I’ve lost a lot of respect for TechCrunch and the editorial team following their recent ‘media bullying’ of the RadiumOne’s board of directors and investors. Despite the fact that RadiumOne was right to sack their CEO and that TechCrunch had a very valid point, their public admonition of RadiumOne’s board of directors was extremely unprofessional and disturbing.
Lena Rao’s public letter to the RadiumOne’s board members along with Alexia Tsotsis/Matthew Panzarino’s public termination of the RadiumOne Disrupt NY Hackathon sponsorship were appalling in their tone and rhetoric. This must have been an awful slap in the face for the 200+ RadiumOne employees around the world who have worked diligently to build up the company. Not to mention the impact on the top-tier investors who have pumped in over $30m: Adams Street Partners, Trinity Ventures, Crosslink Capital and DFJEsprit.
I don’t like bullies. I particularly don’t like media bullies. I suspect that TechCrunch’s existing/potential sponsors feel the same way. It’s time to find an alternative to TechCrunch.