• TechCrunch, Tuesday, September 6, 2011 11:41 AM

With some big reputations on the line, TechCrunch writer MG Siegler has sent an S.O.S. from what he insists is a sinking ship. His plea is that AOL -- which acquired TechCrunch late last year -- not cut off founder Michael Arrington from the tech blog. Odd thing is that Arrington already announced plans to hang up his editor hat last week, with the intention of raising a venture capital fund, dubbed "Crunchfund," with the help of AOL.

"TechCrunch is on the precipice," according to Siegler. "As soon as tomorrow, Mike may be thrown out of the company he founded. Or he may not. No one knows." Arrington has had "his legs kicked out from under him, due to what can only be described as nonsensical political infighting and really poor communication," Siegler goes on.

As Siegler explains, the underlying issue is whether Arrington's new fund would corrupt his ability to objectively contribute to TechCrunch. However the matter plays out, it reflects poorly on AOL management, and its much-hyped, content-centric acquisition strategy.

Read the whole story at TechCrunch »