Ryan Block
Ryan Block | |
|---|---|
| Born | June 25, 1982 San Francisco, California, U.S. |
| Occupation(s) | Entrepreneur, technology writer |
| Years active | 2004–present |
| Known for | Editor-in-chief of Engadget, co-founder of gdgt, co-host of MVP podcast |
| Spouse | Veronica Belmont |
Ryan Block (born June 25, 1982) is an entrepreneur in the technology sector based in San Francisco. He served as the editor-in-chief of AOL’s Engadget prior to co-founding the community platform gdgt. Following the acquisition of gdgt by AOL in 2013, Block resumed leadership of AOL’s product division before departing in 2015 to pursue a new entrepreneurial endeavor.
Together with Peter Rojas, Block co-hosted the technology-focused podcast MVP, which concluded its episodes in October 2016. He currently lives in San Francisco, California with his spouse, Veronica Belmont.
History
Block began his tenure at Engadget as a part-time journalist in June 2004 and transitioned to a full-time role by June 2005. In 2007, he took over as editor-in-chief from the site’s founder, Peter Rojas.
In July 2008, Block announced his exit from Engadget to establish a new business, transferring editorial responsibilities to Associate Editor Joshua Topolsky. On July 1, 2009, he and Rojas launched gdgt with initial funding of $550,000 from Betaworks and True Ventures. gdgt functioned as an interactive forum providing reviews and user-generated answers on numerous gadgets. The company was acquired by AOL in 2013, after which Block returned to AOL before leaving again in 2015.
Comcast support call
In July 2014, Block and his wife attempted to terminate their Comcast service via telephone but faced continuous obstruction throughout an 18-minute conversation. Block recorded the last eight minutes of the call and shared it on Reddit, where it rapidly gained widespread attention. The following day, Comcast issued a formal apology.