How Did Arianna Huffington Become Rich?

Arianna Huffington, born Arianna Stassinopoulos, became wealthy primarily through her work in media, especially the co-founding of The Huffington Post. Here is a summary of her career and the steps that led to her wealth:

1. Author: Arianna Huffington started her career as an author. In the 1970s, she wrote a few well-received books, including a biography of Maria Callas and another of Pablo Picasso. These books were successful and contributed to her income, though they didn’t make her extraordinarily wealthy.
2. Political Commentator: Huffington became a well-known conservative commentator during the 1990s. She made frequent appearances on radio and television shows, and wrote for several major publications. This increased her visibility and helped establish her as a prominent voice in media.
3. Political Activism: In the late 1990s, she started moving away from her conservative views and became more liberal. She became a strong critic of corporate influence in politics and ran as an independent candidate in the 2003 recall election for governor of California. Although she didn’t win the election, her campaign further increased her public visibility.
4. The Huffington Post: In 2005, she co-founded The Huffington Post, a news and blog site that quickly became one of the most widely-read, linked to, and frequently-cited media brands on the Internet. This was a major turning point in her career. The website was unique at the time because it used contributions from unpaid bloggers and focused on aggregation of news from other sources.
5. Sale of The Huffington Post: In 2011, AOL acquired The Huffington Post for $315 million, and Huffington stayed on as the president and editor-in-chief of The Huffington Post Media Group, which included all of AOL’s news and content. It is believed that her net worth increased significantly from the sale.
6. Thrive Global: In 2016, she stepped down from her role at The Huffington Post to start Thrive Global, a company dedicated to health and wellness. While the financial details about Thrive Global are not public, the company has attracted significant investments and partnerships, which likely contributes to her wealth.

While Arianna Huffington’s wealth has been boosted by her entrepreneurial activities, it’s worth noting that her success is also the result of her skills as a writer, her political acumen, and her ability to identify and capitalise on new opportunities in the media landscape.