A star attorney turned investigative reporter doesn't lock down his contracts? Irresponsible.
Mystery investors popping out from nowhere killing a deal with the most influential tech publication in the world? Ridiculous.
This thing reads like Shakespeare.
TechCrunch would lose a huge amount of credibility which would damage their $100m brand, which would be insane. Arrington is not insane.
BUT - what if the guys on the other end are doing it?
The story is being covered EVERYWHERE and at the press conference they plan to show off the tablet - this story will likely be covered by all major news papers.
I'm saying this all with half seriousness, but it's amazing the frequency of reporting on the drama, vs. the previous frequency on the CrunchPad.
It's worth considering for those of us in the start-up world how dynamic this story has become, and how mainstream, when the drama entered the picture.
I don't think a "Hey, we've reached an agreement" post from Techcrunch in the future will fix this damage.
But yeah, it shows how optimism and making deals on trust can blind even those who apparently should know better.
Business, friends, and family. Try not to mix them.