• by Sara Guaglione , October 6, 2016

Gawker Media founder Nick Denton still believes in Gawker after its demise.

It’s been a rough year for Denton. After publishing a sex tape of Hulk Hogan without his consent, he got sued. Then he found out Silicon Valley tycoon Peter Thiel was secretly backing the lawsuit, which he lost. That forced him to sell Gawker Media to Univision, and resulted in personal bankruptcy — all around his 50th birthday.

And yet, Denton isn't in surrender mode.

Tuesday night, the former Gawker Media founder was interviewed by Quartz editor-in-chief Kevin Delaney; Denton seemed anything but apologetic.

In fact, one could even say he knew what was coming.

“We had pissed off a lot of people,” Denton said, adding that he was well aware there were people out there who were gunning for him..

There had been “rumors” a year before the Hulk Hogan lawsuit that someone was building a case against him. There was “a list .. who had a motive and the resources” to sue him.

It was inevitable, he thought, that  “some combination” of players Gawker angered would target its demise.

Thiel, as many now know, sought revenge against Gawker for outing him in a 2007 article titled “Peter Thiel is totally gay, people.”

"For a long time, we were absolutely focused on being independent,” Denton said. “There were no friends of mine to be protected — no peers, no journalists, no reporters, no brands.”

He added the site ran anything within the law of journalism “without access, favor or discretion,” which is the tagline of Deadspin, one of Gawker Media's properties, now in the hands of Univision.

To this day, Denton champions the independent — and arguably sometimes callous — nature of Gawker's editorial. It remains a great source of pride to him. He talks about Gawker Media properties like they his grown up children who have gone off to college; the University of Univision.

So what’s next for Denton? Forums.

While at University College, Oxford, Denton recalls rarely attending lectures but frequenting “tutorials” — commonly known as “discussions” or “discussion groups” at U.S. colleges — to really learn about the subject matter.

Denton believes the news equivalent to this is forums and annotations to “further erase the distinction between articles and discussions,” which will likely be his next digital business venture.

“I want to create a way for journalists and subjects and sources and outside experts to have a conversation,” he said.

But he won’t start anything until he finishes appealing the $140 million Hogan judgment.

And if there’s one thing Denton would say to billionaire Peter Thiel today? “You seem good... How did we hurt you?"