(The picture makes sense once you read to the end). A former MeeVee employee emails in to say that he hasn’t received his 2008 tax forms from the company, and that no one will pick up the phone to say when he might receive them. We emailed Brad Greenspan, the CEO of parent company LiveUniverse (MeeVee was acquired in May 2008) for a comment. His response: “LiveUniverse is in business” (not what we asked, but good to know), and “…we haven’t had any meevee employees active in a few months as we consolidate operations of that website with a few others.”
We speculated on the health of the parent company last month after a number of high profile outages and claims by employees and business partners that they were going unpaid, but Greenspan insists LiveUniverse remains a going concern.
Always a colorful character, Greenspan (who made $48 million in the 2005 sale of MySpace to News Corp.) also sent us a few unsolicited follow up emails this evening, pointing to a presentation on a company that he invested in called Borba that sells beauty products, and saying that he’s “working on a rival to techcrunch…..so many pretty little users that can be sold at a high cpm…..yum yum….give me some.” In another email, Greenspan sent naked pictures of a woman with the message “OH AND MY CURRENT GIRL FRIEND. PLAYBOY BUNNY. RECENTPICS SHE PASSED ME THAT WERE PUBLISHED RECENTLY. SO IM SURESHE WONT MIND ME PASSING THEM TO YOU BIG GUY!!!”
Ever dutiful to our readers, we post a headshot of one of the photos Greenspan sent us above (it’s worth repeating that he sent these as a response to our question of whether MeeVee was still in business). For the rest, I guess you’ll have to go to Playboy.
Back to MeeVee, though: It looks like it’s in the DeadPool.
Eric,
Very inconsiderate of you not to include all the complete photos. Some of us are too cheap to pay for Playboy.
,dave
second it!
Another company down the drain…
TechFilipino
hi i love you love you
This guy is a regular at http://f2bb.com
i see sand http://groups.im/
I never thought I would ever say this in a post but
WTF?
what a jerk.
I was thinking it was more “creepy.”
neither. he’s just a very, very colorful guy.
welcome back, michael
You’re defending this guy?
wb michael
Obviously Greenspan knows something we don’t.
Wow, TechCrunch turns into ValleyWag on Viagra (getting a boner over the smallest things). We now see the advent of news as a sport. LOL.
I suggest Twitts at 10 paces guys. I need to call Brad and suggest he not send you guys anything. This reminds me of the character assasination stuff Jimmy was subjected to http://valleywa...nd-on-wikipedia
I think people should care less about the slip ups or “rumor” about innovators and more about their successes to be honest. Brad has done some amazing things to help people and to try and elevate businesses as well. Taking risks is part of the game as you know Mike.
Since we are being all transparent and “gummy” about the behind the scenes, I wonder if I should tell my world (and yours too) about a how a client I had tried everything but para sailing over your home just to get you to follow up on a deal, but could not reach you atop that pedestal – then -suddenly- I introduced the CEO to someone you knew personally – and Poof! – They become the wonder child of TC.
In the first place Eric and Michael (and other overlords of the green machine) if you are going to do a post like this on a publication as notable as TC (or a High School annual for that matter), you should show the original (names blocked out) variant in context. Let’s see all of them and let the truth be told – then we can decide what is what.
Engadget just cost Apple about $4 billion “so they say” because of some email from an insider that was never posted. WTF is right – whoever up there said that. Personally, I could care less if Brad or Jimmy are doing the whole Dallas Cowboy Cheerleader squad as if they create things that help people and do more harm than good. It is none of your business – our business is technology and how it benefits or can benefit people. This is so beneath you guys, or at least I thought so.
I honestly don’t believe he sent you guys this any way. More importantly, if you guys would go back to the old TC and be enthusiastic of innovation (all innovation not just your buddies), the blosophere would be a better place. People rely on you guys. WTF is this? I think you are driving down the PCH with the top down too long.
What happened to the receptive Mike Arrington? Where is the class in this man? You used to care about stuff, I know you did. We used to test the same betas man…you were the only “hot shot” tech guru who actually went there himself and got immersed in the beauty of the creativity, the real value for people …I raced with you to see who could relate the story best “not like Pete grabbing screens for the quick news”, but really interested.
Now you unleash the dogs pursuing some other agenda I guess. This is how it appears to me any way. Good God, we all looked up to you man. It is so important for the tech world to know you had a pissing contest with Brad Greenspan Eric…I understand. Maybe you should offer advice to Greenspan and others? Well, I am off the podium now, but I just want to say in conclusion that people, all people, should look in the mirror every morning….and ask; “Did I do any good today?” Did this article do any good for anyone? How many of late have?
Always,
Phil Butler
Hey Brad, I know you posted here as Stone on the thread about Tom Anderson’s age. I currently work as a software programmer here in LA. I live in Culver City.
Um, I am still looking for investments in my mobile project. Please just click my name if you want details.
You can get a hold of me at soeet.com@gmail.com
if you are interested. I have a fully working Android enterprise app and an iPhone version that is partially done.
I am still adding features but my coworkers seem to think it’s really cool. The entire backend is Zend Framework with MVC, but full MVC, the kind that is implemented automatically by Zend Studio when you start an MVC project. So it’s fully extensible and managable. It’s also scalable behind Varnish. All the server 2 mobile stuff is XML.
I think it could be a good addition to city space.
I’m assuming you remember who I am? I hope you do anyway.
oh, one more thing,
“OH AND MY CURRENT GIRL FRIEND. PLAYBOY BUNNY. RECENTPICS SHE PASSED ME THAT WERE PUBLISHED RECENTLY. SO IM SURESHE WONT MIND ME PASSING THEM TO YOU BIG GUY!!!”
Erick Schonfeld, please post these. He gave them to you so you could post them right?
I think that in doing this, Brad wants to show that he ultimately beat his nemesis, Chris DeWolfe who was going out with Paris Hilton.
Good show, you beat him.
Please consider my offer or get a hold of me for a demo or details.
This falls well within the FACEBOOK we-own-every-freaking-thing-you-send-us” policy.
Please post the pics!!!!
For some of us, that is as close as a personal relation with a hottie as we will get.
Please be compassionate!!!!
Seems like a bit of mud slinging really.
Greenspan used to get hazed back at UCLA all the time. Could explain a few things.
hi i love you plass
Brad we love your style, please forward those pics onto tips@lalawag.com for proper publication.
Come on, just look at the guys’ picture. Greenspan’s lame facial hair and metal bracelet practically scream “TOOL!”
Drop him in the DeadPool and let’s all move on to the news.
Au contraire, the bracelet and spray-tan tells me that this is a guy who knows what he wants and isn’t afraid to fuck the world over to get it!
I take away two things from this post.
1) Greenspan is NUTZ
2) Chick in photo is HOT!
This is a good example of why you should not smoke some “San Francisco blue-grass” just before sending emails.
A new addition to the Techcrunch family of web blogs could be Titcrunch, Crunchgirl, MILFBase or something of the sort. Naked ladies with iPhones, naked MILFS with Twitter accounts….
PLease share the pics you got, dude!!!
No, please visit the AVN website for your needs there
Was this post edited without it being mentioned?
I feel like I’m missing this conversation…
Is that Pamela Anderson?
Mmm… bunny bunny..
I met Brad a few times and can testify not only to his sanity but to his tremendous business acumen.
Thus it’s easy for me to recognize what Brad has built and been successful at.
Peace & Love Brad!
Brad’s only problem is that he lacks any ability to implement. He has no sense of product development and he happens to be a tremendous asshole.
The site does seem unmanaged.
For the 200,000 who might still be a fan of personalized TV, we’ve replaced it with a cloud-based, crowd-sourced service at http://tv.tEarn.com/ More video, photo, and Twitter chat. Less unresponsive service.
Over 300 shows have been added. Let us know your favorite shows.
For Pamela Anderson fans, visit http://gf.tearn...a-anderson.html. I personally prefer the brainy type like http://gf.tearn...cy-blogger.html
Two words: Coke Aine
Huh, never heard of it. It looks farely lame to me. Good riddance.
In the words of Rick James “Cocaine is a hell of a drug” this guy is out of his mind.
the real question: who is the girl?
Hmmm, okay – now I know there is NO reason for me not to achieve every possible success with f**kwits like this out there. Should be a lesson to all of us – ANYONE can make it.
Monet can’t buy class.
Sure it can, I’m thinking “Water Lilies”
hi
TC is always a welcome diversion from the banality of Monday mornings – today more than ever, thanks for sharing!
Gotta love this.
Two camps. Those SUCKING up to this idiot, and those knocking him. Well I think both camps suck. Here’s why.
Camp sucking up, and that includes MA, just because someone got lucky and invested in ONE major hit (myspace) does not make him / her a genius. Let’s see if they do it again, and so far the jury is looking like this guy can’t get it up again. Especially the playboy bunny part, come on the only reason she’s (assuming she’s real) with a geek like you is because you have some bucks. Will she still be there when those are gone? And the rate at which you are blowing them, they will be gone very very soon.
To the camp that derides him. Have YOU made 48M dollars? Have you made even 1M dollars? If so feel free to continue the bash. If you haven’t then go see how easy / hard it is to make that money before you shoot arrows. He might be an idiot but he’s an idiot who has done better than any of you. Sit back and wait. There will be a bankruptcy article eventually. Seen this before. Big guy makes big money blows it all on… Well chicks and stupid web properties that all fold up in a bad economy. Wait your turn. Right now, I will point out he has the bunny and the cash. You don’t.
Wake up and smell the coffee.
PS MA, stop sucking up. It doesn’t become you.
Somebody with access to his computer?
Oh damn, it’s the plausible deniability bullshit all over again!
This scares me.
Your link to meevee is broken on the widget box
you have to put www.
my 2 cents
This guy is insane I worked for him, what a BIG mess!!
Live and Learn!!
I have since moved on to bigger and better, thank goodness!
douchebag says what?
Quite the Epic post for being techcrunch. Gotto love the guy!
“My company is doing fine, or well.. At least I am doing somone fine, check her out!”
Ha ha, classy?
And he’s never going to get his W-2. Brad doesn’t care.
Last year, employees left with Jangl and Pageflakes (two companies acquired by LU) were moved into the MeeVee offices on Airport Blvd. All the Jangl employees quit. (The ones which much effort was taken to bring back in the first place.) Then all the MeeVee employees quit. Most Pageflakes folks left as well, save a few. No one wants to work for Brad. In September, the 5 or so people left were evicted from the MeeVee offices.
The MeeVee website that is up now is a development copy. Running out of some guy’s garage. They lost the production environment months ago. Why? Surprise, surprise — unpaid hosting bills. Bunch of stuff doesn’t work either, try loading up someone’s profile for example.
Even the core reason for MeeVee’s existence, a TV Guide product, isn’t working. The raw data feed was shut down many months ago. I’ll let you speculate as to why.
It’s been dead for a long, long time. Stick a fork in it.
And don’t forget Brad is the same guy who back in 2000 while running eUniverse “acquired” a one-man company named “JustPigs” which featured wallpapers of hot girls. That’s it. That guy is now Brad’s right hand man. So unsolicited naked pix? Not surprising.
Sounds like someone who is enjoying his fame and fortune. More power to him. Not my style, but hey, live and let live.
Not only is he sniffing cocaine on a daily basis, he is also illegally obtaining prescriptions for other drugs.
The company is doing fine?!? Live Universe’s reputation should be his first clue. Clearly, the drugs are masking reality.
If vengance against his ex-company is what he is after, they have long got the best of him. Just give it up and move on with your life. Give your employees and your vendors a break.
I am in constant contact with current employees (whats left of them). They have no clue I am writing in, but let me tell you…. That guy is probably going to die before the end of this year.
Not only is he delusional, but he honestly thinks that the company is ok??? His employees are barely paid and I know they have been evicted from several of their buildings… Look it up, lawsuits are public info…
Everybody in the world but Brad Greenspan is in on the joke…. He is CLEARLY on drugs and must be living in a cave….
When is someone going to deam this guy a looney and actually put him in rehab or jail? He is not fit to work at a McDonald’s let alone fit to run a company. Myspace obviously saw that.
Here’s a question…. Where did all of Greenspan’s money go?
does anybody know where is oosah?
where is oosah? Anybody has information it?
Greenspan tried to acquire our gaming company back in 2003 when they were eUniverse. Had two conference calls with the guy and determined he is fucking nuts. Wanted to pay us $150,000. We had more than that in the bank.
This post explains everything.
I used to be an employee of one of the companies LiveUniverse acquired. I am not remotely surprised that MeeVee hasn’t received their tax forms. Fortunately I got out right before our company were evicted from our offices (and before we combined our HR departments with LU, so I have my tax forms).
I used to get emails from Brad at 4am, requesting obnoxious things from my team. In fact his emails were so incoherent we would have to have meetings just to interpret his gibberish.
I just want to tell all those still associated with LiveUniverse to get the heck out. That is a sinking ship.
Ya know, even if Greenspan is goofy as Daffy Duck, is it appropriate to make the world’s best tech blog into a National Enquirer? I just received the emails in question…..
It looks like a normal Silicon Valley iPhoney or blackberry to and fro to me. I did not immediately detect snorting sounds from either end of the discussion for my part.
From a Southern boy’s perspective, everyone knows anybody in California is a movie start…am I wrong?
One of the high powered CEO#s out there, on discussing his strategy in depth, came out with; “Phil, the universe is speaking to us man. ” I thought I had been transported back the 70’s or even Woodstock.
My whole point is, “Is this why you started TC Mike?’”
Always,
Phil
I hope that MeeVee will return. I loved that website. Came across this article when searching for some info. I don’t know this for sure, but it looks to me as if maybe his computer or email account is infected by a virus. I could be wrong.
Exactly how high WERE you when you wrote this?
high enough to mistake “tax documents” for what would seem to be yet another paycheck complaint. Sorry Bradley, but the tax stuff has to go out before the end of January. We thought you knew this.
Sorry, Schonfled should be Schonfeld. It was an honest typo, not a slant.
Now my comment is out of context. E. Schonfeld, those emails were real. He may not have posted them but somebody with access to his computer did.
You should have left them up.