Michael Arrington sees, and seeds, dead startups
Dead startups, lying CEOs, and disgruntled, unpaid employees seem to follow Michael Arrington wherever he goes. He doesn't cause them, but he sure seems to attract them. First there was Edgeio. Now, the latest is online-storage company OmniDrive, a startup which the conflicts-embracing TechCrunch editor invested last year. Nik Cubrilovic, OmniDrive's founder and CEO, disputes the assertion that it may be time to put the company on deathwatch. Former employees disagree, pointing out that it's in a crowded market of bigger players, is beset by technical problems, and rumored to have lost its CTO. What's the real story?
Cubrilovic claims the company has received funding, is profitable, and has a bright future ahead of it. But Phil Morle, a former CTO for OmniDrive, and another ex-worker claim otherwise.
Morle makes serious accusations. Not only were he and other employees not paid, he says, but Cubrilovic allegedly used a personal PayPal account to take OmniDrive users' subscription fees, a careless move that could open him up to charges of commingling personal and corporate finances.
It would be nice to know which story is closer to the truth. If only there was an investor and board member with his own technology blog who could clear up this matter. Alas, Arrington so far has been silent on the drama at OmniDrive.