Founding and Managing Partner at Riviera, Michael A. Morell, recently was quoted in a Wall Street Journal article discussing “boomerang” workers—those who have returned to their old employers after brief stints at technology startups. The article points to the trend that unfolded a few years ago when many senior engineers and executives left larger corporations for younger pre-IPO firms, or in some cases to start their own companies. Amidst changing market conditions that are impacting these startups, recruiters—including Michael—believe the number of “boomerangs” could rise.
(Wall Street Journal) – Electronic Arts Inc. developer Brodie Andersen left his post in June 2011 to join Zynga Inc., a then rising startup on the verge of a highly anticipated initial public offering. The honeymoon didn’t last long.
Soon after Zynga’s December IPO, Mr. Andersen packed up his belongings and returned to EA.
“I was a bit naive,” says Mr. Andersen, 35 years old, who left behind a large part of his stock package at Zynga, an online game maker. “There was an emphasis on monetization [at Zynga] and I wanted to work on something that emphasized game play.”