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Google hires the creator of 4chan
It didn't take long for 4chan creator Chris Poole (better known as Moot) to find a new home after selling his brainchild. Google has hired Poole to take advantage of his 12 years of experience "building online communities." It's not clear exactly what he'll do. However, it wouldn't be surprising if he gives Google+ a boost, improving its recent focus on community and giving you more reasons to visit.
4chan sells to the founder of the site that inspired it
If you know your internet message board history, you know that Chris Poole's legendary 4chan was inspired by 2channel, a board dedicated to anime and other aspects of Japanese culture. Well, things are about to come full circle: Poole (aka Moot) just sold 4chan to Hiroyuki Nishimura, 2channel's founder and the current editor in chief for Variety Japan. The terms of the deal aren't public, but Poole notes to the New York Times that there's a "lot of opportunity" to grow his site with the "right resources." That wouldn't be hard. Unlike some other community mainstays, such as Reddit, 4chan has never really been run as a full-fledged business.
4chan creator Moot steps down after more than a decade
When Christopher Poole founded messaging board 4chan 11 and a half years ago, he was just a 15-year-old kid. Now, he's stepping down an adult with a Ph.D. (in large-scale community management, which fits him well) and more than a decade of experience running (by himself!) one of the most notorious online destinations. Poole is more widely known as "Moot," the pseudonym he uses around the internet, even to post updates about 4chan's current state of affairs, the most recent of which is his resignation. Over the years, we've seen him talk about many, many things, more than once discussing 4chan's financial woes. See, despite the website's size, it doesn't have backers and major advertisers: It relies mostly on banner ads with occasional donation drives during especially lean times.
