IMO the more important question is: does Zynga need anybody worth their salt anymore?

I suspect the answer is no. The really hard scalability problems have been solved. There's not a creative bone in that company's body. The psychological tropes that they play with to reach that nirvana of inescapable treadmilling and spending is already determined - and given all the Zynga games I've seen, past and present, they don't seem very intent on changing the formula.

Not only that, social gaming of Zynga's variety is on the decline. There was a time when everybody and their grandma was playing FarmVille, but the world is quickly catching onto their addictive-but-empty nature. Not only that, but Facebook is moving in and slamming the door shut on the feed-spam that these games practically need to survive. I would not be surprised if these games' usage numbers have already peaked and are on the decline. Profitability is destined to follow player sentiment.

All in all, IMO Zynga's best days have come and gone. The world has its infatuation with that formula, and like the Tamagotchi and everything else that came before it, will tire of it soon enough. The only thing remaining now is for the execs to secure as much stock as they can and take it public, and let the general population ride the stock on its way down. They only need employees insofar as to keep the lights on and look alive - certainly nothing that calls for the tippy top talent.

Bingo. In the long run, this IPO is going to be as depressing and fruitless as Zynga's games.

What pisses me off is the collateral damage that Zynga has done to other entrepreneurs who will now have a harder time attracting talent and raising capital because of this idiocy. Pincus didn't just fuck over his employees; he fucked a technology startup ecosystem that is, after a decade-long slumber, trying to get on its feet again.