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Yemeksepeti CEO Nevzat Aydin YouTube/Startup Turkey

This boss sold his company for a fortune - then gave his staff over €200,000 each

Nevzat Aydin said he was setting a “bad example” for other employers.

IN THE CORPORATE generosity stakes, Turkish entrepreneur Nevzat Aydin just raised the bar a few notches.

The CEO of online food ordering service Yemeksepeti has handed his employees bonuses worth $27 million (€24.6 million) after selling his company for a huge sum to a German rival.

In May, four-year-old food delivery startup Delivery Hero took over the Turkish outfit for $589 million (€537 million at today’s rates) – the biggest deal to date in the sector.

This week Aydin told the Hurriyet newspaper he was setting a “bad example” for other bosses by sharing some of the windfall with 114 of the company’s workers – an average of about $237,000 (€216,000) apiece.

“We did this because if there is a success, we have accomplished it altogether,” he said.

Some employees cried, some screamed, some wrote letters of thanks … there were emotions, because you affect the lives of the people. People can buy homes, cars.”

Aydin2 Aydin and staff do the ice bucket challenge

It pays to wait

Yemeksepeti’s workers were generally paid between $1,000 and $2,000 per month, which meant the bonuses were worth several times their annual salaries.

It made the offer to all employees who had been with the company for over two years despite being under no obligation as part of its agreements.

Individual bonuses were decided based on their length of service and “future potential in the company”, Aydin told CNN Money.

The CEO will continue running Yemeksepeti and will also join the board of Delivery Hero. The German startup is the main European rival to UK-based Just Eat, which has a market value of over £3 billion (€4.3 billion) on the London Stock Exchange.

Aydin said if he had waited another year to sell the value of the deal would have been even higher.

“The $589 million paid is big, but what matters is to be able to reject offers of $300 million, $500 million, to wait for the right price,” he said.

You must know to say ‘no,’ you should not be afraid. The offer came up from $3 million to $589 million in 15 years.”

READ: An Uber for helicopters? It’s happening, thanks to U2′s former travel booker >

READ: Why Richard Branson isn’t a good role model for would-be startup founders >

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29 Comments
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    Mute Foxys van
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    Dec 27th 2013, 10:03 AM

    Why couldn’t she just fly over on her broom

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    Mute Fergal Reid
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    Dec 27th 2013, 10:05 AM

    Thatcher is an easy target for lazy commentary sometimes but that was brilliant!

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    Mute Common Chimpanzee
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    Dec 27th 2013, 10:10 AM

    As Christy puts it, “There were some great songs from that era”

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    Mute scaldbag
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    Dec 27th 2013, 10:14 AM

    They knew the value of money then, 20 years later on one minister spent 250’000 euro on up dating his Dail office

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    Mute Gary o Barry
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    Dec 27th 2013, 10:16 AM

    Thatcher would turn in her grave if she heard these jokes,
    No wait the lady’s not for turning.

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    Mute Common Chimpanzee
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    Dec 27th 2013, 10:16 AM

    That’s a lot of money to spend on a date… Hope this “office”/”woman” was worth it!!!

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    Mute Andrew Dagg
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    Dec 27th 2013, 10:46 AM

    For all you young people out there, the helicopter company was owned by Charlie Haughey’s son. So indirectly, the money was going to buy charvet shirts for that c@nt Charlie.
    At the same time he was telling us to tighten our belts.

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    Mute David Giles
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    Dec 27th 2013, 12:02 PM

    Andrew, you are of course correct. Charlie Haughey was in fact Taoiseach at the time so the Government ‘s chartering of helicopters from his son’s Irish Helicopters company was a clear conflict of interest. The civil servants were quite right and a little brave to question the cost.

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    Mute David Giles
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    Dec 27th 2013, 12:10 PM

    Andrew, we are wrong. Irish Helicopters was not owned by the Haugheys. Celtic Helicopters was the company founded by Charlie Haughey’s son Ciaran in 1985. It went into liquidation in 2012. Irish Helicopters is now owned by a UK company. Apologies all round.

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    Mute Andrew Dagg
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    Dec 27th 2013, 12:15 PM

    Mucho apologies..

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    Mute James Delaney
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    Dec 28th 2013, 8:19 AM

    Dont worry Andrew I’m sure many people jumped 2 the same conclusion inc. Myself. The ? Now is Who Owned Irish Helecopters. No details on Irish Historical Aviation Socieity site. You would swear d only aviation event in Ireland’s History occurred in Foynes. Is the Aviation Irish Historical Socieity Grant Aided by the State ? Is it located in Kinsealy ?

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    Mute Malachy Quinn
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    Dec 28th 2013, 12:11 PM

    It’s actually run by FF affiliated people including the Brennan’s of Galway, Kiely’s of Cloghrans & Kennedy’s of Wexford. Check out the IAA Board & senior positions.

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    Mute Paul Murphy
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    Jan 3rd 2014, 11:06 AM

    Charlies son Ciaran, owned Celtic Helicopters which at the time didn’t have machines with twin engines however Irish Helicopters which was partly owned by Aer Lingus did as they were involved in the support of the Kinsale gas field. The arguement about twin engine helos is still quite valid and our own Aer Corps only operate twin engime machines currently which ministers use with out thought of cost

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    Mute knowyourplace
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    Dec 27th 2013, 10:32 AM

    What a great woman, how she dealt with the slim fast terrorists was inspirational to all decent people.

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    Mute Foxys van
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    Dec 27th 2013, 10:39 AM

    This has to be Kenneth with a another new name

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    Mute Alan Scott
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    Dec 27th 2013, 10:59 AM

    Decent people hated her.

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    Mute knowyourplace
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    Dec 27th 2013, 11:23 AM

    Like who? Her reaction to the slim fast gang was excellent she is reported to have said if she had her way those evil terrorists would be even offered food to refuse

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    Mute Foxys van
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    Dec 27th 2013, 11:26 AM

    While the whole time turning a blind eye to the terror and erosion of civil rights of Catholics
    Yea classy lady

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    Mute Dwickedchicken
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    Dec 27th 2013, 1:09 PM

    You obviously don’t know your place.

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    Mute Alan Scott
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    Dec 27th 2013, 1:54 PM

    Were you a baby when this woman were in power ?

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    Mute James Delaney
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    Dec 28th 2013, 8:27 AM

    Yeah how she murdered British soldiers and navy personnel and people in Ireland and Argentina for her own self gratification. How she shown no compassion to her own people North of London. How she used her access to military and police resources to rob the hearts, self esteem and self respect, of her own citizens. No No No. NO COMPASSION, NO MERCY, NO WAY.

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    Mute Paul Murphy
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    Jan 3rd 2014, 11:11 AM

    The servicemen who fought will disagree with that point of view.

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    Mute Shawn Rahoon
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    Dec 27th 2013, 1:29 PM

    Ding Dong, the wicked witch is dead…. What a classic film :):):)

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    Mute Alan Scott
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    Dec 27th 2013, 10:46 AM

    Should have been given the use of a wheelbarrow or swim home

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    Mute Ian Mac Eochagáin
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    Dec 27th 2013, 11:27 AM

    She was probably horrified. She did, after all, pay for the ironing board in Downing Street herself.

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    Mute PaulM1878
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    Dec 27th 2013, 2:30 PM

    Didn’t Haughey’s Son own Irish Helicopters?

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    Mute Red Rooster
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    Dec 27th 2013, 3:18 PM

    Sean I think.

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    Mute Alan Scott
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    Dec 27th 2013, 3:50 PM

    Was it said at the time Haughey liked and got on well with her

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    Mute Red Rooster
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    Dec 27th 2013, 3:17 PM

    Wasn’t it Haughey’s son that owned Irish helicopters?

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    Mute Paul Murphy
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    Jan 3rd 2014, 11:09 AM

    Read the above.

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    Mute James Delaney
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    Dec 28th 2013, 8:43 AM

    What did Haughey say to Thatcher when he presented her with a silver teapot ?

    Ah go on, go on, go on !

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