Business Insider is a U.S. business and technology news website launched in February 2009 and based in New York City. Founded by DoubleClick Founder and former C.E.O. Kevin P. Ryan, it is the overarching brand in which Silicon Alley Insider (launched May 16, 2007) and Clusterstock (launched March 20, 2008) verticals fall beneath.[clarification needed] The site provides and analyzes business news and acts as an aggregator of top news stories from around the web. Its original works are sometimes cited by other, larger, publications such as The New York Times[2] and domestic news outlets like National Public Radio.[3] The online newsroom currently employs a staff of 50, and the site reported a profit for the first time ever in the 4th quarter of 2010.[4] In June 2012 it had monthly unique visitor count to the website of 5.4 million.[5]
Business Insider has been criticized by bloggers Felix Salmon and Marco Arment for alleged over-aggregation in the way that it publishes third party content directly on its website.[6][7] Business Insider's CEO and Editor-in-Chief Henry Blodget defended the website's aggregation method.[8]
Business Insider hosts industry conferences including IGNITION, which explores the emerging business models of digital media. In January 2012, Business Insider launched BI Intelligence, a subscription research service that provides data and analysis of the mobile industry. The site each year publishes editorial franchises such as the “Digital 100: The World's Most Valuable Private Tech Companies.”