From the Editor

Last Updated Mar 10, 2026, 1:01am EDT

  • Mark Pincus cofounded Zynga, an online social game maker known for Words With Friends, Mafia Wars and FarmVille.
  • A serial entrepreneur who made early investments in Facebook and Twitter, Pincus launched several successful businesses before creating Zynga in 2007.
  • Pincus served as CEO of Zynga for seven years. The company, which went public in 2011, was acquired by gaming company Take-Two Interactive in 2022 for $12.7 billion.
  • In 2018 he founded investment firm Reinvent Capital, which has put money into SpaceX, health insurance firm Oscar and rideshare firm Lyft.
  • He has launched three SPACs, including one that took electric air taxi firm Joby Aviation public and one that took insurance firm Hippo Technologies public.
Wealth History
HOVER TO REVEAL NET WORTH BY YEAR

Forbes Lists

list appearances

15

Personal Stats

Age
60
Source of Wealth
Online games, Self Made
Residence
San Francisco, California
Citizenship
United States
Marital Status
Divorced
Children
3
Education
Bachelor of Arts/Science, University of Pennsylvania; Master of Business Administration, Harvard University
Did you know
Zynga is named after Pincus' late dog, Zinga, an American Bulldog. The company's red and white logo is a rendering of the bulldog.
Related People & Companies
Eduardo Saverin
Eduardo Saverin
Related by financial asset: Meta Platforms
View Profile
Mark Zuckerberg
Mark Zuckerberg
Related by financial asset: Meta Platforms
View Profile
Meta Platforms
Meta Platforms
Holds stake in Facebook
View Profile
Take-Two Interactive Software
Take-Two Interactive Software
Holds stake in Take-Two Interactive Software
View Profile

More on Forbes

Jul 25, 2013

Zynga's Shares Crushed As Mark Pincus Folds His Online Gambling Bluff

Mark Pincus (Image credit: Getty Images via @daylife) Zynga, the troubled social gaming company, admitted on Thursday that the company had no future in online gambling and would abandon its effort to get a gambling license in the U.S. That Mark Pincus, Zynga’s founder and chairman, had been loudly bluffing about Zynga’s [...]
Jun 3, 2013

Zynga's Shares Get Crushed As Mark Pincus Tries Another Reboot

Mark Pincus (Photo credit: Joi) Mark Pincus’ effort to save Zynga was jolted on Monday after the social gaming company revised its projected financials lower amid a corporate restructuring that did not inspire confidence on Wall Street. Shares of Zynga tumbled by 12% to $2.99 once investors realized the company expected to [...]
Oct 24, 2012

Mark Pincus On Why Zynga Stumbled - Earnings Call

Zynga didn't execute on its recent new games and it underestimated the speed of mobile adoption, which led to its current problems, Zynga CEO Mark Pincus said in a conference call with analysts following its earnings release Wednesday.
Dec 21, 2011

Mark Pincus Sells One of Two Homes in San Francisco

  Image by Joi via Flickr Marc Pincus is on the move. The internet super-entreprenuer recently had not one, but two high-priced homes on the market in San Francisco. Recently, Forbes reported on the $8,900,000 mansion Pincus and his wife heaved onto the market in the Presidio Heights neighborhood. To much less fanfare, the Pincus' quietly [...]