• TechCrunch, Wednesday, September 29, 2010 12:25 PM

Following the AOL's official agreement to buy TechCrunch, founder Michael Arrington is dishing on all the behind-the-scenes details. According to Arrington, the opportunity first presented itself when he and AOL head Tim Armstrong where chatting backstage at a conference in May. Armstrong asked how Arrington was doing. Arrington said he was fried, and "half retired," to which Armstrong replied: "That's too bad ... we'd love to acquire you, but we'd need to know you would stick around."

Said a shocked Arrington: "Wait. What? Yeah I'm great! Lots of energy, I'm having so much fun! Will probably do this for the rest of my life." According to Arrington, the conversation resumed over the summer, with a focus on "our commitment to keep doing what we do." Arrington assured Armstrong that he and his time could do their jobs even better without the operational headaches that come with running a startup. Still, whether TechCrunch can keep its edge post acquisition is anyone's guess.

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