5 ms·

Couldn't have said it better myself. There hasn't been a more unashamedly biased "reporter" than MG Siegler in recent memory. At least Gruber never tried to be

Couldn't have said it better myself. There hasn't been a more unashamedly biased "reporter" than MG Siegler in recent memory. At least Gruber never tried to be anything approaching legitimate. I don't understand how he could be expected to be even-handed as you would hope a VC managing a large cash pool would be.

tptacek 13y ago
Just some feedback. When I read the first part of your comment, my brain was engaged with what you're saying. "How do we feel about MG Siegler's overlapping careers as investor and writer, and about that trend, and about the TechCrunch legacy, and" thud a Gruber comparison. Then I stopped thinking, because I don't think I can learn anything from someone who thinks John Gruber and MG Siegler are comparable; the only thing they seem to have in common is an appreciation for Apple products. So... your issue is, you don't like Apple fanatics. Got it.
- Androsynth 13y ago
  apple fans who are biased against anything non-apple who both act as journalists (to a differing degree). There are similarities.
  - gallamine 13y ago
    It could be that their bias is a legitimate bias. Or, it could be that it isn't. Rather than attacking someone for a bias, wouldn't it better to prove it by writing about it ... just like they do?
  - mwfunk 13y ago
    I don't think Gruber makes any pretense of acting as an objective journalist at all, he's just a guy that writes about things that interest him. It's true that the things he chooses to write about frequently fall into the "Apple gets this right, everyone else is on crack" category, but (usually) he's got a valid observation to make. If there's any pro-Apple bias, it's in the specific topics that he chooses to write about (things that make Apple look good) as opposed to bias in the content itself. There's a difference between being selective when you choose what to write about and actually being biased in how you present a topic once you've committed to write about it. I think he's guilty of the former but (usually not) the latter. The fact that he spends so much time countering what he sees as invalid criticisms of Apple by market analysts ends up making a huge difference in the mix of topics he covers. I totally think DF would be a lot more interesting if he actually tried to cover a much wider swath of topics and perspectives though. There are weeks on end that are nothing but "claim chowder" articles and harrumphing about dumb analysis by other people, which can be justified sometimes but it seems like he could be doing so much more.
    - Androsynth 13y ago
      I dont find the pretense of acting as an object journalist particularly relevant. Actions speak louder than words. (my point being that MG is less of a journalist than people think, thus making him a fan-blogger like Gruber which is the comparison that this thread originally was about) There is a fine line between blogger and journalist nowadays. In fact its closer to overlapping circles than a hard line. So while you made a good case that DF is more of a blog than a journalism site, I dont think its 100%. If you were to ask me if MG is a blogger or journalist, I would scratch my head and probably answer that he is a blogger who works (worked?) for an opinion-dominated news site. Its hard to separate bloggers from journalists. I dont think Gruber is to blame for that. MG and techcrunch have no qualms about it though.
- ok_craig 13y ago
  They also both seem to have an almost religious belief that anything that isn't Apple is an affront to humanity, especially if it starts with a capital G. That's kinda specific.
corin_ 13y ago
I don't see the problem with a biased person working as a VC, his job is to make money, his opinions are irrelevant (unlike his "journalism" work). I still despise him and think he has no place in Google Ventures, I just don't see his bias coming into it.
w1ntermute 13y ago
Yeah, I can't believe Google would hire someone so critical of their products and services. There's a reason why people say MG stands for Mini Gruber.
- fudged71 13y ago
  Devil's Advocate: incorporating highly critical viewpoints into decision making could potentially make them better overall.
sinnerswing 13y ago
it's not biased if it's true. iPhone > Android ;)

tptacek 13y ago

Just some feedback. When I read the first part of your comment, my brain was engaged with what you're saying. "How do we feel about MG Siegler's overlapping careers as investor and writer, and about that trend, and about the TechCrunch legacy, and" thud a Gruber comparison. Then I stopped thinking, because I don't think I can learn anything from someone who thinks John Gruber and MG Siegler are comparable; the only thing they seem to have in common is an appreciation for Apple products. So... your issue is, you don't like Apple fanatics. Got it.

Androsynth 13y ago
apple fans who are biased against anything non-apple who both act as journalists (to a differing degree). There are similarities.
- gallamine 13y ago
  It could be that their bias is a legitimate bias. Or, it could be that it isn't. Rather than attacking someone for a bias, wouldn't it better to prove it by writing about it ... just like they do?
- mwfunk 13y ago
  I don't think Gruber makes any pretense of acting as an objective journalist at all, he's just a guy that writes about things that interest him. It's true that the things he chooses to write about frequently fall into the "Apple gets this right, everyone else is on crack" category, but (usually) he's got a valid observation to make. If there's any pro-Apple bias, it's in the specific topics that he chooses to write about (things that make Apple look good) as opposed to bias in the content itself. There's a difference between being selective when you choose what to write about and actually being biased in how you present a topic once you've committed to write about it. I think he's guilty of the former but (usually not) the latter. The fact that he spends so much time countering what he sees as invalid criticisms of Apple by market analysts ends up making a huge difference in the mix of topics he covers. I totally think DF would be a lot more interesting if he actually tried to cover a much wider swath of topics and perspectives though. There are weeks on end that are nothing but "claim chowder" articles and harrumphing about dumb analysis by other people, which can be justified sometimes but it seems like he could be doing so much more.
  - Androsynth 13y ago
    I dont find the pretense of acting as an object journalist particularly relevant. Actions speak louder than words. (my point being that MG is less of a journalist than people think, thus making him a fan-blogger like Gruber which is the comparison that this thread originally was about) There is a fine line between blogger and journalist nowadays. In fact its closer to overlapping circles than a hard line. So while you made a good case that DF is more of a blog than a journalism site, I dont think its 100%. If you were to ask me if MG is a blogger or journalist, I would scratch my head and probably answer that he is a blogger who works (worked?) for an opinion-dominated news site. Its hard to separate bloggers from journalists. I dont think Gruber is to blame for that. MG and techcrunch have no qualms about it though.
ok_craig 13y ago
They also both seem to have an almost religious belief that anything that isn't Apple is an affront to humanity, especially if it starts with a capital G. That's kinda specific.

corin_ 13y ago

I don't see the problem with a biased person working as a VC, his job is to make money, his opinions are irrelevant (unlike his "journalism" work). I still despise him and think he has no place in Google Ventures, I just don't see his bias coming into it.

w1ntermute 13y ago

Yeah, I can't believe Google would hire someone so critical of their products and services. There's a reason why people say MG stands for Mini Gruber.

fudged71 13y ago
Devil's Advocate: incorporating highly critical viewpoints into decision making could potentially make them better overall.

sinnerswing 13y ago

it's not biased if it's true. iPhone > Android ;)