Groupon CEO to Make $530 Million Through Google Acquisition

Sina Technology News, December 3rd morning - If the rumored $6 billion Google acquisition of Groupon becomes a reality, Groupon CEO Andrew Mason will make a profit of $530 million from it.

Venture capitalists and start-up experts believe that if Mason retained a certain percentage of company shares during Groupon's growth as per usual circumstances, he could now own up to 10% of Groupon. Based on previous rumors, Google proposed to acquire Groupon for $5.3 billion, plus a $700 million bonus based on management performance. Therefore, Mason would earn at least $530 million from this deal.

Mason graduated with a bachelor's degree in music and dropped out of graduate school to develop Groupon. His initial purpose for developing Groupon was to help businesses raise funds through the internet.

Groupon's vice president of business development, Sean Smyth, joined the company in September 2009, and the vice president of product development, Suneel Gupta, joined in January 2010. Typically, senior executives with employee numbers between 20 and 30 receive 1% to 3% of the company's shares, depending mainly on their background and whether they can bring in new venture capital. The shares held by these executives will be diluted in each round of financing.

Groupon has raised $170 million so far. In April this year, the company completed its latest round of financing led by Russian investment company DST, raising a total of $135 million, valuing Groupon at $1.35 billion. (Qiu Yue)