The Glade 4.0 :: View topic - Best CEO Farewell Letter Ever

People of Groupon,

After four and a half intense and wonderful years as CEO of Groupon, I've decided that I'd like to spend more time with my family. Just kidding - I was fired today. If you're wondering why . . . you haven't been paying attention. From controversial metrics in our S1 to our material weakness to two quarters of missing our own expectations and a stock price that's hovering around one quarter of our listing price, the events of the last year and a half speak for themselves. As CEO, I am accountable.

You are doing amazing things at Groupon, and you deserve the outside world to give you a second chance. I'm getting in the way of that. A fresh CEO earns you that chance. The board is aligned behind the strategy we've shared over the last few months, and I've never seen you working together more effectively as a global company - it's time to give Groupon a relief valve from the public noise.

For those who are concerned about me, please don't be - I love Groupon, and I'm terribly proud of what we've created. I'm OK with having failed at this part of the journey. If Groupon was Battletoads, it would be like I made it all the way to the Terra Tubes without dying on my first ever play through. I am so lucky to have had the opportunity to take the company this far with all of you. I'll now take some time to decompress (FYI I'm looking for a good fat camp to lose my Groupon 40, if anyone has a suggestion), and then maybe I'll figure out how to channel this experience into something productive.

If there's one piece of wisdom that this simple pilgrim would like to impart upon you: have the courage to start with the customer. My biggest regrets are the moments that I let a lack of data override my intuition on what's best for our customers. This leadership change gives you some breathing room to break bad habits and deliver sustainable customer happiness - don't waste the opportunity!

I will miss you terribly.

Love,

Andrew

Author:	RangerDave [ Fri Mar 01, 2013 11:13 am ]
Post subject:	Best CEO Farewell Letter Ever
Apparently Groupon's CEO got canned, and this is his completely awesome farewell letter: Andrew Mason wrote: People of Groupon, After four and a half intense and wonderful years as CEO of Groupon, I've decided that I'd like to spend more time with my family. Just kidding - I was fired today. If you're wondering why . . . you haven't been paying attention. From controversial metrics in our S1 to our material weakness to two quarters of missing our own expectations and a stock price that's hovering around one quarter of our listing price, the events of the last year and a half speak for themselves. As CEO, I am accountable. You are doing amazing things at Groupon, and you deserve the outside world to give you a second chance. I'm getting in the way of that. A fresh CEO earns you that chance. The board is aligned behind the strategy we've shared over the last few months, and I've never seen you working together more effectively as a global company - it's time to give Groupon a relief valve from the public noise. For those who are concerned about me, please don't be - I love Groupon, and I'm terribly proud of what we've created. I'm OK with having failed at this part of the journey. If Groupon was Battletoads, it would be like I made it all the way to the Terra Tubes without dying on my first ever play through. I am so lucky to have had the opportunity to take the company this far with all of you. I'll now take some time to decompress (FYI I'm looking for a good fat camp to lose my Groupon 40, if anyone has a suggestion), and then maybe I'll figure out how to channel this experience into something productive. If there's one piece of wisdom that this simple pilgrim would like to impart upon you: have the courage to start with the customer. My biggest regrets are the moments that I let a lack of data override my intuition on what's best for our customers. This leadership change gives you some breathing room to break bad habits and deliver sustainable customer happiness - don't waste the opportunity! I will miss you terribly. Love, Andrew Don't know much about his leadership style or business practices (I've heard snippets about Groupon's financial reporting being shady), but this is definitely how failed CEOs should handle their exits.

Author:	Arathain Kelvar [ Fri Mar 01, 2013 12:42 pm ]
Post subject:
I agree, but this should have been a letter of resignation, not notice of termination. If he believed these things, he should have moved quicker.

Author:	Kindralas [ Fri Mar 01, 2013 12:49 pm ]
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Battletoads references cure many ills.

Author:	Diamondeye [ Fri Mar 01, 2013 2:21 pm ]
Post subject:
I know nothing of these battletoads.

Author:	Aegnor [ Fri Mar 01, 2013 6:40 pm ]
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I remember Battle Toads had this level that was freaking impossible. I don't know if it is the one he's talking about.

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Author:	Lenas [ Fri Mar 01, 2013 6:54 pm ]
Post subject:	Re: Best CEO Farewell Letter Ever
He's talking about level 9. Something most people, even if they have played Battletoads, never knew existed. Game is freaking hard.

Author:	Raell [ Sun Mar 03, 2013 10:55 pm ]
Post subject:	Re: Best CEO Farewell Letter Ever
Lenas wrote: He's talking about level 9. Something most people, even if they have played Battletoads, never knew existed. Game is freaking hard. And most people who talk about it were three when it came out...

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