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Ousted Groupon CEO’s ‘I Was Fired’ Letter Is Pretty Awesome

Mar. 1, 2013 2:17pm Becket Adams

Ousted CEO Andrew Mason Departs With Humorous & Graceful Letter To Employees

Ousted CEO Andrew Mason. (CNN Money)

It’s no secret that online deal site Groupon has been struggling.

Indeed, between SNAFUS involving participating businesses, losing $81 million in Q4 of 2012, and seeing their stock value plunge by 26 percent on Thursday, it was only a matter of time before the group ousted CEO Andrew Mason.

And they did.

However, rather than storm off and create a scene, Mason dealt with his firing with humor and grace.

“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,” he wrote in a letter to employees that he posted publicly on Jottit. “If you’re wondering why… you haven’t been paying attention.”

“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,” he adds, referring to the popular 1991 video game, “it would be like I made it all the way to the Terra Tubes without dying on my first ever play through.”

He added a little more humor: “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.”

Here’s his full letter to Groupon employees:

This is for Groupon employees, but I’m posting it publicly since it will leak anyway)

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

–

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Comments (23)

Nabuquduriuzhur
Posted on March 2, 2013 at 3:59am
When businesses got taken over by the Boomers, the traditional idea of “make money. make the customer happy” got lost. From companies going “cheap” and losing their customer base, to multiplying prices and then losing their customers, to companies like Starbucks making a statement one week that angers liberals, then the next week angering conservatives. What happened to producing a product people want to buy, and staying out of politics?

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banjarmon
Posted on March 1, 2013 at 8:22pm
I’m from the back woods…What is this Groupon??? Some new MUSTARD???

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jhpackard
Posted on March 1, 2013 at 7:17pm
I didn’t like the way Groupon worked, and, along with “Kerstile”, I was put off by Groupon’s supercilious attitude toward gun owners. (I really like that word, “supercilious”.)

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Kerstile
Posted on March 1, 2013 at 6:19pm
http://www.theblaze.com/stories/2013/01/22/groupon-distances-itself-from-gun-community-indefinitely-suspends-all-gun-related-deals/

Angering a large part of your customer base is never a good idea.

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- drs1969
  Posted on March 1, 2013 at 7:59pm
  It’s amazing how these Co’s think they can dictate to their customers. JCPenney is going broke fast, due to their ‘attitude’ problem. In an economy like this, it’s suicide.
  
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jmbecker13
Posted on March 1, 2013 at 6:07pm
Not surprised Groupon is failing. Tried to use it once for an online purchase. Didn’t work, had to get a refund. They were much better at refunding than actually selling.

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- RIDEMODELS
  Posted on March 1, 2013 at 6:35pm
  Hope he has good luck somewhere….But I have a credit card number with Amazon and I just got a scam from a “woman” who was selling a 350z for 2700.00 on you guessed it Craigslist, she used Amazon as a payment method…..No BS……I am taking my card off Amazon today, I have been the victim of identity theft before…aint gonna happen again.
  
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Seymour
Posted on March 1, 2013 at 5:14pm
You know people, at least he had the conviction to sacrifice in creating a product in the private sector where sometimes you win and sometimes you lose. He won by creating a business model that works and will now be refined with new management which is the story of 90% of start-ups. So nice work Andrew, you learned a lot and hope to see more of your creativity and products moving forward.

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Valentinious
Posted on March 1, 2013 at 4:42pm
This is really pretty amazing. Groupon probably would have done better with different management, but that is the point. He was fired, but he knew and recognized why, and took responsibility. No hate, no bitterness, no buck-passing, at least that he showed, and that is admirable. I think a lot of the blame for Groupon’s downward trend (to put it simply) can actually be attributed to Internet culture: trends come, trends go, there is not much that can be done about that. Maybe he should have left earlier. It does not matter to me. I respect him, his attempts at running a company (rather successfully for a while) and his humor. It is good to know that real people exist, at least in business.

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- drs1969
  Posted on March 1, 2013 at 8:01pm
  Don’t you think it has to do w/ the IPO and his pay?
  
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redfish52
Posted on March 1, 2013 at 4:35pm
He would never make it in DC….to honest and he blamed himself….I would have blamed those Wacally Wepubwican’s and George Bush like our POTUS does….works for him

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conard3
Posted on March 1, 2013 at 4:34pm
I’m pretty sure it was bush’s fault…

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Seagal45
Posted on March 1, 2013 at 4:25pm
At least he didn’t try to blame Bush.

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Cavallo
Posted on March 1, 2013 at 2:51pm
Looks like that boycott is working.. So long Groupon Inc. May you die painfully.

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media-bias-steals-elections
Posted on March 1, 2013 at 2:37pm
CEO’s are responsible for the implementation of their ideas, that does not mean that their ideas are bad? If you tell me to deliver “x” but you don’t know how much “y” and “z” costs, you have to hire people that do?

Depending on non-disclosure agreements and other restrictions, time will tell if this guy gets back in the game, or if he asks for another job in the same company? That depends on corporate culture, which may or may not believe there is such a thing as redemption?

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The-Monk
Posted on March 1, 2013 at 2:31pm
I have no mercy for any CEO being fired when their software installs malware along with their program.

Perhaps if you didn’t decide to go that route your company would have done better.

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JohnGalt
Posted on March 1, 2013 at 2:31pm
There’s no shame in admitting when you failed. I certainly hope he doesn’t let it stop him, he sounds like a sensible leader.

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wilbstal
Posted on March 1, 2013 at 2:29pm
if you are anti Gun I hope all of you and your invsetors go broke for ever. i have no love for 2nd A violators and Communists bye bye Comrade

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13th Imam
Posted on March 1, 2013 at 2:29pm
Groupon?

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- hi
  Posted on March 1, 2013 at 6:53pm
  lol!
  
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sta
Posted on March 1, 2013 at 2:26pm
Pretty amazing!

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biohazard23
Posted on March 1, 2013 at 2:26pm
This guy said something you will NEVER hear from dear leader: “I am accountable.”

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wilbstal
Posted on March 1, 2013 at 2:25pm
83 million $$ loss i think you should have left a lot earlier. poor mangement it soundslike

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