Mark Pincus, the billionaire Zynga founder and early Facebook and Twitter investor, is embroiled in what could be a wildly expensive Silicon Valley divorce.
His beautiful wife, Alison Gelb Pincus, the co-founder of One Kings Lane, which sold to Bed Bath & Beyond for $30 million last year, has filed for divorce in San Francisco, citing “irreconcilable differences,” and is asking the court to nullify their prenup.
The tech power couple has been married for nearly nine years and has three young children. Mark founded Zynga in 2007, a year before they married in 2008. Within four years, Zynga grew to a $1 billion company. He is now worth $1.28 billion.
A source close to the couple said, “They separated this month and divorce paperwork was filed a few weeks ago. They are seeking joint custody of their three children, twin girls and a boy.” They lived in the ultra-exclusive Pacific Heights neighborhood, home to Silicon Valley’s elite.
The divorce paperwork also reveals that Alison, 42, plans to challenge the prenup, given that his net worth skyrocketed during their marriage. Another source adds that Mark, 51, was already wealthy going into their union. Despite this, the papers filed with San Francisco County Superior Court reveal he isn’t willing to pay her attorney fees.
Another source added, “Mark is incredibly difficult, he’s super tough and in Mark’s world, everything revolves around him. This isn’t about money, they both have enough, and nobody else is involved.”
A 2013 profile of Mark cited his “fearsome” management style and “control freak” personality, while one analyst described him as having “a reputation that he is driven to the point of a madman.” At Zynga, he served as CEO until June 2013, then returned as CEO in April 2015 and then stepped down as CEO in 2016.
His estranged wife Ali is involved with hellomazel.com and on the board of San Francisco’s Contemporary Jewish Museum.
Reps for Mark and Alison declined to comment on Thursday night.