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Milo Yiannopoulos

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Milo Yiannopoulos
Milo Yiannopoulos at the moonwalk flash mob tribute at London Liverpool Street station
NationalityBritish
OccupationJournalist

Milo Yiannopoulos (born October 18, 1984), formerly Milo Wagner,[1] is a British journalist and entrepreneur. He is the founder and Editor-in-Chief of The Kernel, an online magazine that focuses on European start-up technology,[2]. [3] He was named one of the 100 most influential people in Britain's digital economy by Wired UK in 2011 and again in 2012. He has been called a "rising star of the Right" by the Spectator, the "pit bull of tech media" by the Observer and "digital media's Citizen Kane" by Forbes magazine.[4]

In 2012, Sentinel Media, former parent company of The Kernel, became embroiled in a legal dispute with a former employee over unpaid wages. In March 2013, Yiannopoulos announced that The Kernel would suspend publication due to Sentinel Media not being able to settle its debts.[5] In June 2013, however, The Independent on Sunday reported that Yiannopoulos had settled The Kernel's debts personally and that the publication would return, under new management, in August 2013.[6]

Education

Yiannopoulos studied philosophy at the University of Manchester and English at the University of Cambridge but did not graduate from either. He told Forbes: "I try to tell myself I’m in good company, but ultimately it doesn’t say great things about you unless you go on to terrific success in your own right."[1][4]

Journalism

Yiannopoulos has written about technology, culture, religion and the media for publications such as The Catholic Herald, The Times,[7] Wired UK,[8] DGA Quarterly,[9] The Spectator,[10] The Wall Street Journal Europe,[11] The Commentator,[12] TechCrunch,[13] Blottr[14], Slashdot[15] , The Next Web and The Daily Telegraph.[16]

He has interviewed the likes of Michael Gove, Tory education secretary, and Mathias Döpfner, chief executive of German media giant Axel Springer, during his career.

Business activities

Yiannopoulos organised a technology start-up awards scheme, The Telegraph Tech Start-Up 100, in 2011. The Start-Up 100 operated through an events company Yiannopoulos had started with David Rosenberg, a friend from Cambridge University, called Wrong Agency. The company was dissolved shortly after the ceremony,[1] with Mike Butcher of TechCrunch claiming the main prize had been given to music streaming service Spotify even though his casting vote had gone to short-term loan company Wonga.[17]

Yiannopoulos launched The Kernel in November 2011 in order to "fix European technology journalism".[18] The Kernel was at that time owned by Yiannopoulos's company Sentinel Media, also started with Rosenberg. In 2012, the online magazine became embroiled in legal disputes with some of its contributors after it failed to pay money owed to them.[1] In an article published shortly before the first[1] of two[19] reports in The Guardian on The Kernel's legal disputes with former employees, Yiannopoulos said that he was not planning to end publishing the magazine.[20]

In January 2013 a former contributor, Jason Hesse, won a summary judgement against Sentinel Media[21] for £16,853.[3] On 20 February, a high court order to enforce the payment of the debt was issued; failure to repay it could mean the forced closure of the company.[3] In response, Yiannopoulos told The Guardian that the company remained in good health,[3] but four days later announced that The Kernel would cease publication due to the company not being able to satisfy bailiffs' demands to recover the money.[5] Yiannopoulos later settled The Kernel's debts personally.[6]

German venture capital vehicle BERLIN42 acquired The Kernel's assets in early 2013. The magazine will be relaunched in August 2013 with fresh investment and Yiannopoulos reinstated as editor-in-chief.[6] BERLIN42 founding partner Aydogan Ali Schosswald will join its newly formed publishing company, Kernel Media, as chief executive.

Other activities

Yiannopoulos hosted the Young Rewired State competition in 2010, an initiative to showcase the technological talents of 15–18 year-olds,[22] and organised The London Nude Tech Calendar, a calendar featuring members of the London technology scene to raise money for Take Heart India.[23] He also organised the moonwalk flash mob tribute to Michael Jackson in London's Liverpool Street station shortly after Jackson's death in 2009.[24] He explained that the idea of a flashmob as a tribute to Jackson was originally a humorous suggestion on Twitter, but then decided to make it happen, inviting people via social networking websites.[24]

Television appearances

He has appeared on Sky News discussing social media,[25] and on BBC Breakfast discussing Pope Benedict XVI's visit to the United Kingdom.[26]

As a gay Roman Catholic, he has debated gay marriage on Newsnight,[27] and on Channel 4's 10 O'Clock Live with Boy George.[28]

Controversy

Yiannopoulos received criticism in 2009 for tweeting that he hoped the police "beat the shit out of those wankers" at the G20 protests, and then deleting the tweet after a protestor was killed.[29] He later pointed out that he could never have known in advance "via clairvoyance" about the death of Ian Tomlinson and that his tweet was sent in anger about another protester.

Controversy followed his appearance at the TechCrunch Europe GeeknRolla conference in 2009, during which he was criticised for remarks[30] described as "men and women are different, men are better at tech, deal with it" by another participant in the conversation.[31]

On 18 July 2012, Yiannopoulos had a public argument on Twitter with Zoe Margolis, author of Girl with a One-Track Mind. He commented: "We write about how tech is changing the world around us. You write about how many cocks you've sucked this week. Back off." and later added: "Is there a difference between writing about sex for money and having sex for money? Not really. What a grubby, humiliating way to make rent."[1]

Yiannopoulos has been the subject of extensive negative coverage by Guardian technology editor Charles Arthur. On 27 June 2012, Yiannopoulos published an article about a private dispute between himself and Charles Arthur, technology editor at The Guardian.[32] Arthur had complained about his Creative Commons-licensed photo being used without correct attribution (the name of the photographer, and a link back to the original on Flickr) and, after The Kernel offered to pay a licensing fee, requested that the fee be paid to the National Deaf Children's Society. The Kernel refused, asking "does Charles Arthur need medical attention?"[32] and accusing him of a series of threats. They later sent an employee to The Guardian's offices to make payment in 1p coins, which was refused.[33]

On 1 March 2013, The Guardian reported that Yiannopoulos threatened Margot Huysman, a former employee of The Kernel, when she asked him for her unpaid wages, and implied he had a salacious picture of her from a party that he would publish if she persisted in complaining.[3] Sentinel Media was reported by the Guardian to be under investigation by the Information Commissioner's Office for failing to register itself as a data controller, but the company denied this.[3]

References

  1. ^ a b c d e f Arthur, Charles (12 September 2012). "The Kernel sued by former contributors for non-payment". guardian.co.uk. Retrieved 12 September 2012.
  2. ^ Dowell, Ben (8 July 2012). "Milo Yiannopoulos – meet the 'pit bull' of tech media". The Observer. Retrieved 8 July 2012.
  3. ^ a b c d e f Arthur, Charles (1 March 2013). "The Kernel faces high court order over unpaid wages". The Guardian. Retrieved 3 March 2013.
  4. ^ a b Hicks, Jennifer (19 December 2012). "Digital Media's Citizen Kane". Forbes. Retrieved 19 December 2012.
  5. ^ a b Arthur, Charles (5 March 2013). "The Kernel to close as debts stay unpaid". The Guardian. Retrieved 5 March 2013.
  6. ^ a b c Williams-Grut, Oscar (19 December 2012). "The Kernel's back to make new enemies". Independent on Sunday. Retrieved 6 June 2013.
  7. ^ Milo, Yiannopoulos (29 August 2012). "A worm of doubt has penetrated Apple's shiny world". The Times. Retrieved 12 September 2012.
  8. ^ Milo Yiannopoulos at Wired UK
  9. ^ Milo, Yiannopoulos (Summer 2010). "The European Front". DGA Quarterly. Retrieved 8 July 2012.
  10. ^ Yiannopoulos, Milo (30 June 2012). "In it for the LOLs". The Spectator. Retrieved 13 October 2012.
  11. ^ Yiannopoulos, Milo (8 December 2010). "Out of the Starting Blocks". The Wall Street Journal Europe. Retrieved 8 July 2012.
  12. ^ Milo Yiannopoulos at The Commentator
  13. ^ Yiannopoulos, Milo (3 September 2009). "BT and Google join forces to offer AdWords support to small businesses". TechCrunch. Retrieved 8 July 2012.
  14. ^ Blottr
  15. ^ Milo Yiannopoulos at Slashdot
  16. ^ The Daily Telegraph Milo Yiannopoulos (blog posts)
  17. ^ "Wonga won the Startup 100 awards, not Spotify". TechCrunch Europe. 17 May 2011. Retrieved 15 September 2012.
  18. ^ Yiannopoulos, Milo (10 November 2011). "It's time to fix European technology journalism". The Kernel. Retrieved 12 September 2012.
  19. ^ Arthur, Charles (12 September 2012). "The Kernel faces legal action by two more former contributors". guardian.co.uk. Retrieved 24 September 2012.
  20. ^ "A Note to our Readers". The Kernel. 17 May 2011. Retrieved 15 September 2012.
  21. ^ Arthur, Charles (8 January 2013). "The Kernel could face £11,000 payout order". Retrieved 24 January 2013.
  22. ^ "Techno teens design public websites". MSN. 25 August 2009. Retrieved 8 July 2012.
  23. ^ Arthur, Charles (18 November 2009). "London Nude Tech calendar: unclothed geeks (and ladygeeks) in a good cause". The Guardian. Retrieved 8 July 2012.
  24. ^ a b "Moonwalking Jackson Fans Mob London Station". Sky News. 27 June 2009. Retrieved 8 July 2012.
  25. ^ Sky News, 19 November 2010, BSkyB, distributed by Fox International Channels.
  26. ^ BBC Breakfast, 13 August 2010, BBC Television, distributed by the BBC.
  27. ^ Newsnight, 15 March 2012, BBC Television, distributed by the BBC.
  28. ^ 10 O'Clock Live, 17 February 2011, Channel 4.
  29. ^ "Twitter mishaps and netiquette for journalists". journalism.co.uk. 30 November 2009. Retrieved 8 July 2012.
  30. ^ Yiannopoulos, Milo (22 April 2009). "Men perform better in many technology jobs. Must we apologise for that?". The Telegraph. Archived from the original on 2013-02-17.
  31. ^ "Just a Girl – Why we put on the "Balancing Tech Culture" debate @GeeknRolla". TechCrunch Europe. 23 April 2009. Retrieved 8 July 2012.
  32. ^ a b "How to deal with copyright trolls". Retrieved 12 September 2012.
  33. ^ Charles Arthur: 6000p Payment. YouTube. Retrieved 12 September 2012. [dead link]

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