The latest casualty of the Ashley Madison hacking scandal? The company’s CEO, Noel Biderman. The executive, who actually runs Ashley Madison’s parent company, Avid Life Media, has stepped down following what is possibly the largest public airing of dirty laundry in the history of the Internet. In a statement posted on Avid Life Media’s website, the company explains, “This change is in the best interest of the company and allows us to continue to provide support to our members and dedicated employees. We are steadfast in our commitment to our customer base. We are actively adjusting to the attack on our business and members’ privacy by criminals.”
While the company describes the decision as a “mutual agreement,” the considerable drama that has surrounded the melee thus far certainly leaves plenty to the imagination regarding the nature of Biderman’s departure.
The now ex-CEO himself was himself on the list of leaked users of the site, with the records revealing that he had multiple extramarital affairs, one of which lasted at least two years. But given that he served as the head of a company whose motto was “Life is short. Have an affair,” this doesn’t seem to be particularly shocking news. At least he believed in his own product.
Biderman has been at the helm of Ashley Madison for nearly a decade — he previously served as the chief operating officer of Ashley Madison’s old parent company, before moving into the role of president when Avid Life Media took over the adultery site. He has served as CEO since 2010, and in his lengthy tenure in the cuckolding industry, has earned the nickname, “King of Infidelity.” Probably not something you’d want on a tombstone, but hey, to each his (or her) own.
37 million Ashley Madison users have been exposed since the hack, which has created a veritable media maelstrom and an offer of 500,000 Canadian dollars as a reward for information related to those responsible for the huge data breach.