How much money would you skip to not work at Zynga? One developer explains his tough decision.

Shay Pierce was a developer at OMGPOP, creator of the immensely popular Draw Something, and was faced with a dilemma. Now that Zynga had acquired his company, should he join the mothership or stay behind?

It was Tuesday night. News of the acquisition had been relayed to me only hours before. On Monday I’d worked a perfectly normal workday, with only the slightest rumor that something big might be happening. Fast-forward to 11 p.m. Tuesday: an Omgpop representative was telling me over the phone, “The boat is leaving, and you need to decide whether or not you’re getting on board.” Zynga had sent standard job offers to all of the current Omgpop employees earlier that day, for them to continue their employment under the new regime… and I was the one who hadn’t already signed.

For Pierce, the decision was complicated by his own existence as an independent developer. Zynga couldn’t guarantee his ability continue making games like Connectrode, a well-reviewed personal project, or protect his rights to one the things he had made. Faced with an uncertain future, Pierce had to make a decision. Read on to find out what he decided.

[via Gamasutra]