Craig Newmark
Founder, Craigslist
The journey of Craigslist from his back bedroom to a $3bn valuation; and a philanthropic mission to support a free press – and combat misinformation
Craig Newmark is the founder of Craigslist. Established in 1995, it’s one of the world’s most popular websites, active in 700 cities across 70 countries. Stepping away from day-to-day management of the site in 2000 to become a full-time philanthropist, Craig is a passionate campaigner for a free and fair press – supporting journalism, and combatting disinformation. In this in-depth interview, he recalls the journey of Craigslist from an obscure email distribution platform built in his bedroom into the $3bn global behemoth it is today; likens his philanthropic mission to stand up for a free media to that of a “combat engineer, fighting to preserve western democracy” from its “biggest enemy” which he calls “information warfare;” and shares his deeply-held belief that the media is “the immune system of democracy” – arguing that much of it is “failing the American people at the time they most need it.”