Craig Newmark: 10 Things You Didn’t Know

If you have ever bought or sold an item on Craigslist or if you have ever found a job posting on the site, you can thank the creator and CEO, Craig Newmark. Recently, it was reported that we have yet another reason to thank Craig. With all of the fake news circulating on social media sites, such as Facebook, Craig decided that it was time to do something about it. He recently contributed $1 million to The Poynter Institute for Media Studies. The money is to fund efforts directed towards general ethics and standards when it comes to reporting the news. The fake news stories that are often going around cause a great deal of controversy. It is Craig’s hope that these stories will finally stop. For most, $1 million is a huge amount of money. For a man as rich as Craig, it isn’t much. If you want to learn more about Craig, read on.

Craig Didn’t Have Much Money Growing Up

Craig grew up in in a small town in New Jersey, called Morristown. When he was just 13 years old, his father passed away. After his father died, his mother struggled to support Craig and his brother Jeff, so she had to sell the family home and move into an apartment.

Craig Did Very Well in School

When Craig was young, he attended a Jewish elementary school. Later, he attended Morristown High School, where he got excellent grades. He did so well, that when he graduated in 1971, he was given a full scholarship to Case Western Reserve University. Since his family didn’t have much money, his scholarship was the only way that he was able to attend college. In 1975, he earned his Bachelor of Science degree. He decided to continue his education, and in 1977, he received his Master of Science degree.

He Moved Around Often Working For IBM

Soon after Craig graduated from college, he got a job working for IBM as a programmer. He worked there for 17 years, and during that time, he was transferred to three times. He worked in the Boca Raton, Florida office, he worked in the Detroit, Michigan office, and he worked in the New Jersey office. According to Craig, moving around so often didn’t bother him at all. He says that he appreciated the new experiences and the opportunity to meet new people within the company.

Craigslist Is Born

In 1993, Craig left IBM to move to San Francisco where he had a job at Charles Schwab. While he was working there, he was introduced to the internet for the first time. This was a time when the internet was commercial free. In his free time, he created Craigslist. It was meant to be a free marketplace where people could connect without being charged. Because it would be a site where users could exchange information as well, it was called an internet commune.

In the beginning, it was just an email distribution list that he sent to friends to feature local events coming up in the San Francisco Bay area. In 1996, he expanded the site and added several other classified categories. As the interest in the site grew, in 2000, he expanded the site to other cities in the United States. Today, you can get on Craigslist in 70 different countries. Over the years, there have been many controversies surrounding Craigslist. The most widely known issues were that Craigslist had an “erotic services” section, and police believed that it promoted prostitution. Also, several people have been killed as a result of answering Craigslist ads.

Asperger’s Syndrome

In a blog written by Craig in 2009, he questions whether or not he has Asperger’s Syndrome, which is a developmental disorder which makes social interaction and nonverbal communication difficult. In his blog, he has stated that the symptoms of the disease are very familiar with the way that he often feels. While he has never been officially diagnosed, he believes that he is on the spectrum.

He Backs the Democratic Party

Craig has a history of donating a great deal of money to democratic candidates. When United States Secretary of State, John Kerry ran for President, Craig backed him. He also donated to Barak Obama’s campaign.

Craig’s Personal Life

In 2012, Craig married a woman named Eileen Whelpley. The couple was married in a lavish ceremony in New Jersey. Today, the couple lives in San Francisco and they don’t have any children.

Craigconnects.

Today, Craig is the CEO of Craigslist, however, his main duties include dealing with spammers and scammers on the site ad running Craigconnects. This is an extension of Craigslist, where he posts a daily blog and lists all of the initiatives and foundations that he is part of. He is very big on donating to a cause if he finds it to be worthy.

Craig Attended the Memorial Service For a Woman Killed

A woman named Katherine Olsen was on Craigslist looking for a job as a nanny. She sent messages back and forth through Craigslist with a woman named Amy. The two set up a time to meet and Katherine went over to the house to meet with Amy and her children. When she arrived, she discovered that the person she was messaging was not a woman named Amy. It was actually a man named Michael Anderson. When she got to the door, Michael came out and shot her with a Ruger .357 Blackhawk revolver. She was killed instantly. Michael was one of the first people to be dubbed, The Craigslist Killer. Craig attended her memorial service. Katherine’s family appreciated the fact that he took the time out of his life to attend.

Craig Newmark Net Worth

Currently, Craig’s net worth is estimated at $400 million. This is huge for him, considering that he grew up without money and his family often had to struggle. Craig Newark’s father passed away when he was just a teenager, and from then on, he lived with his mother and his brother and his mother struggled to support the boys. Craig managed to build an empire and become a millionaire. Today, he shares his good fortune with several charities and non-profit organizations.