Michael Arrington: Seattle misfit? |
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Michael Arrington: Seattle misfit?
Michael Arrington accepts a Seattle T-shirt at the TechFlash Town Hall Summit at Seattle University. Stephen Brashear photo
Michael Arrington is having a hard time adjusting to his new hometown. The TechCrunch publisher -- who moved to the Seattle area last month -- made his first official appearance in the Seattle tech community Tuesday night at the TechFlash Town Hall Summit. And while Arrington attempted to fit in by wearing a yellow rain poncho, he admitted that he was having a hard time understanding the mindset of the tech community in the Pacific Northwest.
"I have no idea how to identify with you people. It is like I am on Mars," said Arrington to laughs. Later, Arrington hinted that he was burned out and ready to sell the online publishing empire that he created five years ago this month.
We attempted to make Arrington feel right at home, starting our panel discussion by providing the Internet firebrand with a T-shirt that said "I Love Seattle." It didn't quite work, since Arrington ripped into Seattle less than five minutes into the discussion calling the city "passive aggressive." (That caused some attendees to lose an over/under wager on how long it would take Arrington to deride the Emerald City. The going wager was nine minutes, according to Seattle attorney Eric Koester).
After his move to the Seattle area, there had been some chatter in the blogosphere that Arrington was possibly positioning to sell TechCrunch. (The theory being that Washington's tax laws would allow him to capitalize fully on a sale).
Arrington, who attended Tuesday's event with his father, didn't address a sale of TechCrunch directly. But in a back-and-forth dialogue with Jackson Fish Market co-founder Hillel Cooperman, Arrington said he once had the belief that he would build TechCrunch over the long haul because he loved it. The notion of taking outside funding wasn't an option at that time. But things have changed.
"It has been five years, and I can tell you, I am ready," he said.
RELATED: Here's our full post, along with audio, from the TechFlash Town Hall Summit: "Techies, VCs debate startup financing; live to tell about it"
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