Michael Arrington
J. Michael Arrington (born March 13, 1970) is the American founder and former co-editor of TechCrunch, a blog covering the Silicon Valley technology start-up communities and the wider technology field in America and elsewhere. Magazines such as Wired and Forbes have named Arrington one of the most powerful people on the Internet.[2][3] In 2008, he was selected by TIME Magazine as one of the most influential people in the world.[4]
J. Michael Arrington
American
Blogger, entrepreneur
TechCrunch[edit]
Arrington rose to internet prominence with his Silicon Valley blog, TechCrunch. TechCrunch covers internet startups and news. In early September 2011, Arrington was reported to be no longer employed by TechCrunch but associated with a new investment company, AOL Ventures.[9] Within days, it was being reported that he was no longer associated with AOL Ventures.[10]
In October 2012, Arrington returned to writing for the Tech Crunch blog.[11]
CrunchFund[edit]
In 2011, Arrington founded a venture capital firm called CrunchFund along with M. G. Siegler and Patrick Gallagher. In 2014, CrunchFund invested in BlueFly, an online retailer, which was bought, in May 2013, by affiliates of Clearlake Capital for US$13 million.[12] As a result of CrunchFund's investment, former BlueFly CEO Melissa Payner returned to BlueFly.[13]
CrunchPad[edit]
In July 2008, Arrington started a project called the Crunchpad, over a year before the iPad was released. The Crunchpad was meant to be an affordable tablet computer that catered to a niche between desktop computers and laptops. However, disputes arose between Arrington and the developers he had chosen for the Crunchpad. The developers broke off from Arrington and released the device on their own but it received few sales,[14] and the developers later went bankrupt.[15]
Arrington XRP Capital[edit]
In November 2017, Michael Arrington announced he was starting a $100 million hedge fund. The fund would be denominated in the cryptocurrency XRP, also known as Ripple. It was reported to be the first fund denominated in a cryptocurrency, rather than US dollars or Euros at the time.[16] The fund has invested in more than 50 crypto startups.[17]