TechCrunch

TechCrunch is an American online newspaper focusing on high tech and startup companies. It was founded in June 2005 by partners of Archimedes Ventures, Michael Arrington and Keith Teare, and was acquired in 2010 by AOL for $25 million. TechCrunch is also best known for its Disrupt conferences, an annual technology event hosted in several cities across United States, Europe, and China.

TechCrunch
Type of site
Technology news and analysis
Available inEnglish
Chinese
French
Japanese
HeadquartersBay Area, United States
OwnerAOL (2010–2017)
Oath (2017–2019)
Verizon Media (2019–present)
Created byMichael Arrington, Keith Teare
EditorMatthew Panzarino[1]
URLtechcrunch.com
CommercialYes
RegistrationNone
LaunchedJune 10, 2005 (2005-06-10)[2]
Current statusActive

History

TechCrunch was founded in June 2005 by Archimedes Ventures, led by partners Michael Arrington and Keith Teare.[3] In 2010, AOL acquired the company for approximately $25 million.[4][3] Since the acquisition of AOL and Yahoo by Verizon, the site has been owned by Verizon Media.

TechCrunch is available in English, Chinese (managed by Chinese tech news company, TechNode),[5][6] and Japanese.[7]

TechCrunch France was folded into the main TechCrunch.com site in October 2012.[8]

In August 2020, COO of TechCrunch, Ned Desmond, stepped down after 8 years in the company. He announced that he would join venture capital firm, SOSV in December 2020 as senior operating partner.[9][10] His former role at TechCrunch has been replaced by Matthew Panzarino,[11] former editor-in-chief, and Joey Hinson, director of business operations.[12][13]

Events

TechCrunch Disrupt

TechCrunch hosts an annual tech conference, TechCrunch Disrupt, in several cities in the United States and Europe.

In 2014, TechCrunch Disrupt was featured in an arc of the HBO series Silicon Valley.[14] The characters' startup "Pied Piper" participates on a startup battle at TechCrunch Disrupt.[14]

Startup Battlefield

Startup Battlefield is a startup competition. Monetary awards are presented at the TechCrunch Disrupt conferences. Notable startups that have been involved in the competition include DropBox,[15][16] Intuit Mint, Yammer, and CrateDB.[17][18][19]

Former features

Crunchbase

From 2007 to 2015, TechCrunch operated Crunchbase, a website and online encyclopedia of information on startups, key people, funds, funding rounds, and events. In 2015, Crunchbase spun out of TechCrunch to become a private entity, and is no longer a part of TechCrunch.[20][21]

Crunchies

From 2007 to 2017, TechCrunch sponsored the annual Crunchies award ceremony to award startups, internet and technology innovations.[22] The ceremonies were compared to those of the Academy Awards. At the first award ceremony in 2007, Facebook won the award for best startup. Due to controversy surrounding the awards, TechCrunch announced in 2017 it would end the Crunchies.[23][24]

Controversies

The company was criticized for allowing developers to present the Titstare application, created by participants in a hackathon at TechCrunch Disrupt 2013. The application allows users to "stare at tits".[25][26][27]

In 2011, the site's editors and writers were criticized for possible ethics violations. These included claims that Arrington's investments in certain firms which the site had covered created a conflict of interest.[28] The controversy that ensued eventually led to Arrington's departure, and other writers, including Paul Carr and Sarah Lacy, followed suit.[29][30]

References
  1. "Matthew Panzarino". TechCrunch.
  2. "TechCrunch.com WHOIS, DNS, & Domain Info – DomainTools". WHOIS. Retrieved August 23, 2016.
  3. Arrington, Michael (February 18, 2018). "The Real History of TechCrunch" – via WordPress.
  4. Sweney, Mark (September 29, 2010). "AOL buys TechCrunch". The Guardian.
  5. Desmond, Ned. "TechCrunch Returns To China, For Keeps, COO of TechCrunch and CrunchBase and General Manager of AOL Tech".
  6. "We Catch Up With Our TechCrunch China Partner, TechNode, At Disrupt [TCTV]". TechCrunch. Retrieved December 20, 2020.
  7. Yutaira, Iwamoto (November 16, 2012). "TechCrunch Tokyo 2012". CNET.
  8. Butcher, Mike (October 31, 2012). "TechCrunch France Integrates With TechCrunch.com". TechCrunch.
  9. "The venture firm SOSV has hired former TechCrunch COO Ned Desmond to help grow its startups". TechCrunch. Retrieved December 20, 2020.
  10. Tan, Wilfred (July 21, 2020). "COO of popular tech news site, TechCrunch, is stepping down". News Asia Today. Retrieved December 20, 2020.
  11. "Author: Matthew Panzarino". TechCrunch. Retrieved December 20, 2020.
  12. "Author: Joey Hinson". TechCrunch. Retrieved December 20, 2020.
  13. "TechCrunch's COO, Ned Desmond, steps down". Startup News, Networking, and Resources Hub | BEAMSTART. Retrieved December 20, 2020.
  14. Smith IV, Jack (June 2, 2014). "'Silicon Valley' Fact Check: HBO Nails TechCrunch Disrupt All the Way Down to the Nametags". The New York Observer.
  15. "Dropbox: The Online Storage Solution We've Been Waiting For?". TechCrunch. March 11, 2008.
  16. Dropbox launches on the TechCrunch stage in 2008. TechCrunch. May 23, 2018 – via YouTube.
  17. Baker, Dylan (October 22, 2014). "UK Tech: Crate dominates Battlefield to take £30,000 prize".
  18. "TechCrunch Disrupt Europe 2014 Announces Startup Battlefield Finalists" (Press release). Business Wire. October 20, 2014.
  19. "Startup Battlefield: Techcrunch's Premiere Startup Competition". TechCrunch.
  20. Lunden, Ingrid (September 22, 2015). "AOL/Verizon Completes Spinout Of CrunchBase Funded By Emergence Capital". TechCrunch.
  21. Hockenson, Lauren (September 22, 2015). "Crunchbase leaves AOL with funding by Emergence Capital". The Next Web.
  22. "Crunchies". TechCrunch.
  23. Stangel, Luke (November 9, 2017). "The Crunchies, where Silicon Valley went to be celebrated and skewered, is ending". American City Business Journals.
  24. Tiku, Nitasha (February 9, 2015). "Sexism and consequences at TechCrunch's annual award show". The Verge.
  25. Gray, Amy (September 8, 2013). "'Titstare' app at Techcrunch: women in tech deserve better". The Guardian.
  26. Grubb, Ben (September 9, 2013). "TechCrunch forced to apologise over Sydney duo's 'Titstare' app". The Sydney Morning Herald.
  27. Marcotte, Amanda (September 9, 2013). "Titstare app at TechCrunch Disrupt: What would a tech conference be without the sexism?". Slate.
  28. Carr, David (September 5, 2011). "Michael Arrington's Audacious Adventure". The New York Times.
  29. Swisher, Kara (January 16, 2012). "Sarah Lacy Debuts New Tech Site, PandoDaily — $2M+ in Funding and Guess Who's Working for Her?". All Things Digital.
  30. Ha, Anthony (September 16, 2011). "TechCruncher Quits, Slams New Editor—On TechCrunch". Adweek.
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