TechCrunch Founder Michael Arrington Launches A New Blog, Uncrunched
TechCrunch founder Michael Arrington, who recently left the company he founded over six years ago, is back in action. Or at least, he has proven that he still knows how to set up a WordPress blog.
Context & Ripple Effects
Michael Arrington's influence had long been tied to TechCrunch; earlier coverage described his ability to generate attention and revenue around the site. In September 2011, he left TechCrunch and AOL while preparing a new venture fund.
Uncrunched gives Arrington a separate publishing outlet alongside that transition, preserving a direct channel to the startup audience without returning him to the TechCrunch editorial role.
First-order effects
- Arrington gains an independent WordPress-based outlet as he shifts toward his newly formed venture fund.
- TechCrunch continues without its founder as an editor, while Arrington's commentary is published under a distinct brand.
Second-order effects
- The combination of a venture fund and a personal publishing outlet makes the separation between Arrington's investing activity and his editorial voice more consequential for readers and startups seeking coverage.
- TechCrunch must compete for attention with a founder-led outlet that can draw on Arrington's established audience and name recognition.
Third-order effects
- The launch illustrates how prominent technology-media founders can retain a standalone distribution channel after leaving the publication they built, shifting influence from institutional mastheads toward individual brands.
The trend: Technology-media influence is becoming more portable as founders and writers carry audiences into independent outlets alongside new business roles.