Ben Parr fired from Mashable

Mashable’s prolific editor-at-large, Ben Parr, has parted ways with the leading tech site under circumstances that apparently were less than amicable, reports technology news site AllThingsD.

“Ben Parr is a technology journalist, web entrepreneur and aspiring world changer. He is best-known as the former editor-at-large of Mashable where he focused on technology trends, the companies behind them, and the intersection of technology, media and society. Ben’s 3+ year career with Mashable began when he joined as a writer in August 2008,” reads his Mashable bio.

Parr was rumoured to have been paid US$250 000 cash bonus to stay until July 2012, reports the Business Insider.

Parr’s brand on the site was apparently described as “critical,” and the reason Mashable CEO Pete Cashmore offered him an impressive package to stay.

The digital community got news of Parr’s axing following email notifications from his Mashable account.

“Ben Parr is no longer with Mashable. For all inquiries, please contact Chris Taylor and Lance Ulanoff.”

The business/entertainment news site confirms that Parr was fired on Friday.

Parr also confirmed his departure to AllThingsD, indicating that there would be more to say on the matter. Mashable limited its official response to a single sentence, “confirming the terms of departure were termination.”

Sources close to the matter say the Business Insider’s knowledge of the payout was a breach of contract and led to his axing.

Parr’s usually active Twitter feed has been silent for two days. He has since, however, posted a letter on his personal site, thanking the Mashable team, his friends, family, and fans for their support during his time at Mashable. The letter makes no mention of the circumstances leading to his dismissal:

Dear friends, family, colleagues and supporters,

Friday, November 18, was my last day at Mashable. I want to thank the Mashable team for 3+ amazing years. They truly have been the best years of my life.

I also want to thank everybody who has been part of my journey. Your help and kindness have been constant sources of strength. I don’t know what I would have done without you.

During my time at Mashable, I wrote 2 446 articles, explored the technology world through my column and interviewed everyone from Ashton Kutcher to Mark Zuckerberg.

But most of all, I learned so much from the thousands of entrepreneurs that I have met. I will not forget their struggles, their triumphs and their ideas. I wish I could have written more of their stories. It was a true honor.

As for what’s next: I am considering several opportunities right now and will definitely keep you all posted as to my future plans. I want to leverage the national platform that I have built and use it to help, empower and reach as many people as I can. I’m exploring options in the media world, the entertainment world, the startup world, the venture capital world and elsewhere. But as always, I’m open to suggestions.

I do intend to continue writing and commentating about the technology and entrepreneurial world, though. Therefore, I will continue my Social Analyst column on BenParr.com for now.

I remain an advisor to NerdsUnite Productions, Tracks.by, Code Academy, Women 2.0 and a few other startups. And I am always interested in working with other brilliant entrepreneurs with ambitious business ideas.

As I’ve told many people, the driving philosophy in my life is this: I have the ability and thus the responsibility to change the world for the better. I want to find a way to empower every person on the planet, so they can pursue their dreams. Today begins the next stage of my journey to fulfill that purpose.

If you want to chat, I can be reached at ben[at]benparr[dot]com. My Gchat is also ben[at]benparr[dot]com, and you can find me on Skype as ben_parr. And of course, I can be found on Twitter, Facebook, LinkedIn and Google+.

Thank you all. I know we will have the opportunity to work together to make a dent in the universe.

Cheers,
~ Ben