The transition at AOL’s TechCrunch continues as editor Erick Schonfeld has stepped down. This is just the latest in a series of pre-AOL acquisition TechCrunchers leaving. Some have banded together at the site PandoDaily. More on all of that here.
The TechCrunch editor title has now gone to Eric Eldon. Eldon and fellow TechCruncher Alexia Tsotsis wrote a joint post about the news. In that, Eldon writes:
When Erick and I talked about me joining TechCrunch last November, the circumstance today was obviously not on either of our minds. But things can change very quickly in the world of blogging, and Erick decided now is the best time for him to leave.
Erick is an extremely experienced journalist and editor, he has worked hard to make the best of a very tough situation in recent months, and he’s done a great job of assembling a new team of young veterans — Sarah Perez, Josh Constine, Anthony Ha, Ingrid Lunden, Colleen Taylor, Eric Eldon (yes, apologies for speaking in the third person), and another person we’ll be announcing later this week. Along with all of the other alumni, Erick deserves a lot of credit for what TechCrunch is today.
In the comments section, TechCrunch Founder Michael Arrington writes, “Who the hell is Eric Eldon?”
MG Siegler, another TechCrunch vet says, “I think he crashed a TechCrunch party once.”
Siegler is a little more serious in a post for PandoDaily:
The truth is that this is the perfect position for Eldon. From the Stanford Daily to Y Combinator to VentureBeat to Inside Network to now TechCrunch, he has pretty much all the aspects of Silicon Valley flowing through his veins. He has been a writer, an editor, and a two-time startup founder.
His new role will be his toughest challenge yet. He has to get TechCrunch back on track.
Here are some quotes from AOL’s press release:
“TechCrunch has always been a cutting edge site, leading the conversation and helping set the agenda. With these new additions joining a great team, TechCrunch is perfectly positioned to reach new heights,” said Arianna Huffington. “I especially want to thank Erick Schonfeld, who has been a valued member of TechCrunch since 2007, for his leadership over the last few months. During this time, he brought great additions to the TechCrunch team, including Eric Eldon, who will now be taking the helm at the site.”
Eldon: “TechCrunch humbly began as Michael Arrington’s blog in 2005, written out of his spare bedroom in Atherton. The site is now an institution that has both come of age with the modern tech world — and defined it. We are going to build on the best of what the site has been over the years: a platform for entrepreneurs, and a leading source of news and opinion about the most important topics in tech. And we’re going to do it with the strongest team of young veteran tech writers in the world.”
Tsotsis: “Beyond breaking news, being hip on products and fearless opinion, TechCrunch has always been about cultivating unique voices. By giving talented young writers a little bit of freedom and a huge platform, we’re going to build the next generation of tech news rock stars.”
In semi-related news, PandoDaily hired its own new copy editor. It’s not Schonfeld.