Posted on by Dale Dietrich

Leo Laporte Blows up at Mike Arrington on Gilmore Gang!

I am a loyal Leo Laporte fan. I have enjoyed his TV shows and have been listening to/watching his podcasts and net streams for years. He is one of the nicest guys you’d ever want to meet. Honest as the day is long. He is so kind tempered he reminds me of Mr. Rogers. I have never seen him loose his temper, let alone swear on his shows, podcasts or feeds.

 

I admire Arrington as well, but I too have grown a bit weary of his bullying. In light of their history, to my mind, Arrington’s calling Leo’s integrity into question crossed the line – especially when he followed up with a childish ‘… what are you going to do about it” comment.

Normally this kind of thing would have been laughed off by Leo. But I’ve heard Arrington go after Leo’s/Gilmore’s guests unnecessarily hard in recent shows and its time someone called him out on it. It would be one thing if Mike didn’t know Leo well. He does. Leo assiduously discloses all conflicts of interest at every opportunity. Michael knows this.

Good for you Leo! 

[June 9 Update 1: A few hours later Leo recorded a 2nd Gilmore Gang where apologies and explanations were proffered. Click here to access it. It doesn’t start until about 13 minutes in. As you’ll hear, there is a real issue as to whether the Gilmore Gang will continue to be produced by the twit.tv network. I’m of mixed opinion. I fear that Gilmore’s personality and the kind of show he produces is not a match for the rest of the Twit network content.]

[June 9 Update 2: It seems the Internet mob has been tearing into Mike and he has shut down his Techcrunch account on Friendfeed. As I read through the comments against Mike and Leo, too  many in the crowd have been unnecessarily abusive, mostly towards Michael. While I was upset with Mike’s cavalier attack on Leo’s integrity, Michael doesn’t deserve all this grief either. He made a mistake, he apologized. Leo accepted the apology. That should be enough. I’m now feeling sorry for Michael.]

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16 Replies to “Leo Laporte Blows up at Mike Arrington on Gilmore Gang!”

  2. His boss? No Chris I didn't know that.

    I knew Techrunch used to host the Gilmore Gang before it switched over to Twit.tv. In what way is Mike, Steve's boss?

  4. Well business partner might be a better choice of words than boss, but Steve is the main contributor to techcrunchit.com and that site is owned by Mike. I would guess that Mike hired Steve more as a complimentary figure than a subordinate.

    Now that I'm thinking about it a bit more I would probably call Steve a subcontractor or freelance type that has strong ties to the techcrunch 'empire' or whatever.

    It's definitely complicated.

    See also: http://www.crunchbase.com/person/steve-gillmor

  5. also, after re-reading your comments, i would clarify that in regards to the gillmor gang Steve is the boss – but in regards to techcrunch and techcrunchIT Mike's the boss.

  6. Leo was saying on tuesday on his live stream that the Gillmor Gang will not be on the TWiT Network. It would be difficult (and probably awkward too) for him and Steve.

  7. Thanks for that Chris. They left it unclear after their ‘part 2’ quasi-love fest, that wasn’t a love fest. Mike and Leo genuinely made up but Gilmore wasn’t having any of it. He was understandably upset that Leo shut down ‘his’ show, but took no responsibility for fostering an atmosphere that leads to predictable personal attacks and an overal unfriendly atmosphere. I have really had a difficult time watching/listening to the Gilmore Gang based on the ‘Cross-fire’ atmosphere Gilmore brings with him. Almost like Rush Limbah. As I said in my Friendfeed comment, Leo doesn’t need that on his network. It is not a good fit for his friendly/collegial network. Gilmore will be best served elsewhere and Leo will be best served without him.rnrn…Dale

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