groupon

New album from ex-Groupon CEO fails to crack iTunes Top 100

I confess that I have never bought a Groupon, because it always seemed to require paying money to do something I didn't want to do.

I feared I might feel the same way about listening to former Groupon CEO Andrew Mason's new album "Hardly Workin'."

I had understood that Mason was a bit of a wag and a prankster, and I thought that when his opus hit iTunes Tuesday morning there might be, well, a Groupon. Or at least a deal.… Read more

Xbox Music expands to Web browsers

CNET Update is hailing a helicopter:

In this episode of Update:

- Rock out to Xbox Music from your Web browser free for 30 days.

- Find a deal for date night on Groupon Reserve -- no voucher required.

- Speculate why Apple filed a trademark for "iWatch" in Japan.

- Prepare for a future with self-destructing e-mail messages.

- Keep an eye out on Twitter for English translations of tweets, powered by Bing.

- Live like the rich and famous with Uber's helicopter-ride service in New York City on Wednesday.

CNET Update delivers the tech news … Read more

Former Groupon CEO shares 'business wisdom' through song

Ousted Groupon CEO Andrew Mason wants to drop some knowledge on the younger generation, so he recorded an entire album of songs about "business wisdom."

Mason is known for having a sense of humor so he's probably joking (let's hope he's joking). Otherwise prepare yourself for seven songs of "motivational business music targeted at people newly entering the workforce," according to his blog entry posted Thursday.

More importantly, Mason is ready to move on to a new gig. He's creating a startup and will mentor startup newbs at Y Combinator. He didn'… Read more

New Groupon CEO won't be named until next year

Groupon is not racing to find a new CEO, say the interim leaders who've been running the show since the company's founder resigned earlier this year.

Speaking to The Wall Street Journal in an interview published on Tuesday, Groupon's interim CEOs Ted Leonsis and Eric Lefkosky said that "are not in a rush" to name a new, permanent chief executive, adding that they have only just kicked off the process of finding a replacement.

"We want to bring in a world-class leader, but the talent pool is not huge," Leonsis told the Journal. &… Read more

ComScore: Google claims top spot for desktop and mobile hits

Google hasn't budged from the No. 1 spot when it comes to its desktop and mobile audience, according to ComScore's latest rankings, but the companies with the most mobile growth are ones that have been struggling to keep investors happy.

Groupon, Zynga, and Pandora's mobile users grew more than twice as much as their numbers for desktop users, according to ComScore's February measurement for the top 50 digital media companies. Of course, the three companies -- which have seen their share of management shakeups and disappointing earnings this past year -- had much smaller numbers to … Read more

Facebook is changing the News Feed

CNET Update never did beat Battletoads:

Facebook will unveil a new look for the News Feed on March 7, but we may have a hint at what's to come judging by the new profiles being tested in New Zealand (via The Next Web). And Google is also testing a new look with a navigation grid icon.

Other headlines from Friday's tech news roundup:

- Groupon's CEO was fired, but you should read his farewell memo to staff. He compares the challenges leading Groupon to getting through the difficult Battletoads video game without dying. We hear ya, Andrew. … Read more

Former Groupon CEO leaks outgoing memo: 'I was fired today'

Not waiting for a leak, newly ousted Groupon CEO Andrew Mason made his departing memo public this afternoon.

In it, Mason claims responsibility for missing expectations and the company's stock price, and says that a "fresh CEO" earns the company a chance at a second chance.

Mason also shows a geeky, youthful spirit, making the comparison of running the company this far to the popular, though notoriously difficult 1991 video game Battletoads.

You can read the whole memo below, which Mason linked to in a Tweet:

(This is for Groupon employees, but I'm posting it publicly … Read more

Andrew Mason out as Groupon CEO

Update: 2:40 PM PT Andrew Mason is out as chief executive at Groupon.

The company announced the management change in a terse statement this afternoon. It said that Executive Chairman Eric Lefkofsky and Vice Chairman Ted Leonsis would participate in a newly created Office of the Chief Executive, effective immediately, serving in this role on an interim basis until the board finds a CEO replacement.

"On behalf of the entire Groupon Board, I want to thank Andrew for his leadership, his creativity, and his deep loyalty to Groupon. As a founder, Andrew helped invent the daily deals space, … Read more

DailyDeal site unleashes itself from Google

DailyDeal is now back in the hands of its original owners.

The German daily deals site broke the news on its home page today, announcing that founders Fabian and Ferry Heilemann repurchased the site from Google.

A Google translated version of the deal offered the full scoop:

We are pleased to inform you today that we bought back the company as founder and CEO of Daily Deal and Google will now continue on their own. Daily Deal will of course continue the usual services and exciting offers -- just as we have done in the past. In addition, we will … Read more