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An Open Letter to Michael Arrington
mbites.com — The co-editor of Techcrunch UK has just lost his job for no reason. He's biting back in this fabulous piece of blogging. Tell your grand-children you were there.
nianox- 66 diggs
- digg it
- scottjamesbutto, on 10/12/2007, -0/+1What is / was the relationship between the parties here? Were Sethi and Butcher franchisees, employees or freelancers? Franchise termination or summary dismissal would be a big deal. Mike B, you make it sound like Sam was one or the other - without committing to which - but the way this has happened makes me suspect you were both merely freelancing. A precarious position to be in when the ***** hits the fan :(
- scottjamesbutto, on 10/12/2007, -0/+1Then I really don't get this at all. What the hell is going on other than egos bouncing around? If you and Sam are franchisees, you have a license agreement. You might terminate the agreement, but you don't 'get fired' and 'resign'. If you're not actually franchising, but own 50% of a subsidiary or JV company, then the same applies, only more so. Sure, you could still get fired or resign, and I'll be interested in the reasons, but I might kick less on your behalf if I think you still own 50% of a company that has an exclusive, perpetual licence to use the Techcrunch brand in the UK.
You owe us more precision and transparency than this. You're journalists and your brief includes early stage, private equity and VC investment. I expect your to be clearer than this on the nature of the salient ownership structures.
- scottjamesbutto, on 10/12/2007, -0/+1Then I really don't get this at all. What the hell is going on other than egos bouncing around? If you and Sam are franchisees, you have a license agreement. You might terminate the agreement, but you don't 'get fired' and 'resign'. If you're not actually franchising, but own 50% of a subsidiary or JV company, then the same applies, only more so. Sure, you could still get fired or resign, and I'll be interested in the reasons, but I might kick less on your behalf if I think you still own 50% of a company that has an exclusive, perpetual licence to use the Techcrunch brand in the UK.
- mikegb, on 10/12/2007, -2/+0Interesting point. Franchisees. We owned 50%, Arrington owned the other 50%. We were NOT freelancing. After small initial setup costs covered by TC (like help with the launch party), we were running under our own steam and had organised our own advertisers and were financially independent of TCUS.
- nianox, on 10/12/2007, -1/+2That would be the launch party Arrington was supposed to come to but then blew you out? Didn't know that before I submitted this. Makes it all the more interesting and the censorship /old boys network angle more credible.
- mikegb, on 10/12/2007, -2/+0Yes, he said he was coming to the launch party over a week before but then decided to appear on the Gilmour Gang instead. The Gilmour Gang is (or was) a group discussion podcast you could do from anywhere, as it's all Skyped-in. Hugh MacLeod actually participated in the podcast Arrington was on FROM THE TCUK LAUNCH PARTY.
- TheOrange, on 10/12/2007, -0/+1Arrington doesn't give a ***** about anything outside of the US. As that's the case - close down Techcrunch UK and create a much better rival brand.
- mikegb, on 10/12/2007, -0/+0Dear scottjamesbutto: This debate is academic. Even if we wanted to argue the toss with Arrington, he has locked us out of the site permanently. We have no means to re-animate the franchise even if we wanted to. Now we COULD fight a legal action to have this removed, given the franchise, but frankly is there now any point givent that the trust is now dead because of his actions.
- randymorin, on 10/12/2007, -0/+1Let me guess this straight. You deal with Mike, who has a reputation of being a pompous jerk and admits that TechCrunch is all about biased opinions. Then when Mike expresses one of those biased opinions and fires you like the jerk he is, you don't just hit yourself in the head with a hammer. What did you think was going to happen?
- SterlingCamden, on 10/12/2007, -0/+1"Read/Write...and Delete Web" - perfect. Arrington should never have posed for that picture with the cigar, either.
mikegb, I think you just made your own brand. Subscribed. - nicomacdonald, on 10/12/2007, -0/+1I don't take a particular view on the details of the events around this debacle. However, having read Mike Arrington's take on the situation (http://www.crunchnotes.com/?p=322), I saw no reference to Mike Butcher. Clearly Arrington felt Sam Sethi had gone beyond the pale. There is no evidence Butcher had, yet he is subject to constructive dismissal/termination of franchise, without so much as an apology or explanation. I don't consider that an appropriate way to deal with someone who, as far as I am aware, has done a good job for you.
- Hitchhiker90, on 10/12/2007, -1/+1I'll be the first to ask, who the ***** are you man? Just another ***** with a blog bashing others? Oh, just trying to make a name for yourself and get your 15 minutes of fame. Well contratu-*****-lations. Your whiney bitchness made it to the front page of digg. Luckily I never heard of you before, and now I know never to read your worthless ***** again.
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