Andrew Mason launched a Saturday morning bagel delivery service at age 15 in Mount Lebanon, Pennsylvania. This early experience in local commerce preceded his development of Groupon, the deal-oriented platform that defined his public career, and his subsequent pivot toward machine learning applications within the audio and video software industries.
Formative Years and Education
Mason graduated from Mt. Lebanon High School in 1999. He later attended Northwestern University, where he earned a degree in music in 2003, and the Bienen School of Music. His early professional training included working at the Chicago-based Electrical Audio studio under the supervision of recording engineer Steve Albini. Before founding his own ventures, he was employed as a developer at InnerWorkings, a company established by Eric Lefkofsky.
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In 2006, Lefkofsky provided Mason with $1 million in seed funding to launch The Point, a social initiatives platform inspired by Malcolm Gladwell's book, The Tipping Point. The concept eventually evolved into Groupon, a website facilitating discounts for local businesses. By late 2010, the company reached an annual revenue of $800 million. During this period, Mason famously requested that his own salary be reduced to $756.72 annually, effective January 1, 2011. In December 2010, the company rejected a $6 billion acquisition offer from Google.
Departure and Subsequent Ventures
Mason was dismissed as CEO of Groupon on February 28, 2013, following a period of declining sales and missed performance targets. Following his departure, he released a motivational music album titled Hardly Workin’ in July 2013, produced by Don Gehman. In 2015, he launched Detour, an app providing unconventional audio tours for urban explorers. Bose acquired Detour in 2018 for its augmented reality division. Currently, Mason serves as the founder and CEO of Descript, a company specializing in machine learning-based media editing tools.
Fast facts
- Born: 1981, Mt. Lebanon
- Education: Northwestern University, Bienen School of Music
- Early Venture: Bagel Express
- Company Founded: Groupon
- Music Album: Hardly Workin’
- App Venture: Detour
- Current Occupation: CEO, Descript
- Spouse: Jenny Gillespie
Questions readers ask
Why was Andrew Mason dismissed from Groupon?
He was fired on February 28, 2013, following a series of quarters where the company failed to meet internal and analyst performance expectations.
What is the focus of Mason's company, Descript?
Descript is an audio and video editing platform powered by machine learning.
Achievements
- Educated at Bienen School of Music and Northwestern University
