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Tag: Owen Van Natta

  • Zynga Puts Owen Van Natta Over Business Operations

    Zynga, the social gaming company that makes apps for both Facebook and MySpace, now has one additional connection to those two companies.  Zynga named Owen Van Natta Executive Vice President of Business Operations this afternoon.

    Van Natta was, as you may remember, Facebook’s COO for a while.  He served as CEO of MySpace for a relatively short period of time, as well.  So this move is perhaps a bit of a step down for him, title-wise.

    Owen Van NattaStill, Van Natta has also joined Zynga’s board of directors, which isn’t such an un-prestigious shift.  And this development’s a potential indicator that big things are happening at the company as a whole.

    Consider Van Natta’s employment history again.  Bringing him aboard in an official capacity, when he was just a consultant, could be a sign that Zynga wants some people with experience at big, in-the-spotlight organizations.

    It could be a sign that Zynga is planning to go public, in other words.  Rumors on that subject have been circulating since at least last summer, although it would be a little odd to see Zynga take the leap before Facebook.

    Anyway, a hat tip goes to Peter Kafka, who noted that Zynga named David Wehner CFO last month.

  • MySpace’s CEO Out

    Owen Van Natta, who only joined MySpace in April of last year, will no longer serve as its CEO.  Reports indicate that he’s in fact been fired, and MySpace has at least confirmed that Jason Hirschhorn and Mike Jones, who reported to Van Natta, are becoming co-presidents.

    Owen Van NattaThis series of developments comes as a big surprise.  Just one week ago, rumor had it that Hirschhorn might leave MySpace due to tension with Van Natta.  But according to Kara Swisher, News Corp. Chief Digital Officer Jon Miller then became involved, and after talking to all three men, wound up sacking the CEO.

    So let’s discuss MySpace’s new co-presidents.  Before becoming MySpace’s chief product officer, Hirschhorn filled executive positions at both Sling Media and MTV.  Jones founded Userplane prior to becoming MySpace’s chief operating officer, and also worked for AOL following an acquisition.

    Both men have done well at MySpace, too.  Miller stated with respect to Van Natta’s semi-replacements (remember the difference in titles), "Mike and Jason have demonstrated true leadership in their operational and product guidance, respectively, and I have the utmost confidence in both of them to lead MySpace into its next chapter."

    Hirschhorn and Jones said, "We joined MySpace last April with very a specific set of goals in mind, and are anxious to continue working together to make those goals a reality.  This business is now pointed in the right direction, and we have a great team of employees that will continue to push MySpace closer to its potential as the place where people go to be discovered and to discover great content."