Zynga's Van Natta Leaving Business Officer Position

Former MySpace CEO and current Zynga chief business officer Owen Van Natta will be stepping down from his position, giving up millions of shares in the pre-IPO company in the process. Van Natta, who joined Zynga last summer will remain with the company as a board member and strategic adviser for the company. "Owen is a valuable business partner. He's made great contributions to Zynga and continues to be an important part of our team," Zynga CEO Mark Pincus told AllThingsD, confirming a move announced in a subsequent SEC filing. AllThingsD cites unnamed sources in saying Van Natta's change in position has nothing to do with recent charges that Zynga has been demanding shares back from employees ahead of its long-planned IPO. Van Natta will retain a large number of his vested shares in the company, which were worth $42 million last year, and will receive further shares as a board member. Zynga also announced that venture funder Brad Feld will be leaving the board, to be replaced by investor Sunil Paul.