AOL Announces TechCrunch Acquisition, on TechCrunch

After days of speculation, AOL’s acquisition of Michael Arrington‘s TechCrunch is official.  As the media fishbowl attempts to uncover the dollar figure–and former collaborator Jason Calacanis calling Arrington a “sociopath”–we can’t help notice the way it went down.  AOL CEO Tim Armstrong rushed the stage at TechCrunch Disrupt (said to be their best revenue stream) this morning, while the press release headered by his own byline went live on the blog–TechCrunch, not AOL’s.

So does TechCrunch still think AOL’s PR department is clueless?  Arrington will presumably have to work with corporate communications and other departments to ensure smooth integration, as well as receive the most sizable of checks.

Chatter in the PR world will be about whether or not TechCrunch can retain it bigfoot status in the startup media scene, and whether or not founder Michael Arrington’s hardline approach to embargoes and exclusives will hold.  Let us know if you think the deal harkens a kinder, gentler TechCrunch.

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