David Ko Is Essentially Running Zynga (ZNGA)

$
0
0

David Ko

Zynga has reorganized yet again!

David Ko, an executive who has championed Zynga's push into mobile and transformation of its Facebook-oriented franchises like FarmVille and Mafia Wars into multiplatform gaming experiences that cross both Web and mobile, has gotten another promotion in the process.

In July, Ko, Zynga's chief mobile officer, started reporting directly to CEO Mark Pincus, bypassing the company's then-COO, John Schappert. Shortly afterward, Schappert left the company.

It seems like the troubled maker of social games shuffles management every few months, as it tries to adapt the company to a rapidly changing world where mobile rules.

Ko's been a key part of that transformation, pushing Zynga to buy Newtoy, the maker of Words With Friends, and OMGPOP, the maker of Draw Something. The latter deal led to a $95 million writedown in the most recent quarter. Despite that setback, Ko now oversees Zynga's strategic planning, international expansion, and infrastructure.

Though it's not highlighted in the announcements, Business Insider has learned that Ko also has oversight for all of Zynga's game development, with Zynga's top game-development executive, Steve Chiang, reporting to him. Chiang and Ko had previously shared oversight for Zynga's studios, with both reporting to Pincus.

Here are all the new roles and titles Pincus announced, besides Ko's big promotion:

  • Mark Vranesh, Zynga's chief accounting officer, has reassumed the title of chief financial officer after the departure of Dave Wehner. (Vranesh had previously worked as a finance executive at Support.com, another company Pincus founded.)
  • Barry Cottle is now chief revenue officer, with responsibility for business operations and Zynga's expansion into real-money gaming.
  • Steve Chiang is now Zynga's president of games, overseeing all studios and reporting to Ko.

Please follow SAI on Twitter and Facebook.

Join the conversation about this story »




Viewing all articles
Browse latest Browse all 126779

Trending Articles