Bye, MG Siegler, we’ll miss you — especially your headlines

April 10, 2009 | Matt Marshall | Comments | |

It’s with a heavy heart that I write this post. Reporter MG Siegler is leaving VentureBeat to begin work at competing blog TechCrunch. We always viewed MG as one of our better writers, and he fit really well with our team. At his best, he was provocative and sprinkled his pieces with a steady sense of humor — usually led by a killer headline — that made him a joy to read.

He managed to do this while also writing insightful — often breaking — stories about the iPhone and its explosive application platform and also about the rise of the Twitter phenomenon. At his worst, he’d write stories about iFart apps that would regularly generate more page views than any other story at the time. I’m really proud of how far MG has already come in his career. We first noticed him in 2007, rising up the ranks of writers hitting the top of Techmeme, the web site that tracks which writers are breaking technology news. We hired him early last year, and he’s continued to flourish. Of course, it hurts that he’s joining one of the most outrageously over-hyped blogging franchises out there. No, really, it’s all fair game, TechCrunch.

The VentureBeat team wishes you the best of luck, MG!

In honor of his departure, here’s a list of our favorite MG stories:

AndroidTunes? Amazon launching a mobile music/movie store for Google’s platform
The iPhone outsells that thing I’m using as a paperweight (the RAZR)
Hulu channels Michael Corleone, Boxee support also whacked
After trying it out, I have a good feeling about Hunch
The real iPhone 3G ripoff: Text messages
Chicken Little, the cloud is falling
GeoEye-1, the “Google satellite,” will capture the Obama Inauguration from space
This is the Microsoft I want to see

Image credit Drew Olanoff

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Matt Marshall is editor and CEO of VentureBeat. Follow him on Twitter at @mmarshall, and follow VentureBeat on Twitter at @venturebeat.

  • Chris
    MG,

    Congratulations on the new job.
    Please continue the references (and images)
    from 80's and 90's movies.
    They're fun and hilarious.
  • Thanks Chris. Appreciate it!
  • Marc
    Yes, those references remind me of the character Shawn Spencer from the TV show "Psych." Best of luck, buddy!
  • Haven't seen. Good show? Sounds like it might be up my alley...
  • Marc
    If you're a fan of awesome, you will love the show. That is my personal guarantee. Check it out on Hulu.
  • I am, in fact, a fan of awesome. Will check it out!
  • Calling Mark Hendrickson
    Matt:

    Rumor has it Tubby Arrington fired his pool boy--Mark Hendrickson--to save more candy and cupcakes to be used to pay MG.

    Why don't you hire idiot Hendrickson and have him write a weekly column of the unethical behaviors of his old boss? If you can't find him, drive to the nearest carwash, ask the guy where the closest crack house is located, drive there and ask the addicts who delivers them pizzas.

    Call THAT number, and you'll find Hendrickson.

    Tit for tat.
  • MG We Hardly Knew Ye
    Beginning of the end for Techcrunch?

    I asked this question nearly two months ago. I said no one would be here three months from now. MG took the bet, said he would.

    You owe me a beer, MG.

    Matt Marshall: Spiff up this site, less game writing, more about the lazy, countryclub world of Venture Capital. My bet is readership will skyrocket.

    Time to critique the beat, kiddo. Cheerleading doesn't work.
  • Congratulations!
  • Thank you Daniel.
  • Good luck, chief, and congrats!
  • Thanks Mark!
  • Dave
    TechCrunch - The Evil Empire of Blogging
  • JasonTC2
    Indeed. Part of his initiation will involve eating babies.
  • I thought only their heads though, right?
  • Tip of the hat to VentureBeat for the classy send off and for spotting great talent. All the best to you MG - write on.
  • Thank you :)
  • Jim
    I had a feeling MG recently started getting paid by companies to write positive posts. No wonder TechCrunch wants him. I'm sure Arrington will school him in the art of making up news stories. Nice career move, MG - going to the tech blog with the lowest ethical reputation!
  • Thanks for using your last name while spreading slander on the interwebs, Jim.
  • Calling Mark Hendrickson
    Pool boy!

    Where you been? Write any Earthcomber stories lately?
  • But don't forget that I also have to pay for every negative one, so it ends up even in the end. Otherwise, what Mark said.
  • He really did have some nice headlines.

    Congrats!
  • Thanks for speaking like I'm dead Sean.
  • dianna
    Great send off! very classy. -d
  • Agreed, and thank ya.
  • Brendan
    Arrington, sigh.
  • Todd
    Good Friday for TechCrunch. Bad Friday for VentureBeat. (Get it? Whew...time for dinner.)

    Congrats, MG. Don't change your style...and don't read the comments if you can help it...it's ruthless over there!
  • Thanks Todd, I've been bracing myself for the comments :)
  • M G rock on. Does your coverage area really change all that much though? Or are 10 free (yes pink too) CrunchPad 's part of your sign on bonus?
  • Coverage shouldn't change too much. CrunchPad allotment is being negotiated still :)
  • TechLemon!
    ParisCrunch!

    the BitchMeme is Dead... Long Live the BitchMeme!
  • BitchLemon!
  • I'm going to have to insist that this be confirmed by an anonymous source before 2:00am Eastern.
  • It's 1:30am, and I've confirmed it with an anonymous source. Good?
  • On you said Eastern -- shit.
  • best of luck, MG. will promise to follow u on TC now ....
  • I hope so! Thanks Jochen.
  • Wow! Congratulations mate.
  • Thank ya sir.
  • With all due respect to Arrington and Co., why would you want to leave VentureBeat in favor of TechCrunch? Just wondering if the bait was that tempting or if there is something more exciting at play.
  • Sometimes people just move on Scott with no one exciting reason for the move. I wrote a bit more on my own site if you want more:

    http://parislemon.com/2009/04/on-to-techcrunch....
  • Completely understood. Just wondered if there was a Paul Harvey version of the story.

    Thanks for the link - your write-up was a good read.

    Best of luck at TechCrunch. I really look forward to your articles.
  • That is, the rest of the story :) Thanks Scott.
  • Facebook User
    Because of you Mr Siegler, I subscribed to this blog. Really enjoy your views of the mobile space and the fact that you interact with people who comment.

    Good luck in your new role at Tech Crunch, I'm sure you'll kick ass!
  • That's really nice to hear, thank you. I'll continue to interact, even if not everyone likes it as much as you do :)
  • Great. Now I have to start reading TechCrunch again. authorfiltered RSS ftw. ^^
    Congrats MG!
  • It will be worth it Marcel!
  • oh great, now i need to start reading techcrunch again :)
  • Sorry Hunter, a pain, I know.
  • All the best MG. You'll do TC proud i'm sure.
  • Thanks Zee, I will try.
  • All the best MG and all the best to Venturebeat and Techcrunch... the Blogsphere is big and everyone fits in...

    Keep us informed!
  • I agree, we'll all continue to fit. Thx.
  • Congratulations MG. We will indeed miss you.
  • Thanks Dean, I'm going to miss you guys a lot too.
  • Congratulations - keep up the movie references - they are NOT lost on your readers who get every reference.
  • And those are my favorite readers :)
  • Facebook User
    Well MG, congratulations. This place is going to miss you, and hopefully you'll bring some much-needed credibility to TC. It's funny though because I saw VentureBeat as the more credible version of TechCrunch, and you were a big part of that. Best of luck.
  • Thank ya, hope you do keep reading over at TC.
  • Anonymous
    Good luck MG and I hope you manage to get a free dictionary on your next job... from what I remember, your grammar and spelling was absolutely the worse!
  • But, apparently, no WORSE than some of our commenters :)
  • Dolan Lewis
    Siegler's an untalented, jealous, bitter cock. He'll fit in perfectly at TechCrunch.
  • I am quite jealous.
  • Peach
    Whats crazy is that I discovered VentureBeat first. And I believe I discovered TechCrunch thanks to you guys here.

    Lately, spend most of my time on TC as I'm really not a gamer, but I still have a special connection to VB. I hope you guys can step it up and go after TC.

    Long Live VentureBeat, and Good Luck to you Siegler
  • Thanks Peach.
  • Michael Clendening
    Best of luck on your move to TC! Promise to follow you there (as long you report on something other than Tweeter and Facebook).
  • Thanks Michael - I shall try :)
  • Congrats MG! Will miss you at VentureBeat, huge win for Techcrunch. Matt - who will you poach in return?
  • Congrats, MG. I read both VentureBeat and TechCrunch regularly. Exciting things are happening with both brands these days. Cool seeing VentureBeat rev up in the event space, and get some scoops lately, and cool seeing TechCrunch rev up its staff with hires like Sarah and you.

    I know both sites have a bright future, as do you, MG!
  • Congrats on the move MG. Will be really good to see some quality wrting and reporting on Techcrunch.
  • Awww geez always hate it when you lose one of the best to the opposing team. Well good luck MG and kudos to Matt for real class. As always I'll still read both blogs with great interest.
  • Matt -- very classy of you to write this post on MG. It's hard to lose the good ones, but you did it with grace.
  • Rosa
    I just got confused when I saw MG on TechCrunch. How could this happen? why? such sad news...I don't want to read tech crunch...