Arianna Huffington

Arianna Huffington (born Arianna Stassinopoulos; July 15, 1950) is a Greek-American author, syndicated columnist, and businesswoman. She is best known as the co-founder of The Huffington Post, which she sold to AOL for $315 million in 2011. She currently serves as founder and CEO of Thrive Global, a behavior change technology company focused on well-being and productivity.

Early Life and Education

Greek Origins

Arianna Stassinopoulos was born in Athens, Greece, on July 15, 1950. Her father, Konstantinos Stassinopoulos, was a journalist and management consultant; her mother, Elli Georgiadi, was a homemaker who encouraged Arianna's ambitions from an early age.

Growing up in a one-bedroom apartment in Athens, Huffington later described her mother as the most influential person in her life, crediting her with instilling the belief that "failure is not the opposite of success, it's a stepping stone to success."

Education

At age 16, Huffington moved to England to study. She attended Girton College at the University of Cambridge, where she earned a Master's degree in Economics in 1972.

At Cambridge, she became the first foreign-born student—and only the third woman—to serve as president of the prestigious Cambridge Union debating society.

Personal Life

First Relationship: Bernard Levin

In her early career in London, Huffington had a nine-year relationship with British journalist Bernard Levin, who was 22 years her senior. The relationship ended when Levin refused to marry or have children.

Marriage to Michael Huffington

In 1986, she married Michael Huffington, a Republican oil heir and politician from Texas. The couple moved to Santa Barbara, California, where Michael ran for Congress in 1992, winning election to the U.S. House of Representatives. During this period, Arianna was a staunch conservative, advising Newt Gingrich and appearing as a conservative commentator.

The couple had two daughters:

• Christina Arianna Huffington (born 1989)
• Isabella Diana Huffington (born 1991)

The couple divorced in 1997. In 1998, Michael publicly came out as bisexual, something Arianna has stated she was unaware of during their marriage.

Political Evolution

Originally a conservative Republican who actively campaigned for her husband, Huffington underwent a dramatic political transformation in the late 1990s, becoming a prominent progressive voice. She ran as an independent in the 2003 California gubernatorial recall election, withdrawing before the election and endorsing Arnold Schwarzenegger.

Career

Early Career as Author and Commentator

Huffington's first book, The Female Woman (1974), was a critique of the women's liberation movement, written from a conservative perspective. She went on to write numerous biographies:

• Maria Callas: The Woman Behind the Legend (1981)
• Picasso: Creator and Destroyer (1988)
• The Fourth Instinct (1994)

She became a syndicated columnist and regular television commentator throughout the 1990s.

The Huffington Post (2005-2016)

Founding

On May 9, 2005, Huffington launched The Huffington Post with Kenneth Lerer and Jonah Peretti. The site pioneered the combination of aggregated news, original reporting, and celebrity blogging—a format that transformed online media.

The site attracted high-profile unpaid contributors including politicians, celebrities, and academics eager for the exposure. This model was controversial, with critics arguing the site exploited free labor while generating advertising revenue.

Growth and Controversy

The Huffington Post rapidly grew to become one of the most-read news websites in the world. In 2008, it launched HuffPost Politics, which became essential reading during the Obama campaign.

In 2012, the site won a Pulitzer Prize for a series on wounded veterans—a milestone that legitimized digital journalism.

AOL Acquisition

In February 2011, AOL acquired The Huffington Post for $315 million. Huffington became president and editor-in-chief of The Huffington Post Media Group, overseeing all AOL content. The deal made Huffington one of the richest self-made media moguls in America.

Critics noted that many of the site's unpaid bloggers received nothing from the sale, sparking ongoing debate about compensation in digital media.

Thrive Global (2016-Present)

Wake-Up Call

In April 2007, Huffington collapsed from exhaustion and sleep deprivation, breaking her cheekbone on her desk. This event transformed her worldview, leading her to become an advocate for wellness and work-life balance.

Founding Thrive

In August 2016, Huffington stepped down from The Huffington Post to launch Thrive Global, a behavior change technology company focused on ending the epidemic of stress and burnout.

Thrive Global provides corporate wellness training, a media platform, and technology products including the app "Thrive Reset" designed to help users disconnect from work.

The company has raised over $80 million in funding from investors including Kleiner Perkins, IVP, and Marc Benioff.

Books on Wellness

Huffington has authored several influential books on well-being:

• Thrive: The Third Metric to Redefining Success and Creating a Life of Well-Being, Wisdom, and Wonder (2014) - New York Times bestseller
• The Sleep Revolution: Transforming Your Life, One Night at a Time (2016) - Major bestseller that sparked global conversation about sleep deprivation

Controversies

Unpaid Contributors

The Huffington Post's business model of using unpaid bloggers faced significant criticism. When the site was sold to AOL, a lawsuit was filed by bloggers seeking compensation. Huffington defended the model, noting contributors gained valuable exposure.

Plagiarism Allegations

Her 1988 biography of Picasso faced accusations of plagiarism from other biographers, which Huffington denied.

Political Evolution

Huffington's dramatic shift from conservative Republican commentator to progressive icon drew accusations of opportunism, though supporters viewed it as genuine intellectual evolution.

Awards and Recognition

• Time 100 Most Influential: 2006, 2011
• Forbes Most Powerful Women: Multiple appearances
• Pulitzer Prize: The Huffington Post (2012)
• Guardian Media 100: Named most powerful media figure (2009)

Philosophy

Huffington's current philosophy centers on redefining success beyond money and power to include well-being, wisdom, wonder, and giving. She advocates for:

• Eight hours of sleep per night
• Digital detox and device-free bedrooms
• "Completion" of the workday rather than perpetual availability
• Meditation and mindfulness practices

Notable Quotes

• "We think, mistakenly, that success is the result of the amount of time we put in at work, instead of the quality of time we put in."
• "Failure is not the opposite of success; it's part of success."
• "We need to accept that we won't always make the right decisions, that we'll screw up royally sometimes."

Legacy

Huffington transformed from a controversial conservative commentator to one of the most influential figures in digital media. The Huffington Post model—aggregated content, unpaid contributors, celebrity bloggers—reshaped online journalism despite its controversies.

Her later pivot to wellness advocacy has made her a leading voice on work-life balance and the dangers of burnout culture.

References

• Thrive Global Official Website
• HuffPost (formerly The Huffington Post)
• Time 100 Most Influential People 2011

See Also

• The Huffington Post
• Thrive Global
• Jonah Peretti
• AOL
• Digital media