Now THAT is how you keep your employees happy. Take notes Corporate America. Take serious notes.

This is why I like notch he makes it a point to go against the grain when it comes to greed and corruption in the game industry. From all his actions I read about in the media like challenging Bethesda to a quake match instead of going to court, teasing Bleszinski about a gray gears of war 3 and on numerous occasions he tries to be the top bidder on humble bundle. He seem like a really good guy who just wants to have fun, make/play games and share the wealth.

free-market capitalism with a personal sense of social responsibility... wish more top dogs were like Notch. The world would be a much better place.

May Notch inspire more business owners in our industry and inspire more creative individuals to run their business. Too many MBA types run sweatshops in the hopes of cashing in quickly by selling their "baby" to the first big publisher who comes-a-knocking.

Wow.
This man is an inspiration.

...and the Legend of Notch continues to grow. At least i know where my money's going when i decide to support Mojang. Sending good vibes over there for continued success!

It's never easy to go against the current on a first post, but I thought this would make for an interesting, polite discussion.

I'm not fully aware of Mojang's policies for employment or it's financial structure, so if anyone has more information on that matter it would be welcome. However, I can't help having mixed feelings about this news. I can see how honorable this gesture is if I take on the role of a gaming industry worker, but as a financial analyst, I can't say I completely approve.

Now,my goal here is not to start a debate on capitalism or on to give a lecture on the theory of signals in dividend redistribution, but if I go back to Finance 101 on the redistribution of excess revenue you either:

A) reinvest in future projects that have a decent expected return towards risk

B) give it back to your investors so they can invest it as they please if you do not have any decent projects

I doubt Mojang's is ruining out of ideas, or that the company is fueled by simple growth, but wouldn't it be better for the future of the company, and so the future of the employees' job, to reinvest this $3 millions towards stabilization?

Of course, we can't say that employees are investors in this situation, but let's say that instead of giving the money directly to the employees, you invest it in your employee benefit and compensation program. It directly benefits the workforce, but also gives them an incentive to stay with the company, rather then cashing in the big check and leave for another job. If you stretch it a bit, it does sound like a "teach a man how to fish" situation.

I'm no expert in term of HR policies and remunerations, nor am I acknowledge in the fiscal policies of Sweden so I can't make any assumptions on their impact on such a decision. Again, I'm not condemning the gesture, I am only stating that it does send mixed signals in a financial point of view, and if the main goal was toward redistribution of wealth, I'm not sure it is the wisest decision on the long run.

I like the way this man treats his employees. This makes me want to buy Mojang games knowing it will be money will spent (and distributed).

Corporate role model. Reward those who have passion to make great games.

Amend the Constitution. Notch for Prez 2012.

Its nice to see there are still successful people, who understand the impact the people around them have. After this i bet he gets a mass flood of resume's from people trying to get a job there. lol

What reason would Notch have NOT to be a nice guy? Trust me, I'd be extremely generous too if I made millions practically overnight off of an unfinished game as well!

Hire me!

I love how you guys are trying to call out corporate leaders with this example. First of all if some big company gets rich making a game or something does that mean you all of a sudden have less money? No the industry gets more jobs and you get more games. Second the two are uncomparable:Corporations have thousands of employees, trying to distribute a CEOS dividends would end up with like 100 bucks per person in their company? Sounds like money well spentNotch has like 6 friends for employees who he hangs out with in his one room office everyday. All small businesses I have worked for give much more bonuses etc than bigger companies, its just how it works.

Well if he treats his people like this he also creates a value around his name and company. A lot of people (in thread too) said: hire me!. If you want to work for him, he will gather top talent.

For years companies have gathered top talent because they made cool games, something that has started to die out as we grow closer to the movie industry model (assemble team per project). A lot of cool places have started to look like factories and jobs in companies not always running to meet an impossible deadline are scarce. Coupled with the fact that you may be screwed over by the publishers, instead of a bonus you get the boot and huge padded games that seem to be milking a franchise, the game industry doesn't look like a fun place to work anymore.

More and more people stop and read a few articles before taking the leap and fear they will never make it. Gone are the days of team members getting slices of the pie, so you have to either go indie or settle. Enter Notch, hi guys, I'm so cool I even gave 3mil away no sweat, want to come work for me now? Suddenly there is a place that looks like Utopia: focused games, less overhead, less rush, more money, casual atmosphere and you get something that existed maybe 10-12 years ago.

I can see this as an investment in the company's image, his own (they seem indistinguishable sometimes), the attractiveness to top talent and team moral.

When you see Bobby, from Acti-Lizzard, buying and selling stock overnight, making millions and then shutting down acquisitions (smaller studios) that don't make flagship-mothership franchises, you can easily see who you would pick to work with. Compared to the majority of greedy scum CEOs, Notch is GOD.