Arianna Huffington

Arianna Huffington

  • DOB:

    July 15, 1950

  • Age:

    74

  • Country:

    United States

  • Resides:

    New York

  • Hometown:

    Athens, Greece

  • Known For:

    Founder of Thrive Global and Huffington Post

  • Education:

    University of Cambridge

Summary

Updated

Arianna Huffington is a media entrepreneur, author, and advocate for well-being in the digital age. As the founder of The Huffington Post and Thrive Global, she’s been named to Forbes’ list of “Most Powerful Women” and Time Magazine’s “Most Influential People.” Huffington is the author of 15 books, including The New York Times’ bestseller Thrive: The Third Metric to Redefining Success and Creating a Life of Well-Being.[1] As of June 2023, Arianna Huffington’s net worth is estimated at $100 million.[2]  

Achievements

  • Founder and CEO of Thrive Global
  • Authored 15 books
  • Co-founder of Huffington Post

Related People

About Arianna Huffington

Arianna Huffington was born in Athens, Greece, on July 15, 1950.[3] Her birth name is Ariadnē-Anna Stasinopoúlou. Her father, Konstantinos Stasinopoulou, was a journalist and management consultant,[4] though Huffington was raised by her mother, Elli Stasinopoulou, after her parents separated when she was eleven years old.[5] Huffington has one sister, Agapi Stasinopoulou, who is an author and speaker.[4]  

At age 16, Huffington left Greece to attend Cambridge University in the UK.[1] At Cambridge, she became the president of the Cambridge Union, the school’s debate club. She graduated with an M.A. in economics in 1972.[6] 

Just before graduating from Cambridge, Huffington met renowned author and journalist Bernard Levin, and the two began dating. Because Huffington wanted children and Levin did not, the two separated in 1980. Huffington moved to New York City after the breakup. Though Levin and Huffington never married, she describes him as a major influence in her life, and they remained friends until his death.[7]  

After Levin’s death in 2004, Huffington wrote, “He wasn’t just the big love of my life; he was a mentor as a writer and a role model as a thinker.”[7] 

In 1985, Huffington met her future husband, politician, and billionaire Michael Huffington.[8] They were married the following year and now have two daughters, Christina and Isabella.[9] The couple divorced in 1997.[8] 

Career

Huffington began her career as a writer, publishing two books in the 1970s and contributing several articles to the National Review in the 1980s.[10] [11] She has appeared as a host on several television programs, including Saturday Night at the Mill and Left, Right, and Center.[12] [13]

Huffington has served on numerous boards, including Onex and The B Team, Uber, The Center for Public Integrity, and the Berggruen Institute.[14] [15] [16] 

The Huffington Post

Huffington co-founded the news website The Huffington Post in 2005 with Andrew Breitbart, Kenneth Lerer, and Jonah Peretti.[17] The site was founded as a liberal-leaning alternative to conservative news websites. In 2006, the company raised $5 million in a Series A round of funding.[18] Two years later, it raised another $25 million and received a $100 million valuation.[19] 

In 2011, AOL acquired The Huffington Post for $315 million.[20] Arianna Huffington stayed with the company as editor-in-chief until 2016, when she stepped down to focus on her new venture, Thrive Global.[21] 

Thrive Global

In 2016, Huffington founded New York City-based Thrive Global, a wellness and behavioral change company.[21] Her inspiration for the business came in 2007 after she collapsed due to sleep exhaustion and woke up with a broken cheekbone.[22] 

She says, “After my collapse from sleep deprivation and exhaustion in 2007, I became more and more passionate about the connection between well-being and performance. And as I went around the world speaking about my experience, I saw two things: First, that we’re facing a stress and burnout epidemic. And second, that people deeply want to change the way they work and live.”[22] 

In 2017, Thrive Global reported it had doubled its revenue targets for the year within six weeks of launching.[23] By November 2017, the company was valued at $120 million.[24] Huffington is the CEO of the company and hosts the Thrive Global Podcast.[25] 

Arianna Huffington Books

After writing her first book at age 23, Huffington went on to publish 14 more. While her first book was a criticism of the women’s liberation movement, she has written on topics including artist biographies, political commentary, greek mythology, and health and wellness.[26] [27]  

Here’s a list of Huffington’s books: 

Politics

Huffington was initially known for her conservative political commentary. Earlier in her life, she supported conservative causes and politicians, including Newt Gingrich’s “Republican Revolution.”[28] In 1996, she appeared in Comedy Central’s Strange Bedfellows as the conservative half of the show’s hosts.[29]  

However, Huffington later began supporting Democratic candidates and actively opposing conservative candidates. In 2004, she announced her support of Democrat John Kerry in his presidential campaign.[30]    

In 2003, Huffington ran as an independent candidate in the 2003 California Gubernatorial recall election. After polls showed only about 2% of voters planned to vote for Huffington, she dropped out of the race and encouraged voters to vote against the recall.[31]

During the election, Huffington voiced her disapproval of candidate Arnold Schwarzenegger, saying, “It has become clear to me that the only way to stop a Republican takeover of our state is to vote No on the recall. Because it’s also clear that I am not going to win on October 7, I am withdrawing from the race so that I can devote all my time and energy in the remaining week to defeating the recall— and to defeating the Arnold Schwarzenegger-Pete Wilson forces that are trying to use the recall to hijack our state.”[32]

Arianna Huffington Today

Huffington continues to advocate for health and wellness while operating her company Thrive Global. She is a Top Voice on LinkedIn, where she shares wellness content with her 9.5 million followers. Huffington resides in New York City, New York.[6] 

References

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  1. Arianna Huffington. (2023). Retrieved 27 June 2023, from https://www.ariannahuffington.com/ 
  2. Western, D. (2023). Arianna Huffington Net Worth. Retrieved 27 June 2023, from https://wealthygorilla.com/arianna-huffington-net-worth/ 
  3. Arianna Huffington – Thrive, Quotes & Life. (2020). Retrieved 27 June 2023, from https://www.biography.com/business-leaders/arianna-huffington 
  4. Arianna Huffington Bio: What Is Her Success Story? – Business Chronicler. (2021). Retrieved 27 June 2023, from https://businesschronicler.com/business-bios/arianna-huffington-bio/ 
  5. Clifford, C. Arianna Huffington: Talk to Your Children About Your Struggles. It Allows Them to Understand Failure as a Stepping Stone to Success. (2016). Retrieved 27 June 2023, from https://www.entrepreneur.com/living/arianna-huffington-talk-to-your-children-about-your/275354 
  6. Arianna Huffington | LinkedIn. (2023). Retrieved 27 June 2023, from https://www.linkedin.com/in/ariannahuffington/ 
  7. Huffington, A. The Odd Couple. (2016). Retrieved 27 June 2023, from https://www.huffpost.com/entry/bernard-levin_b_9114200 
  8. Profile: Arianna Huffington. (2016). Retrieved 27 June 2023, from https://www.bbc.com/news/world-us-canada-12385455 
  9. Leive, C. Nast, C. (2013). Christina and Arianna Huffington Break Their Silence on Christina’s Addiction. Retrieved 27 June 2023, from https://www.glamour.com/story/christina-huffington-arianna-b 
  10. Huffington, A. S. (1978). After reason. New York: Stein and Day.  
  11. Albert, M. Arianna Huffington | Biography, Books, & Facts. (2023). Retrieved 27 June 2023, from https://www.britannica.com/biography/Arianna-Huffington 
  12. “Saturday Night at the Mill” Episode #5.2 (TV Episode 1980) – IMDb. (2023). Retrieved 27 June 2023, from https://www.imdb.com/title/tt1784192/ 
  13. Arianna Huffington. (2013). Retrieved 27 June 2023, from https://www.kcrw.com/people/arianna-huffington 
  14. O’Brien, S. (2019). Arianna Huffington departs Uber’s board | CNN Business. Retrieved 27 June 2023, from https://www.cnn.com/2019/07/24/tech/uber-arianna-huffington-off-board/index.html 
  15. Arianna Huffington, Frederic Seegal join Center’s board of directors – Center for Public Integrity. (2011). Retrieved 27 June 2023, from https://publicintegrity.org/inside-publici/arianna-huffington-frederic-seegal-join-centers-board-of-directors/ 
  16. Arianna Huffington – People – Berggruen Institute. (2018). Retrieved 27 June 2023, from https://www.berggruen.org/people/arianna-huffington/ 
  17. Buzzfeed Politics. How Andrew Breitbart Helped Launch Huffington Post. (2012). Retrieved 27 June 2023, from https://www.buzzfeednews.com/article/buzzfeedpolitics/how-andrew-breitbart-helped-launch-huffington-post 
  18. The Huffington Post Gets $5 Million Injection in First Round. (2006). Retrieved 27 June 2023, from https://web.archive.org/web/20200802032748/https://dealbook.nytimes.com/2006/08/08/the-huffington-post-gets-5-million-injection-in-first-round/ 
  19. Blodget, H. Huffington Post Deal: $25 Million At $100 Million Valuation. (2008). Retrieved 27 June 2023, from https://web.archive.org/web/20200802005957/https://www.businessinsider.com/2008/12/huffington-post-deal-25-million-at-100-million-valuation 
  20. Heagy, K., Epstein, J. AOL buys Huffington Post for $315M. (2011). Retrieved 27 June 2023, from https://www.politico.com/story/2011/02/aol-buys-huffington-post-for-315m-048970 
  21. Nayak, M. Arianna Huffington to leave Huffington Post to focus on start-up. (2016). Retrieved 27 June 2023, from https://www.reuters.com/article/us-huffingtonpost-huffington-idUSKCN10M18K
  22. Today is International Women’s Rights Day – OKUN. (2021). Retrieved 27 June 2023, from https://en.okun.be/blog/today-is-international-womens-rights-day-8th-of-march-2021 
  23. O’Reilly, L. Arianna Huffington’s wellness startup launched only 6 weeks ago and has already doubled its revenue targets for 2017. (2017). Retrieved 27 June 2023, from https://sports.yahoo.com/news/arianna-huffingtons-wellness-startup-only-132420293.html 
  24. Swisher, K. Arianna Huffington has raised another $30 million for Thrive Global at a $120 million valuation. (2017). Retrieved 27 June 2023, from https://www.vox.com/2017/11/29/16714392/arianna-huffington-30-million-thrive-global-120-million-valuation 
  25. Thrive Global. (2018). Welcome to the Thrive Global Podcast! – Thrive Global. Retrieved 27 June 2023, from https://community.thriveglobal.com/listen-to-the-thrive-global-podcast/ 
  26. Stassinopoulos, A. (1973). The female woman. New York: Random House. 
  27. 15 Books Written By Arianna Huffington (2023). Retrieved 27 June 2023, from https://www.mostrecommendedbooks.com/books-written-by-arianna-huffington 
  28. Vogel, K., Byers, D. Newt and Arianna: A ’90s story. (2011). Retrieved 27 June 2023, from https://www.politico.com/story/2011/12/newt-and-arianna-a-90s-story-070406 
  29. ‘Strange Bedfellows’ Segment 4: Arianna Huffington And Al Franken. (2011). Retrieved 27 June 2023, from https://www.huffpost.com/entry/strange-bedfellows-segment-4-arianna-huffington-and-al-franken_n_5b4f7ae9e4b0169b6e70a8bc 
  30. Arianna Huffington – The Daily Show with Jon Stewart | Comedy Central US. (2023). Retrieved 27 June 2023, from https://www.cc.com/video/oq5jz1/the-daily-show-with-jon-stewart-arianna-huffington 
  31. The Associated Press. Huffington Drops Out of the California Recall Race (Published 2003). (2003). Retrieved 27 June 2023, from https://www.nytimes.com/2003/09/30/national/huffington-drops-out-of-the-california-recall-race.html 
  32. Arianna Huffington for Governor! : Arianna Shifts Campaign to Defeat the Recall, Arnold and Prop 54. (2003). Retrieved 27 June 2023, from https://web.archive.org/web/20031003185927/http://www.votearianna.com/article.php?id=273 

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