Michael Arrington
Born 1970 · Age 55
American entrepreneur, founder and former co-editor of TechCrunch; later founder/partner at CrunchFund and Arrington XRP Capital; influential tech blogger and crypto investor.
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Life & Career Timeline
Born in Orange / Huntington Beach, California
Jack Michael Arrington born in Orange (listed as Huntington Beach in some sources), California.
Began college as a freshman at UC Berkeley (approx.)
Attended University of California, Berkeley for freshman year (exact year not specified in sources; estimated from birth year and typical U.S. college timeline).
Graduated Claremont McKenna College (BA Economics, approx.)
Graduated from Claremont McKenna College with a major in economics; exact graduation year not stated in source and estimated from typical timeline.
Graduated Stanford Law School (J.D.)
Completed his law degree at Stanford Law School (explicitly stated).
Began practicing corporate and securities law
Worked as a corporate and securities lawyer at O'Melveny & Myers and Wilson Sonsini Goodrich & Rosati after law school.
Co-founded Achex (internet payments company)
Co-founder of Achex, an online payments company (dates given in some sources as 1999–2001).
Left law to join RealNames (approx.)
Departed legal practice to join RealNames; RealNames later failed after raising $100 million (dates not precisely given in source; join date estimated around 2000).
Co-founded / launched Pool.com (approx.)
Listed as a co-founder of Pool.com in biographical summaries; specific year not given in provided text (date estimated).
Achex sold to First Data Corp for US$32M
Achex acquired by First Data Corporation for US$32 million; Arrington later said proceeds for him personally were modest ('I made enough to buy a Porsche').
Served as Chief Operating Officer at Razorgator (approx.)
Acted as COO for Razorgator according to biography; precise dates not provided (estimate).
Co-founded Zip.ca (approx.)
Credited as co-founder of Zip.ca in biographical summaries; exact founding year not provided in sources (estimate).
Founded Edgeio (approx.)
Founded Edgeio, an entrepreneurial endeavor referenced in biographies; exact year not specified in provided text (estimated).
Became Editor / Co-editor of TechCrunch
Served as founder and editor (co-editor) of TechCrunch from its launch, the role that defined much of his public profile through the late 2000s and into early 2010s.
Founded TechCrunch
Launched TechCrunch, a blog covering Silicon Valley startups and the broader technology field; this is the event that brought Arrington to prominence.
Recognized by Wired and Forbes as a powerful Internet figure
Magazines such as Wired and Forbes named Arrington one of the most powerful people on the Internet (mid/late 2000s recognitions cited in bios).
Joined Foldera board of directors (public beta launch coverage)
Served on the board of the startup Foldera; TechCrunch covered Foldera's public beta in June 2007.
Publicly stated libertarian political view
Identified publicly as a libertarian and quoted regarding his views on government's role; included in biographical coverage (quote cited in sourced articles).
Featured profile in Wired magazine
Wired published a major profile on Arrington describing his influence and ability to generate buzz and cash.
Named one of TIME's 100 Most Influential People
TIME Magazine included Michael Arrington in its 'TIME 100' list of the world's most influential people (2008).
Launched CrunchPad project
Started the CrunchPad tablet project (July 2008) — an early attempt to create an affordable tablet (pre-dating the iPad launch).
TechCrunch sold to AOL (approx.)
TechCrunch was acquired by AOL (commonly reported in tech press as a 2010 exit); multiple sources in biography text reference an exit to AOL — year is included here with moderate confidence.
JooJoo (derived from CrunchPad project) records only ~90 pre-orders
Fusion Garage's JooJoo (the device produced after the CrunchPad split) had only about 90 pre-orders before shipping; highlights CrunchPad project's difficulties.
Founded CrunchFund (venture capital firm)
Founded CrunchFund with M. G. Siegler and Patrick Gallagher to invest in startups.
TechCrunch departure reported (editorial leadership change)
Arrington's employment and editorial role at TechCrunch was reported to have ended/changed in early September 2011 amid the AOL-era transitions.
Reportedly no longer associated with AOL Ventures (within days)
Within days of the AOL Ventures story it was reported that Arrington was no longer associated with AOL Ventures.
Reported to be no longer employed by TechCrunch; associated with AOL Ventures
In early September 2011 Arrington was reported to be no longer employed by TechCrunch and associated with a new investment company, AOL Ventures.
Continued involvement in media and investments after TechCrunch transition
After the AOL acquisition and his departure/return cycles, Arrington focused more on investment vehicles (CrunchFund) and later crypto funds (Arrington XRP Capital).
Fusion Garage enters liquidation owing ~$40M
Fusion Garage (developers who split from Arrington on the CrunchPad) sank into liquidation, owing creditors approximately $40 million.
Returned to writing for TechCrunch
Arrington resumed writing for TechCrunch in October 2012 after a period away following the AOL acquisition and related events.
BlueFly acquired by affiliates of Clearlake Capital for US$13M
BlueFly (an online retailer) was acquired in May 2013 by affiliates of Clearlake Capital for about $13 million; later CrunchFund invested in BlueFly.
Accused of physical abuse by an ex-girlfriend
In 2013 Arrington was publicly accused by an ex-girlfriend; he filed a defamation suit in response.
CrunchFund invested in BlueFly
CrunchFund invested in BlueFly; following this investment, former BlueFly CEO Melissa Payner returned to the company.
Defamation suit dropped after accuser recanted
Arrington dropped his suit after the accuser recanted and agreed to apologize (reported June 27, 2014).
Announced $100M hedge fund denominated in XRP
Announced he was starting a US$100 million fund denominated in the cryptocurrency XRP (reported November 2017) — reportedly the first fund denominated in a cryptocurrency at that time.
Arrington XRP Capital invests in 50+ crypto startups (portfolio milestone)
Arrington XRP Capital had invested in more than 50 cryptocurrency startups (portfolio coverage appears in sources around 2018).
Named an inaugural Binance for Children Ambassador (approx.)
Listed in some bios as serving as an Inaugural Binance for Children Ambassador (exact appointment date not specified in provided text; placed approx. 2019 based on surrounding coverage).
Arrington XRP Capital participated in $5.8M Unbound Finance raise
Unbound Finance raised $5.8M in a round led by Pantera and Arrington XRP Capital (reported in 2021 materials).
Estimated net worth reported at approximately US$15M
Recent popular online biographies and aggregator sites estimate Arrington's net worth at roughly US$15 million (e.g., a Nov 30, 2024 summary).
Key Achievement Ages
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