Arrington vs. Shukla: Virtual Goods Controversy

[remedia8]

Ouch! A good lesson for what not to do as CEO.

[andalus20]

looks like she ate shit, double shit and the bullshit too.

[psybervw]

Wow, how un-professional! I guess the lack of ethics extends beyond the virtual world for Shyla, I mean Shukla... What a categorically dumb bitch, pardon the french.

[ChicagoBubba]

I bet Anu's breath smells like shit from licking the assholes of those above her.

[JoshKeatonFan]

@GameShowFan94 OK, calm down! I was wrong and I'm willing to admit that. Leo was wrong to yell at Mike and Mike was wrong to yell at everybody. As long as we can acknowledge these issues we can move on from this. I'm sorry and I hope this doesn't take down any feelings one might have for another.

[MelleJohnson]

Please, Michael Arrington is a know it all looking for a story that's not there. Easy to create no value and sit on the sidelines.

[poiht87hfg]

Lying fat twat.

[rr93455]

Yea Anu Shukla is an idiot--

Maybe her points are lost in translation. "shit, doubleshift, and bullshit" are irrelevant non-substantive, non-meaningful response points.

[rr93455]

Hey Alex, I work for Zynga.

I am a Tier 1 Billing Agent, and most of what you say makes sense. Maybe I can infiltrate the company from the inside, and clean up this mess.

However, to me it just doesn't seem social-gaming specific, this problems you have address seems like a microcosm into a much larger problem of profit-making. A dog-eat-dog capitalism if you will.

[spacebunny3000]

What a cunt rag bitch to use that language on a panel and then deny and lie about the truth.

[ChildrenofAmory]

WOW, if there ever was a way to not address a legitimate and well thought out and presented accusation, while at the same time, presenting your defenses with all the grace and professionalism of a six year old with Tourettes , Anu Shukla sure framed it and hung it on the wall.

Just say you love money you greedy bitch!

[ChildrenofAmory]

FYI, that woman, Anu Shukla has since been fired and replaced.

Good riddance.

[tokiohotelxox3]

Wow. This is extremely unprofessional. This alone is enough to make me boycott their service.

[GaiasBatweasel]

=3 Why can't she just buy a windscreen with the money that people gave Zynga? Or does she have to buy that with Farmville Bucks or Favor Points?

[MultiplicityMe]

Zynga is a parasite period..as are all the other scammers.

[ablestmage]

Arrington's articles are loaded with emotionally-loaded lanuage, that thoroughly editorializes upon purportedly objective and factual reporting. I'm a frequent player of Facebook games (mostly of Zynga) and frequently cruise the offers just to see what's around -- but have never been compelled or tricked into any of them. Shukla's response (and later follow-up) was to the point, which another of Arrington's posts overtly denies. It seems like Arrington only hears what he wants to hear.

[TheeUnlikely]

He was right on with video professor. The allegations against Farmville are pretty convincing since I'm related to someone who was duped. Arrington claims the farmville scams have been quietly removed (I can't verify this). My question to you, my friend, is how can you not see this? Why are you so angry? At least Arrington directs his anger to rip-off companies. You direct your own anger towards people. Just like the person responding with "shit, doubleshit, and bullshit".

[ablestmage]

@TheeUnlikely - I seriously seriously doubt that your friend was duped, unless they consider being held to a EULA without even having read it, being duped. Also, I'm not angry; you're reading too much into it. The person (Shukla) responded accurately and sensibly with "s/d-s/b-s."

[bjorn50]

Who in the heck annointed Arrington as the ruler and decider of what's holy? These are just simply games on social sites. Arrington makes all these charges, but doesn't back them up with fact.

Blah blah blah.

[juntao65]

He doesn't really need to, if you actually take 2 seconds to check out what offers are running on these games.

[CptKittycat]

@bjorn50 he does actually, read his post.

don't believe the big companies so easily.

[cliveklg]

Zynga you still doing it. Every one of their apps had one of these scammy offers without the last few days.

[TireuxdeRoche]

This woman is absolute slime.

Follow the Fox News fule of Truth:

- Say it loud

- Say it often

- It will be true

Your company is shit, doubleshit and bullshit because that's where you led it.

[JoshKeatonFan]

Any time you invoke FIX News to imply that someone is in your words "slime" because they answer a question honestly and truthfully means that you have a very far sense of what the truth really is. If that is the case, then in the words of Keith Olbermann when talking about Glenn "lonesome roads" Beck; "Go To Hell!"

[Camwi]

Wow, good for Michael. Way to stick to your guns, man.

[JoshKeatonFan]

Michael Arrington is probably the MOST sleazy blogger/interviewers I have ever seen. He accuses Leo Laporte of being predisposed to a Palm Pre simply because he gets a 7-day review copy to try and then ship back to the company. When in fact, Mike Arrington has probably never received a review copy of anything because he runs a very dishonest blog, TechCrunch.

[peweeh]

@JoshKeatonFan Pretty sure Arrington clarified that this was meant as a joke and even apologized. Laporte was cool with it, why aren't you?

[JoshKeatonFan]

@peweeh Because of the way he acted in this video. He is the rudest, most self-absorbed human being I have ever seen. He practically strokes his own ego because he thinks people like him for his tech blog. First off, no serious tech enthusiast actually goes to Tech Crunch and if they do they are a SERIOUS part of the problem that is the propaganda mouth that is Mike Arrington.

[GaiasBatweasel]

I agree! Thank you! Byebye

[GaiasBatweasel]

When a person like him runs mostly all their games on Facebook and Myspace. He is in no position to even Joke like that

[JoshKeatonFan]

@peweeh OK, after seven months to stop being a crazy jerk, I realize that Leo and Mike have a good relationship. But why did Mike have to start arguing with Leo in the first place? It doesn't make sense. I still think they are cool. I hope coming back and refuting this helps a bit.

[ProkofyNeva]

But Anu Shukla is right, too, to insist that users like these offers, and the percentage of actual scammed is not that great to stop the system, and that FB has put in rules.

I think what it's about is globalization, and who wins and what kind of figure wins, and obviously white guys in California are not going to win everything.

The remarks here are disgusting not conceding to this woman of colour the same culture that in fact these white guys in CA engage in -- swearing exactly like they do.

[ProkofyNeva]

In one sense, Arrington is right about the dubious ethic and right to challenge them, although he himself is hardly a journalist, but is sort of an elaborate extension of the tech biz itself, owning stock in the businesses he covers, and controlling the start-ups like a czar with a single word in his publication.

He may have a financial interest or class interest in attacking this form of advertising, we don't know. Ultimately, the culture of tackyness bothers him most of all, one senses.

[kittymcfizz]

Agreed that she's absolutely vile - but she knows her stuff! And to a bigger point, would she have been fired if she were a male CEO? I doubt it...

[dockdrumming]

What does it matter if she is male or female, if she was leading the company in an unethical way?

[CptKittycat]

@kittymcfizz she's been fired so that company can pretend to "start over with a clean slate"

[shanilka]

I can't stand the woman! Where did she learn manners? Oh, sorry, she never did! I agree with those that wonder how she got to a management role being such an unrespectful, unintelligent person. I'm happy she got fired, I'm sure she's a little bit less prepotent now

[evol1sg]

Anu Shukla is the physical embodiment of all that is wrong with this country.

[MultiplicityMe]

Amen.

[shutupshake]

Unlike most of our American CEO's, she was fired.

[bhendjol]

LOL.

Is that how A CEO supposed to speak?

[ObscuredMagazine]

She got Fired...

[alaska1232]

I am shocked that she can talk like a trucker driver... how did she ever get up to the management level for every company she ever worked for? Amazing.

[Foxstab]

Oh look, a politician-in-training doing the spinning!

Go home Shukla, you and every greedy capitalist pig that ruin the world in favor of a coin in their pocket.

Go home and wait, until the revolution, we come take you to the guillotine and send you to hell where you belong.

[ijustinsane]

she learned it from our American CEO's :(

[w14102]

Shukla's response is immature to say the least. I would never want someone swearing in response to someone courteously asking a question. If you dont see the question as very relevant you can say so but dont be so flippant about it. I would be very embarrassed if I worked for Shukla or she worked for me.

[arramkim]

very unprofessional, poor way to answer a question, the audience didn't help matters much either.

[Ranksta07]

And today, she's looking for a job. While it might be because of the vulgarity (that's just a testament to her professional IQ), it's also likely because of her idiotic disclosures of actual data points, however specious they were. Her counsel was probably aghast at the blatant disregard for discretion. Oh and then there's the obvious lies like "5 instances in the last 2 years". If I were Netflix, I'd be IRATE at the revelations pertaining to their marketing strategy and conversion rates. FAIL.

[missmercy87]

"5 instances in the last 2 years" was a bullshit calculation...Honestly, how does the founder and CEO of the company know EXACTLY how many parents were pissed off about their CC's being misused by their kids when asked on the spot without looking for facts on paper? She made that all up, plain and simple.

[innuit12]

....Shukula's response was shit, just another talking head trying to gloss over her companie's shady business practices. ( It reminded me of a phone call I had with a Vonage Rep a couple months ago.)

Keep up the good work Mike!

[tim78704]

Arrington is right, the offers asking users for their mobile phone number are scams to sneak a bogus subscription on to their phone. I worked for AT&T Wireless for 4 years, and the last couple I was there we were inundated with calls from angry customers who had no idea how they got subscribed to these $2.99 - $9.99 monthly subscriptions to worthless SMS content.

So Shukla is right, in that her company is fielding these complaint calls, the cellular phone companies are doing it for her.

[mymegamillion]

Anu Shukla's responses to Michael Arrington's legitimate questions were completely unprofessional and out of place. Shukla completely disgregarded any respect to answering Arrington's questions politely. Shame on Anu Shukla and OfferPal for creating yet another disgraceful eye sore on an industry that has taken quite a beating recently. I hope someone thinks twice before inviting her to participate on a panel again.

[loginsarelame]

Facebook is sh!t and this bitch is a liar. Facebook is a bad scam gone big. Hope it dies.

[wolandmargarita]

Basically, there is one fact that underlies all of this: internet marketing is largely unregulated. What Arrington says is true, however, it is -- as Shukla claims -- not even the majority of users. But then there is another fact: Shukla is not an eloquent speaker and clearly has no problem duping people and has convinced herself that she is justified.

[stevejbartz]

I'm just glad she is not CEO of a bigger company or of that is actually important.

[cbmills]

Check out the offers on Farmville, anyone who doesn't work for Zynga would call them sketchy (at best).

[peterhoneyman]

shukla's "shit, double shit, and bullshit" does not shed much light, nor does arrington's blunt accusation that shukla is unethical.  but let's get down to business: i want to see the michael arrington vs. anu shukla naked wrestling death match!