The founder of the online giant [eBay] is setting up a hugely ambitious news organization. Will the combination of his tech savvy and commitment to investigative journalism offer a new media model?
By the time Pierre Omidyar was 31, he was, in his own words, not just regular rich but “ridiculous rich”. With enough money to make an impact in pretty much any sphere he chooses, the eBay billionaire last week made a splash in an area that is increasingly attracting the attention of tech titans: news.
Journalist Glenn Greenwald announced that he was leaving the Guardian, where he has broken a series of stories on the National Security Agency, based on documents from whistleblower Edward Snowden. His new, as yet unnamed, venture will be a general news service backed by Omidyar. It will be the most hotly awaited news startup in years.The Raw Story
Omidyar’s move comes just three months afterJeff Bezos, Amazon’s founder, bought theWashington Post. Omidyar, too, had looked at the paper, he wrote in a blog post. “That process got me thinking about what kind of social impact could be created if a similar investment was made in something entirely new, built from the ground up. Something that I would be personally involved in outside of my other efforts as a philanthropist,” he wrote.
Pierre Omidyar: Behind the billionaire bankrolling Glenn Greenwald’s new journalism project
Dominic Rushe, The Guardian
Is the future of the media going to be dueling billionaires? Looks like Rupert Murdoch started something.
And, oh my, I can just hear the right: Omidyar is of Iranian descent and born in France.
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