Usually ousted CEOs try to disappear from public view after they’ve left their jobs, but former Groupon CEO Andrew Mason is raising eyebrows for his attempt to break into music.
Mason recently released a seven-track album titled Hardly Workin,’ which he claims was inspired by his life in the business world. The New York Times reports that Mason is looking to become a motivational singer... for executives.
“This album pulls some of the most important learnings from my years at the helm of one of the fastest growing businesses in history, and packages them as music,” Mason wrote on his blog. “Executives, mid-level management, and front-line employees are all sure to find valuable takeaways. I've probably listened to the album over a dozen times now, and with each spin I feel like I learn something.”
Mason was fired by Groupon in February and began working on the album in Los Angeles in May. He’s also tried his hand at another online startup called Y Combinator.
Mason tries to cover a wide range of genres on Hardly Workin’, country and blues to pop. “If you’re seeking business wisdom, you don’t need no M.B.A.,” Mason sings in “Look No Further.” “Look no further than the beauty that surrounds us every day.”
He has a ways to go though if he wants to be taken seriously. One iTunes reviewer wrote, “Andrew Mason is famous for being a prankster. And I'm pretty sure no self-respecting man would put out this kind of music seriously.” A review byFortune called it “bland, saccharine and a prime example of ‘just because you have the means to do something does not mean you should do it.’”
Sounds like he should stick with the tech industry.
image: iTunes