December 12, 2007

Scoble To Leave PodTech, Heading For Fast Company

Michael Arrington

102 comments »

Famous blogger Robert Scoble will be leaving his current job at PodTech in mid January, he says. He will likely be joining Fast Company to start Fast Company TV.

Scoble was with PodTech for just a year and a half. He was previously at Microsoft and acted as their unofficial spokesperson.

Scoble isn’t saying if he’ll continue to use the same format as his current show, ScobleShow, where he interviews entrepreneurs daily. Another big question is whether his sponsor, Seagate, will follow him to Fast Company. It’s rumored Seagate is paying a massive fee to sponsor the show.

This is another blow for PodTech, which has already lost its founding CEO and is nearly out of money. The company has run through $7.5 million in funding. They are rumored to be closing on another million or so in bridge financing. But they’re very, very close to the deadpool.

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Comments

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  1. John

    Podtech - Another one bites the dust :)

  2. Are you from the movie?

    How to cloning Mission Impossible 3?

  3. Chris R

    valleywag.com/tech/robert-scoble/is-podtech-firing-its-most-important-employee-288511.php
    Scoble denied it.

    Scoble also denied it when they couldn’t get series B funding and they fired their reporters.
    http://scobleizer.com/2007/07/.....t-podtech/
    “Just for the record, I’m 100% committed to PodTech and the moves that John Furrier and the executive team is making and won’t reevaluate my career until Spring of 2008.”

    Scoble is a LIAR. But he’s a rich liar with good connections so he’s still ok in my book, though I would never officially say so.

  4. Silicon Valley

    Interesting how having a popular blog on Technorati will open doors for a Blogger.

    He will probably be seen as an individual commodity for getting PR and not affected by the ups and downs of any particular company he is working for at that time

  5. Citizen Smith

    I wonder who scoble would vote for, between Obama or Bloomberg? Me, I’d vote Bloomberg.

  6. Chris R

    “I wonder who scoble would vote for, between Obama or Bloomberg?”

    I bet Robert would interview a candidate, tell them he’s voting for them in the interview, then vote for somebody else or not vote! Probability rating HIGH.

  7. Vincent van Wylick

    @Chris:
    “…won’t reevaluate my career until Spring of 2008.”
    vs.
    “Scoble is a LIAR”
    is kind of a contradiction, don’t you think?

  8. Chris R

    Actually, I take that comment back. I’m in “everybody told you so” mode, and I went too far.

  9. Andrew Baron

    No comment.

  10. Chris R

    “is kind of a contradiction, don’t you think?”

    No, it’s December of 2007 right now. Check your calendar.

  11. Roupen

    A couple of months back, I came across a get together on Yahoo Events by podtech. The address listed was somewhere on sandhill road. A couple of us went out there but there was no one there. The people in that building where the address was hadn’t even heard of podtech. Blah! Was it a hoax? Were they _that_ disorganized? I emailed and called whatever contact info I could find about podtech - didn’t hear anything back. Bad!

  12. Frederik Hermann

    This post just just showed up on the main screen at the “Television Reborn” session at LeWeb3, Paris.

  13. Robert Scoble

    I will be doing something else on January 15th, but still am not finalized on what that is. I will let everyone know on January 15th what I do.

  14. Sebastian

    I expected the move away from PodTech for the beginning of 2008 when he said that he wouldn’t reevaluate his career until Spring of 2008 - this sounded a lot like he just wanted for his contract duties to be fulfilled…

    For PodTech, this is a big problem, as his show was the only useful thing. They should have stayed with what they were in the beginning: A podcast-creator for corporations. There’s money to be made in this market, with every single show.

    I hope that if he joins Fast Company (which, considering his regular positive comments about Fast Company, is quite likely), he’ll change the ScobleShow-format to something with less output, but more quality. (2 shows a week, but professionally done in a studio, with not more than 30 minutes for the interview, plus an demo if applicable)

  15. CharlieO

    “i’m not sure yet what I’m going to be doing…there’s no deal yet”

    Live from LeWeb where Mr Scoble is currently on stage

  16. cyril attias

    in Live from leweb3 : robert say the deal is not closed 2 options on the table (favorite one is fastcompany).

    so not yet at the fastcompany ;-)

  17. CharlieO

    Proof, if needed (see URL above for image) - citizen journalism baby - here we come!

  18. 113.com

    This deadpool notion is a pretty interesting, and brutal, “virtual reality”.. would wonder if this TC deadpool would one day overflow sometimes down the road, as there would be so many startups that won’t make it before the bubblelet bursts…

  19. Oyvind Solstaf

    Robert says on stage here at LeWeb3 in Paris that Fast Company is one of two options he’s considering. But too me it sounded like he’s on his way to Fast Company.

  20. Ed

    Scoble seems like a nice guy, but the interviews and any of the video postings are boring as hell. If it goes to Fast Company, then hopefully someone there will give it some good direction/writing.

  21. Eliot

    http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Dead_pool

  22. Chris R

    I wonder where the 7.5M went, then I remember stuff like this:

    Scoble wanted to buy several $800 drobos because he was afraid his Mac drives would burn out storing video
    http://scobleizer.com/2007/06/.....our-stuff/
    He didn’t want to use NFS or mount a drive on their office ubuntu machine.

    It seems like they always took the most expensive solution to any problem they had. Most of the stuff that costs valley company millions we do here for free. I’ll continue that when I’m in SF and we have a VC budget thanks to people we’re talking to now. You can be cheapskate on any budget. After about 1.5 years they should still have about 6 million of that 7.5. coach seats, ect…. SHOULD have. shakes head.

  23. sean percival

    Seems like this might be the last straw for podtech.

    Best of luck Robert, let us know what you are doing next when you can.

  24. Steven Livingstone

    I dunno - i quite like the relaxed format of his videos just now.

    I can see why some more formal sessions may be useful but i hope he continues to do some of the less formal videos.

  25. Chris R

    =~ s/company/companies/;

  26. Heath Row

    As a former editor for Fast Company, all I can say is — _man_, I wish I had Scoble on the team while I was there. If it happens, could be exciting for all involved: Scoble, FC, and its readers. Neat stuff.

  27. 113.com

    > http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Dead_pool

    Thanks.. seems a boring game.. :-D

  28. Krish

    Dude Chris .R:

    Why are you so upset about this? Have you invested in Podtech, by any chance? Just curious.

  29. Chris R

    @Krish,

    Everybody has been saying this was going to happen for a year now and Robert kept denying it putting up a brave face. It’s like the Iraqi minister of information when he was saying everything was fine the day before they invaded Bagdad. It was like when Robert was saying Oragami was going to take over our lives, kick us in the ass, then shove the crap ridden shoe down our throats. Or the time he did a video on his “Google theory”.

    The shoe finally dropped for long time observers.

  30. Jessica Mah

    awww Scoble! Best of luck to wherever you go

  31. Granny Arrington

    Scoble, is all crap. What is wrong with folks these days. Get a job - like in the old days. Us white folks have become too lazy and are sitting on our asses.

    We are creating lawyers - they contribute nothing to the economy but elevate the level of mistrust in society.

  32. attorney or lawyer

    smart move

  33. BillyWarhol

    I had the good Fortune of watching Scoble’s BUG Labs Podcast - very interesting + Scoble can think on his Feet! I had to laff reading that while away in London + Paris his Blogging would be “Light”!! The Dude is a Blogging Machine! + a Damn Good Read!

    I remember Fast Company + Red Herring back in the good old DotCom BOOM daze when the Magazines were as Thick as the Vogue Wedding Style Issue!

    :)

  34. fritz

    well this days podtech sucks big time I think it is time they entered the deadpool when they started out I had high expectations from them but i still think this show rocks http://www.pbs.org/cringely/nerdtv/
    I have no idea why there is such a big delay in season 2 :(

  35. ron

    he is just going to destroy another company!

  36. Kikimodo

    Great post #31.

    I think it is time for all you commenters to wake up and read between the lines. Hype only works for a short time (1-5 years max). In the end truth prevails. First we heard about Michael Arrington Edgeio ($5m loss), now Robert Scoble ($7.5 loss)

    Do you commenters learn anything yet? These guys are two of the most popular bloggers on the Internet but the problem is always with the business model and the bottom line. The bottom line for any business is to provide values for its shareholder, generate profit and create something that add values to the society whether directly or indirectly. They both failed to do deliver with Edgeio and PodTech.

    When Robert Scoble & Michael Arrington talk, the blogosphere listen to them now they cannot even translate their hypes into profitable business. In as much technology is good, we cannot just keep creating crappy web 2.0 with no values to anyone with the hope of making $billions some day.

    To me, it is like a stock market, pump and dump or “hype and dump manipulation”. For every successful web 2.0 company, there are 8 failures. I hope you can all learn from the failures and not just from the hypes. Get real with yourself, do your own homework, read between the lines rather than follow their hypes. Think first about your business model can add value and generate profit. Anything other this is MUDA - look it up on Wikipedia

  37. Aidan Henry

    Man oh man… another hit for PodTech. That company is destined for failure…

    Cheers,
    Aidan
    http://www.MappingTheWeb.com

  38. Seth Finkelstein

    @Kikimodo / 36, you speak the truth. An A-lister can put lipstick on a pig, but it’s still a pig.

    On the other hand, the A-listers will be around to try to sell us more pigs in a poke, some future day …

  39. Robert Scoble

    Hi Guys,

    i am not joining Fast Company! actually, i accepted a position at Fat-Camp to start Fat-Camp TV.

    Best,
    ©2007 Robert Scoble

    P.S: also, in my spare time i will be teaching gifted children at Mensa.

  40. thomas

    I wonder who scoble would vote for, between Obama or Bloomberg? Me, I’d vote Bloomberg.

  41. Anthony Brown

    Wow, podtech is toast! Fast Company TV has a nice ring to it, with the weight of the magazine, this could really take off.

  42. Chris R

    “Hi Guys,

    i am not joining Fast Company! actually, i accepted a position at Fat-Camp to start Fat-Camp TV.”

    While I don’t think you should impersonate him, I do think this is interesting.

    http://scobleizer.com/2007/02/.....ll-me-fat/
    static.flickr.com/34/101850677_c347caa62d.jpg

    In another post about social media in summer 2007 he also said he was going to the gym.
    comedycentral.com/press/images/southpark/Cartman1.jpg

    I’m not going to say there is a connection here, but….

  43. Mark Woodman

    “He says?” What’s the source or context? Said to whom, when, where?

    ValleyWag, have you hijacked Arrington’s account?

  44. Brian Andrews

    I don’t follow Scoble that much but I have to say I’ve never been impressed by him. He just seems to spat buzz words and name drop, nothing more.

    This is the guy who complained that the Amazon Kindle doesn’t have social networking…please.

  45. Chris R

    “ValleyWag, have you hijacked Arrington’s account?”
    They’re real life friends I think. They both have extensive flickr photo sets of each other.

  46. Ian Bell

    It blows me away that they went through $7.5million so fast. What the hell was it spent on? This is truly sad…

  47. plopthegeek

    and who cares?

  48. StartupNews.org

    I think it’s time for startup entrepreneurs to tell their own stories rather than letting hype machines speak for you. Techcrunch is great site but I think we all need to learn how to separate hypes from technology trends. Don’t waste your time and money on startup if you have no solid business model.

    You can start with this book from Wharton business school:

    http://knowledge.wharton.upenn.....cleid=1023

    Or share your startup story at: http://www.startupNews.org

  49. drew olanoff

    Sounds like a smart move to me.

  50. ABCota

    As Homer Simpson would say: “I have NO idea who that is”. But from the sounds of it, he seems like the Nick Saban or any college football coach of the blogging world.

    http://sports.espn.go.com/ncf/.....id=2718488

  51. Ronald Lewis

    Keep in touch, Scoble.

  52. Robert Scoble

    Ian Bell: PodTech has more than 30 employees. I’m far from the only one there. It is about 1/3 sales, 1/3 engineering, 1/3 media development.

  53. Robert Scoble

    Brian Andrews says all I do is name drop. Really? He must not follow me very much, then. I do a link blog and work hours on that every night. I do a video every day (and have for more than a year) at http://www.podtech.net/scobleshow/ — more than 300 interviews up there from across the tech industry including many companies that you read about here on TechCrunch.

    Sometimes I wonder what people like Brian actually do and how they get their weird opinions of what I do.

  54. Rob La Gesse

    I wonder what happens to Maryam when Robert leaves. That was kind of a package deal for PodTech, I thought.

    Ah well, time will tell. Maybe she’ll be able to be a stay at home mom for a few years.

    Rob

  55. Lionel Menchaca

    Best of luck to you, Scoble. Look forward to hearing more after it develops.

  56. TDavid

    Wonder if Podtech will nuke Scoble’s videos after he leaves like they did to Loren Feldman.

  57. Jim

    @52. Robert, do you read your own blog? It seems not a post goes by where you are not saying, “I was at (insert event here) where I was talking with (insert name here) who is (insert very important title here), and in case you don’t know (insert why person is important here),…..

    It’s either that or it’s “I will be attending (insert event here) where I will be (insert activity here).

    Point is, a lot of your posts center around YOU.

  58. Shelley

    Was this a planted story? It sounds like Scoble is negotiating between companies. If so, this very much sounds like a deliberately planted story in order to alter the effect of those negotiations.

  59. Mike Cane

    So all you people commenting here. Tell me when was the last time you listened to a podcast.

    Yeah, I thought so.

    Me neither!

    Next hype!

  60. Mike Cane

    >>>I will let everyone know on January 15th what I do.

    Oh god. Must you?

  61. Greg

    @56 Is there a big problem with centering his posts around him? Apparently people are reading it or his sponsors wouldn’t give him the check every month. What works, works.

  62. Simon Brocklehurst

    Good luck to Scoble on Jan 15, whichever opportunity he decides to pursue. I look forward to seeing the new stuff he does.

    BTW - Chris R, do you know you’ve posted nine out of fifty three comments on this post, so far?! What’s with all the negativity?! Sometimes, circumstances change, and people’s plans change…

  63. Y P

    Scoble: “PodTech has more than 30 employees. I’m far from the only one there. It is about 1/3 sales, 1/3 engineering, 1/3 media development.”

    What does Podtech engineer ? That website sure look like some engineer designed it

  64. Jason

    If they ever make a movie about Scoble (…not a great idea, I guess) Phillip Seymour Hoffman has to play him…

  65. Ivan Pope

    I thought Fast Company was in the deadpool? Shows what I know.

  66. Chris R

    “BTW - Chris R, do you know you’ve posted nine out of fifty three comments on this post, so far?! What’s with all the negativity?! Sometimes, circumstances change, and people’s plans change…”

    I dunno. I guess I take all my 9 posts back. I was just sick of Scoble. He’s a little pathetic, but so are most of us I guess. My bad.

  67. insider

    Scoble was all about himself. Whoever hires him beware he will only promote himself. He’s a selfish blogger and a terrible teamplayer.

    As for Podtech they always seem to be dying. Guess what bloggers they are making money in the boring b2b space.

    Maybe they die or prove all the people wrong.

  68. June

    Chris R.

    Get a life and quit posting so much here. You have been slammed by tons already for your need to contuously be heard on this blog …..so what will it take for you to focus on your company instead of wasting your time and everyone elses?

    Come on. Grow up and focus on your company

  69. Benarsi Kaka

    There was a time Charlie Weiss seemed like a genius too

  70. Yankee Fan

    A-Rod is pathetic and he proved that this year with the Yankees. Scoble is the A-Rod of blogging except without the MVP talent. Trying to hype up his situation. He confirms on twitter “I’m at PodTech until January 14, 2008. After that? The deal hasn’t been signed yet, so we’ll announce it on January 15th.”

    Scoble you’ll never win the ‘big one’. I’m sure while you’re at Fastcompany that you’ll be the first Google, Facebook, and other big tech companies want to call. Yawn. At least at PodTech they had an edge to their approach up until this past spring.

    or wait - maybe the Terrel Owens of blogging - Sans Sharpie

  71. Bite me

    @67, don’t you know that comments are being censured? Don’t say anything against Robert Scoble & Michael Arrington. TC doesn’t want anyone standing up to its hypes.

    I will suggest you guys read today’s wall street journal and read the truth about startup hypes….It’s not all $1.65B (you tube) and $15B evaluation on paper. There are more failures than successes in the new web 2.0 bubble. So I am not surprised with the likes of Edgeio and PodTech losing millions. Bad mouthing and hypes don’t translate to successful business. Focus on the bottom line - add values.

  72. Insider (the real one)

    I used to be a regular listener of Podtech Podcasts when Furier walked around and interviewed interesting entrepreneurs about their companies. Then they raised money from a clueless VC and they started putting out crap just for the sake of having volume (India tech Podcasts anyone?). I subsequently listened to fewer Podcasts. Recently I unsubscribed to all of their Podcasts and don’t seem to have been alone in doing so. If it ever goes back to Furier walking around again with a recorder I’ll probably resubscribe.

  73. Rex Dixon

    Congrats on the job change Robert!

    Rex

  74. Thomas Crampton

    I just posted this interview with Robert that was done a few hours ago immediately after he announced his departure from Podtech. Robert speaks about his future plans.

    http://www.thomascrampton.com/.....t-company/

  75. Robin Wauters

    at #57 (jim): a personal blog that has posts which center around the person that actually writes the blog?

    The audacity!

  76. Jim

    @75. Point is the “name dropping” to “here’s what I think” ratio is pretty high on the name dropping side. Sure it’s a personal blog. But he rarely fails to remind us how connected he thinks he is.

  77. Aniq Rahman

    The title may as well have been “Scoble is gone. PodTech Dead.”

  78. gilltots

    mike you gonna hire scoble? did you think about it? discuss.

  79. G

    Eh, serves the VC idiots right. They’ll chase these tech pseudo celebrities with their half-baked ideas, repeated failures, and lack of a business model with trucks full of cash.

    Sure, they’ll get “celebrated” by sites like TechCrunch for a short time, but they’ll never see a return on investment.

    Suckers.

  80. StartupNews

    @79 - Well said. No one can said it better than this. You know these guys really well.

  81. Steve Young

    Just listened to the above inteview.For the sake of his family he should not start his own business. He appears to have no plan

  82. Robert Scoble

    I just wrote about my decisions here: http://scobleizer.com/2007/12/.....-business/

  83. Steve Ballmer

    Scoble an overrated hack without MS credentials!

    http://fakesteveballmer.blogspot.com

  84. Rob

    Your deadpool link goes back to Scoble… Hmm. Is this some type of predicament. Lame.

  85. Andy

    Seems a particularly self-centred way to break this story while Scoble was onstage - you could have done it before or after and offered his the courtesy of letting him know you were doing it.

    It seems increasingly TC is about TC and Arrington’s ego not about reporting the news…

  86. Steve Ballmer

    “It seems increasingly TC is about TC and Arrington’s ego not about reporting the news…”

    I heard him say “ouch” all the way up here in Redmond!

  87. Brian Andrews

    Robert,

    I admitted that I don’t follow you much. I’ve read your blog and I’ve heard you on TWIT podcasts. I don’t mean to offend, but I personally don’t like your style. To me there is just way to much self promotion. Again, YMMV.

    As for me and why I don’t have hours to dedicate to following you…during the day I work in corporate IT as a tech architect. At night I am doing the startup thing with http://www.hungryflix.com (there is my shameless self promotion plug).

  88. G

    My god, is every post here filled with comments like this?

    “Hi, I have some inane opinion without any real weight.

    PLUG”

    Brilliant community. A bunch of snake oil salesmen without a sucker to sell to. Quite sad.

  89. Andreas Gerads

    Michael, why didn`t you hire Robert to start TC-TV?!?