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This whole thing with The Markup is frustrating because it looks like it was 100% preventable, just a little infrastructure work could have gone a long way here. @JuliaAngwin, as co-founder, would have had a seat on the Board of Directors (and equity, if it were a for-profit).
Non-profits don't have 'owners' but they do have Directors. A non-profit entity is req'd to have Directors (usually at least 3). Directors are elected for a period of time and govern the organization. Directors usually can't be 'fired' as if they were an at-will employee.
The Markup website says that it's a non-profit news organization, but it's unclear whether The Markup is an entity registered anywhere. The Markup TM reg app lists Susan Gardner as the owner of the trademark, which implies there may be no entity (yet?).
I looked all over The Markup website for any reference to an entity, but couldn't find one. Donations to The Markup are tax-deductible because they have a fiscal sponsor: NEO Philanthropy. NEO Philanthropy is a 501c3 that is receiving donations on The Markup's behalf.
Does a legal entity for The Markup actually exist? If yes, is it a non-profit or a for-profit? If it's a non-profit, who is on the board? If it's a for-profit, who owns it?
If there is no entity and The Markup was the effort of a group of individuals, then is that partnership-by-estoppel and, if so, is Julia a partner? If Julia is a partner, then can she be fired as if she were a regular at-will employee?
BTW I have no special knowledge of any of the inner workings of The Markup, other than the public-facing info. I admire the talented journalists who were working at The Markup. This flame-out was avoidable and is a case study for anyone putting together a media org in the future.
More info will be revealed, but from the outside right now it looks like there’s been a ‘failure to infrastructure’ and perhaps a serious error in judgment in firing a cofounder right before launch. No matter who is involved, that is not a good look for any org.
@mathewi did you ever find out what the company/entity is? "the company’s chief executive" "the first year of the company’s existence" cjr.org/analysis/the-m…
@mathewi This is really something else...
