“As The New York Times reported, we are
the marketplace in the ancient style: chaotic,
unruly and vividly human.”—Craig Newmark
GENE X HWANG/ORANGE PHO TOGRAPHY
don’t view ourselves as competing with anyone, says, has been to get serious about the operation. In No frills: Craig Newmark and
because we’re a community service.” early 2000, he hired a CEO, Jim Buckmaster, a CEO Jim Buckmaster operate
refugee from a now-defunct dot-com called Credit- craigslist out of a Victorian
Share and share alike Land. Even so, craigslist is nearly all-consuming, home in San Francisco.
The Web site, with its informal, Spartan says Newmark.
design—sans advertising—is a widely recognized He remains committed to his original mission,
international portal, servicing residents of 190 cities which stems from his family’s Jewish ethics. “That’s
in 35 countries. Newmark credits the site’s vitality, the tone I set. I operated on the values I learned as a
ease of use, customer service and personal attention kid. I’d like to be more cynical, but the Golden Rule
as the reasons for its success. really works. It started off with the ethos that people
“It’s real, lively and very human and very effec- generally share. Sometimes we have difficulty fol-tive,” Newmark says. The site, he adds, encourages “a lowing through, but pretty much everyone believes
really good culture of trust.” And, from a practical in helping other people. Another way of putting it is
perspective, it’s where millions of people get help we want to give people a break and we want every-with everyday needs like housing and jobs. one to give everyone else a break.”
mpemrboerfile
With all those employees and overhead from its
office within a Victorian home in San Francisco’s A geek gives back
Inner Sunset neighborhood, craigslist does have Newmark’s brief craigslist bio describes him as
expenses. It generates revenue by charging $75 a hard-core Java and Web programmer “who grew
for each help-wanted ad in San Francisco and $25 up wearing a plastic pocket protector and thick
in New York and Los Angeles. “We may expand black glasses, taped together, the full nerd cliche.”
that very slowly to other cities,” Newmark says, Originally from Morristown, New Jersey, he grew up
“but we’re going to stay a mostly free site—about 99 in a home with modest finances. He was 13 when
percent free.” his father died. He is a loyal son: The craigslist sec-
Although the company does not disclose tion called “About us/craigslist team” includes an
revenues, recent reports suggest $7 million to $10 interview with his mother, Joyce Newmark, as well
million, which Newmark will neither confirm nor as some of his childhood photographs.
deny. He does, however, disagree with assessments Newmark left Morristown for college at Case
that the site has grown quickly. “We’re slow,” he says, Western Reserve University in Cleveland, Ohio.
“but sure.” After earning a bachelor’s degree in 1975 and a mas-
Thebiggestcraigslistchangeovertime,Newmark ter’s in computer science in 1977, he started his
Name: Craig Newmark
Member since: 1999, after
craigslist.org incorporated
Contact: 1381 Ninth Ave.,
San Francisco, CA 94122
Web:
www.craigslist.org
Blog:
www.cnewmark.com
Comments about Costco:
“Costco has good, honest
deals, like the LCD TV I just
bought. I am now considering
a Vizio TV, a 50-inch plasma,
since I want a bigger TV than
my CEO. My mom, in
Morristown, New Jersey,
loves the hot dogs.”
