Arianna Huffington
Born 1950 · Age 75
Greek–American author, syndicated columnist and businesswoman; co‑founder of The Huffington Post, founder & CEO of Thrive Global, author of 15 books and prominent media/wellness advocate.
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Life & Career Timeline
Birth in Athens, Greece
Born Ariadnē‑Anna Stassinopoúlou in Athens to Konstantinos and Elli Stasinopoulou.
Moved to the United Kingdom to study
Moved from Greece to the UK at age 16 to pursue further education (later attended Cambridge).
Appeared on BBC's Face the Music
Appeared in an edition of the BBC programme Face the Music alongside Bernard Levin; their relationship developed thereafter.
Elected President of the Cambridge Union
Became the first foreign-born and third female president of the prestigious Cambridge Union debating society.
Earned degree in economics from Cambridge
Completed studies (M.A. in Economics) at Girton College, University of Cambridge.
Published first major book, The Female Woman
Published The Female Woman, a critique of parts of the Women's Liberation movement.
Published After Reason
Published the book After Reason, continuing her early writing career (listed among her early works).
Moved to the United States (New York)
Relocated from the UK to New York to pursue writing and media work.
Co‑hosted BBC's Saturday Night at the Mill (short stint)
Appeared as co‑host with Bob Langley for five editions (March–April) before being dropped from the program.
Published Maria Callas biography
Published Maria Callas: The Woman Behind the Legend; later faced plagiarism claims settled out of court.
Plagiarism settlement over Maria Callas book
Settled plagiarism claims with Callas' biographer Gerald Fitzgerald out of court for a 'low five figures' amount.
Published The Gods of Greece
Published The Gods of Greece, exploring ancient myths and cultural roots.
Met Michael Huffington
Met Michael Huffington (future husband) while active in U.S. social/political circles.
Married Michael Huffington
Married Michael Huffington in April 1986; the couple later had two daughters.
Published Picasso: Creator and Destroyer
Published a biography of Pablo Picasso; later faced allegations of copying (reputedly settled or accused).
Daughter Isabella born
First daughter Isabella Huffington born (year given in sources as 1989).
Naturalized as a U.S. citizen
Became a naturalized American citizen.
Daughter Christina born
Second daughter Christina Huffington is born (sources list 1991).
Husband Michael elected to U.S. House
Michael Huffington wins a seat in the U.S. House of Representatives (Arianna supported and campaigned).
Prominence during husband's Senate campaign
Gained national U.S. prominence during Michael Huffington's high‑profile (but ultimately unsuccessful) 1994 U.S. Senate campaign.
Appeared as conservative counterpart on 1996 election coverage
Paired with Al Franken as the conservative 'half' of 'Strange Bedfellows' during Comedy Central's 1996 presidential election coverage.
Emmy nomination for Politically Incorrect writing
She and the show's writing team were nominated for a 1997 Emmy for Outstanding Writing for a Variety or Music Program.
Divorce from Michael Huffington finalized
Divorced Michael Huffington after marriage from 1986–1997.
Weekly radio show Left, Right & Center
Hosted a weekly radio show in Los Angeles 'Left, Right & Center' positioning herself against other commentators.
Published Greetings from the Lincoln Bedroom
Published a satire on Bill Clinton's presidency (book in bibliography, 1998).
Co‑convened 'Shadow Conventions' at national conventions
Co‑convened the Shadow Conventions that appeared alongside the Republican and Democratic national conventions.
Headed The Detroit Project (alternative fuels advocacy)
Led The Detroit Project, lobbying automakers to produce alternative‑fuel cars; produced controversial 2003 ads comparing SUV driving to funding terrorism.
Ran in California recall election (withdrew)
Entered the 2003 California gubernatorial recall race as an independent; withdrew Sept 30, 2003 to campaign against the recall; her name remained on the ballot.
Announced endorsement of John Kerry
Publicly endorsed Democrat John Kerry on The Daily Show (April 2004), signaling a shift left in public politics.
Initial fundraising for The Huffington Post
Huffington and Kenneth Lerer pledged to raise $2 million each for HuffPost and raised $2M within a week; later turned to venture capital (SoftBank Capital involvement noted).
Founded The Huffington Post (HuffPost)
Co‑founded The Huffington Post with Andrew Breitbart, Kenneth Lerer and Jonah Peretti; launched May 9, 2005 as a commentary/blog/news aggregation site.
Named to Time 100 (first appearance)
Named to Time magazine's list of the world's 100 most influential people (one of multiple appearances).
Collapsed from exhaustion, suffered facial injury
Collapsed at work, sustaining a facial injury and wake‑up call that prompted a renewed emphasis on sleep, well‑being and work‑life balance.
Published Right Is Wrong
Published Right Is Wrong: How the Lunatic Fringe Hijacked America, Shredded the Constitution, and Made Us All Less Safe (book, 2008).
Ranked No. 12 in Forbes 'Most Influential Women in Media'
Recognized by Forbes as No. 12 in its first-ever list of the Most Influential Women in Media (2009).
Published Third World America
Published Third World America: How Our Politicians Are Abandoning the Middle Class and Betraying the American Dream (2010).
Funded buses to Rally to Restore Sanity and/or Fear
Paid for 150 buses to ferry almost 10,000 people from New York (Citi Field) to Washington, D.C. for Jon Stewart's rally.
Appointed head of Huffington Post Media Group
After the AOL acquisition, made president and editor‑in‑chief of the enlarged media group (initially including AOL properties).
AOL acquired The Huffington Post for $315M
AOL purchased The Huffington Post for USD 315,000,000; Arianna Huffington became president and editor‑in‑chief of The Huffington Post Media Group.
Commencement speaker at Sarah Lawrence College
Delivered the commencement address at Sarah Lawrence College (May 13, 2011).
The Huffington Post won a Pulitzer Prize
HuffPost became the first commercially run U.S. digital media enterprise to win a Pulitzer Prize (national reporting, 2012).
Became a LinkedIn influencer
Joined LinkedIn's Influencer program, writing on success and professional insights.
Spoke as One Young World Counsellor in Johannesburg
Spoke to One Young World delegates in Johannesburg about her 'third metric' for success and youth leadership.
Spoke as One Young World Counsellor in Dublin
Spoke to One Young World delegates in Dublin about the third metric and value of youth leadership.
Published Thrive: The Third Metric (bestseller)
Published Thrive: The Third Metric to Redefining Success (2014); the book became an international bestseller and debuted at No. 1 on NYT list.
Ranked No. 52 on Forbes 'Most Powerful Women'
Appeared on Forbes' list as the 52nd Most Powerful Woman in the World (2014).
Ownership of HuffPost shifted as AOL changed hands (Verizon/AOL deal era)
AOL was acquired by Verizon in 2015, a corporate shift that ultimately affected HuffPost ownership and corporate structure (later sale to BuzzFeed in 2020).
Named to Oprah Winfrey's SuperSoul100 List
Included in Oprah Winfrey's SuperSoul100 list of visionaries and influential leaders (2016).
Honorary degree & commencement address at Colby College
Gave Colby College commencement address and received an honorary degree (May 22, 2016).
Stepped down from The Huffington Post to found Thrive Global
Resigned as editor/chief and president to focus on a new start-up, Thrive Global, a behavior‑change technology company focused on reducing burnout.
Launched Thrive Global (public launch)
Thrive Global publicly launched (company and platform focused on evidence‑based solutions to stress and burnout).
Launched Thrive Global podcast with iHeartRadio
Thrive Global launched a podcast in collaboration with iHeartRadio featuring Huffington as host (2017).
Forbes ranking updated (No. 77)
Forbes listed her as No. 77 in its Most Powerful Women ranking (2018); she fell off the list by 2019.
Stepped down from Uber board
Left Uber's board of directors (served previously; departure reported July 2019 to focus on Thrive Global growth).
Thrive Global launched Meditative Story podcast
In August 2019 Thrive Global launched the Meditative Story podcast in partnership with WaitWhat (June Cohen & Deron Triff), blending storytelling and meditation.
BuzzFeed acquisition of HuffPost (reported)
HuffPost was sold to BuzzFeed in 2020 following corporate ownership changes (AOL → Verizon → Oath era).
Thrive Global fundraise reported ($80M at $700M valuation)
Reports indicate Thrive Global raised about $80 million at a valuation near $700 million (2021 funding/valuation reports).
Named to Forbes 50 Over 50 inaugural list
Selected for Forbes' inaugural 50 Over 50 list recognizing leaders over age 50 (2021).
Thrive Global reported valuation & company growth
Multiple sources reported Thrive Global's valuation over $700M and rapid international expansion (offices in multiple countries by 2021).
Continued board service and influence
Continues to serve or have served on boards including Onex, Global Citizen and (previously) Uber; sustained public influence and speaking engagements.
Estimated net worth reported by multiple outlets (~$100M)
Multiple recent biographies and media profiles estimate her net worth in the neighborhood of USD 50–150M, commonly cited as approx. $100M as of the early‑to‑mid 2020s.
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