Craig Newmark
Founder, Craigslist
The journey of Craigslist from his back bedroom to a $3bn valuation; and a philanthropic mission to support a free press – and combat misinformation
![](https://www.mediamasters.fm/wp-content/uploads/2020/10/craig-newmark.jpg)
Craig Newmark is the founder of Craigslist. Established in 1995, it’s one of the world’s most popular websites, active in 700 cities across 70 countries. Stepping away from day-to-day management of the site in 2000 to become a full-time philanthropist, Craig is a passionate campaigner for a free and fair press – supporting journalism, and combatting disinformation. In this in-depth interview, he recalls the journey of Craigslist from an obscure email distribution platform built in his bedroom into the $3bn global behemoth it is today; likens his philanthropic mission to stand up for a free media to that of a “combat engineer, fighting to preserve western democracy” from its “biggest enemy” which he calls “information warfare;” and shares his deeply-held belief that the media is “the immune system of democracy” – arguing that much of it is “failing the American people at the time they most need it.”