Michael Arrington
Encyclopedia
J. Michael Arrington is the founder and former co-editor of TechCrunch
, a blog covering the Silicon Valley
technology start-up communities and the wider technology field in USA and elsewhere. Magazines such as Wired
and Forbes
have named Arrington one of the most powerful people on the Internet.
In 2008, he was selected by TIME Magazine as one of the most influential people in the world. Wired magazine also included him in a flowchart of "internet blowhards" citing his obsession with "Web 2.0
".
and Surrey
, England
, attended the University of California, Berkeley
and graduated from Claremont McKenna College
with a major in economics
. He went on to Stanford Law School
and graduated in 1995. He practiced corporate and securities law at O’Melveny & Myers, and Wilson Sonsini Goodrich & Rosati
.
Arrington left the practice of law to join Real Names, which failed after raising $100M. Arrington was co-founder of Achex, an internet payments company, which was sold to First Data Corp for US$
32 million and is now the back end of Western Union
online. "I made enough to buy a Porsche. Not much more," he says.
His other entrepreneurial endeavors include co-founding Zip.ca
and Pool.com, acting as chief operating officer for Razorgator, and founding Edgeio. He was also more recently on the board of directors for the startup Foldera
which was designing a software as a service
organizational tool.
. TechCrunch covers internet startups and news. In early September of 2011 Arrington was reported to be no longer employed by TechCrunch but associated with a new investment company, AOL Ventures. Within days, it was being reported that he was no longer associated with AOL Ventures.
, Carol Bartz
. Arrington started the interview by asking Bartz, "So how the fuck are you?" To which she responded, "Is that appropriate?". Later in the interview, Bartz became perturbed with Arrington's criticism of the Yahoo! business model of conglomeration rather than single revenue source producers. Bartz then responded to Arrington saying, "you are involved in a very tiny company" and ended the exchange by telling him to "fuck off." Bartz received some support from bloggers for her response, including Guy Kawasaki
who stated, "I respect Carol Bartz even more now."
TechCrunch
TechCrunch is a web publication that offers technology news and analysis, as well as profiling of startup companies, products, and websites. It was founded by Michael Arrington in 2005, and was first published on June 11, 2005....
, a blog covering the Silicon Valley
Silicon Valley
Silicon Valley is a term which refers to the southern part of the San Francisco Bay Area in Northern California in the United States. The region is home to many of the world's largest technology corporations...
technology start-up communities and the wider technology field in USA and elsewhere. Magazines such as Wired
Wired (magazine)
Wired is a full-color monthly American magazine and on-line periodical, published since January 1993, that reports on how new and developing technology affects culture, the economy, and politics...
and Forbes
Forbes
Forbes is an American publishing and media company. Its flagship publication, the Forbes magazine, is published biweekly. Its primary competitors in the national business magazine category are Fortune, which is also published biweekly, and Business Week...
have named Arrington one of the most powerful people on the Internet.
In 2008, he was selected by TIME Magazine as one of the most influential people in the world. Wired magazine also included him in a flowchart of "internet blowhards" citing his obsession with "Web 2.0
Web 2.0
The term Web 2.0 is associated with web applications that facilitate participatory information sharing, interoperability, user-centered design, and collaboration on the World Wide Web...
".
Biography
Arrington grew up in Huntington Beach, CaliforniaCalifornia
California is a state located on the West Coast of the United States. It is by far the most populous U.S. state, and the third-largest by land area...
and Surrey
Surrey
Surrey is a county in the South East of England and is one of the Home Counties. The county borders Greater London, Kent, East Sussex, West Sussex, Hampshire and Berkshire. The historic county town is Guildford. Surrey County Council sits at Kingston upon Thames, although this has been part of...
, England
England
England is a country that is part of the United Kingdom. It shares land borders with Scotland to the north and Wales to the west; the Irish Sea is to the north west, the Celtic Sea to the south west, with the North Sea to the east and the English Channel to the south separating it from continental...
, attended the University of California, Berkeley
University of California, Berkeley
The University of California, Berkeley , is a teaching and research university established in 1868 and located in Berkeley, California, USA...
and graduated from Claremont McKenna College
Claremont McKenna College
Claremont McKenna College is a private, coeducational liberal arts college and a member of the Claremont Colleges located in Claremont, California. The campus is located east of Downtown Los Angeles...
with a major in economics
Economics
Economics is the social science that analyzes the production, distribution, and consumption of goods and services. The term economics comes from the Ancient Greek from + , hence "rules of the house"...
. He went on to Stanford Law School
Stanford Law School
Stanford Law School is a graduate school at Stanford University located in the area known as the Silicon Valley, near Palo Alto, California in the United States. The Law School was established in 1893 when former President Benjamin Harrison joined the faculty as the first professor of law...
and graduated in 1995. He practiced corporate and securities law at O’Melveny & Myers, and Wilson Sonsini Goodrich & Rosati
Wilson Sonsini Goodrich & Rosati
Wilson Sonsini Goodrich & Rosati is a law firm in the United States that specializes in business, securities, and intellectual property law. The firm's Chairman, Larry Sonsini, is well known as an attorney and advisor to technology companies....
.
Arrington left the practice of law to join Real Names, which failed after raising $100M. Arrington was co-founder of Achex, an internet payments company, which was sold to First Data Corp for US$
United States dollar
The United States dollar , also referred to as the American dollar, is the official currency of the United States of America. It is divided into 100 smaller units called cents or pennies....
32 million and is now the back end of Western Union
Western Union
The Western Union Company is a financial services and communications company based in the United States. Its North American headquarters is in Englewood, Colorado. Up until 2006, Western Union was the best-known U.S...
online. "I made enough to buy a Porsche. Not much more," he says.
His other entrepreneurial endeavors include co-founding Zip.ca
Zip.ca
Zip.ca is an online DVD rental company operating in Canada. It has a database of over 82,000 unique titles.Zip.ca is a member of the privately held group of companies, and was owner of the Ottawa Rapidz baseball team until its first-season bankruptcy....
and Pool.com, acting as chief operating officer for Razorgator, and founding Edgeio. He was also more recently on the board of directors for the startup Foldera
Foldera
CeCors is an American public company-External links:* *...
which was designing a software as a service
Software as a Service
Software as a service , sometimes referred to as "on-demand software," is a software delivery model in which software and its associated data are hosted centrally and are typically accessed by users using a thin client, normally using a web browser over the Internet.SaaS has become a common...
organizational tool.
TechCrunch
Arrington rose to internet prominence with his Silicon Valley blog, TechCrunchTechCrunch
TechCrunch is a web publication that offers technology news and analysis, as well as profiling of startup companies, products, and websites. It was founded by Michael Arrington in 2005, and was first published on June 11, 2005....
. TechCrunch covers internet startups and news. In early September of 2011 Arrington was reported to be no longer employed by TechCrunch but associated with a new investment company, AOL Ventures. Within days, it was being reported that he was no longer associated with AOL Ventures.
Dropping out of college
Arrington has been known to advocate dropping out of college, stating at the 2010 UC-Berkeley Distinguished Innovator Lecture Series that “the best thing in the world is to go to Harvard for a year and drop out. Everyone knows you were smart enough to get in”.Interview with Carol Bartz, CEO of Yahoo!
In May 2010, Arrington was involved in a verbal confrontation with CEO of Yahoo!Yahoo!
Yahoo! Inc. is an American multinational internet corporation headquartered in Sunnyvale, California, United States. The company is perhaps best known for its web portal, search engine , Yahoo! Directory, Yahoo! Mail, Yahoo! News, Yahoo! Groups, Yahoo! Answers, advertising, online mapping ,...
, Carol Bartz
Carol Bartz
Carol Ann Bartz is an American business executive, the former president and CEO of the Internet services company Yahoo!, and former chairman, president, and CEO at architectural and engineering design software company Autodesk....
. Arrington started the interview by asking Bartz, "So how the fuck are you?" To which she responded, "Is that appropriate?". Later in the interview, Bartz became perturbed with Arrington's criticism of the Yahoo! business model of conglomeration rather than single revenue source producers. Bartz then responded to Arrington saying, "you are involved in a very tiny company" and ended the exchange by telling him to "fuck off." Bartz received some support from bloggers for her response, including Guy Kawasaki
Guy Kawasaki
Guy Kawasaki is a Silicon Valley venture capitalist, bestselling author, and Apple Fellow. He was one of the Apple employees originally responsible for marketing the Macintosh in 1984. He is currently a Managing Director of Garage Technology Ventures, and has been involved in the rumor reporting...
who stated, "I respect Carol Bartz even more now."
External links
- Michael Arrington Personal Weblog
- Profile at CrunchBase
- Index of Michael Arrington's writings on uFollow
- "TechCrunch Site Makes Arrington A Power Broker", Wall Street Journal, 2006-11-03
- "The makings of a media mogul: Michael Arrington", Elias Bizannes's blog, 2008-12-26