DraftKings: Resolving Talent Crunch During Growth
Case
Teaching Notes
Abstract
The case follows DraftKings Inc (DraftKings), an online gaming and fantasy sports company headed by Jason Robins (CEO). To rapidly gain capital access, Robins got DraftKings listed on the stock exchange through the special purpose acquisition company (SPAC) route. As DraftKings was expanding, it needed to solve not only a financial crunch, but also a talent crunch. The company allied with the University of Nevada, Las Vegas, where engineering students were encouraged to develop gaming software in association with incubator cells established by DraftKings and the university. However, the online gaming industry, including DraftKings employees, suffered from workplace stress issues. DraftKings employees reported being woken up in the middle of the night to work on gaming projects. Such issues resulted in massive attrition, and engineers preferred to be freelancing consultants rather than work full-time. How could Robins handle the talent crunch problem? How could he ensure that employees can manage workplace stress?
This case study is provided in this Sage Business collection primarily as a basis for classroom discussion or self-study and is not meant to illustrate either effective or ineffective management styles. Nothing herein shall be deemed to be an endorsement of any kind. This case study is for scholarly, educational, or personal use only within your university, and cannot be forwarded outside the university or used for other commercial purposes.
© 2026 Sage Publications, Inc. All Rights Reserved.
Get a 30 day FREE TRIAL
-
Watch videos from a variety of sources bringing classroom topics to life -
Read modern, diverse business cases
-
Explore hundreds of books and reference titles
Read next
More like this
Sage Recommends
We found other relevant content for you on other Sage platforms.
Have you created a personal profile? Login or create a profile so that you can save clips, playlists and searches