When was Ars Technica founded and by whom?
Ars Technica was founded in 1998 by Ken Fisher and Jon Stokes. Fisher served as editor-in-chief and worked from his parents' house in Boston; Stokes contributed from Chicago.
Questions about Ars Technica
Short answers, pulled from the story.
How much did Condé Nast pay to acquire Ars Technica?
Condé Nast Digital paid $25 million on the 19th of May 2008 to acquire Ars Technica along with Webmonkey and HotWired. The three sites were purchased together as a single deal.
What does the name Ars Technica mean?
Ars Technica is a Latin phrase meaning "Art of Technology." The founders chose the name to reflect the site's focus on computer hardware, software, and technology coverage.
What happened when Ars Technica blocked ad blocker users in 2010?
On the 5th of March 2010, Ars Technica blocked readers using Adblock Plus for one day, then lifted the block and published an article by Ken Fisher urging readers not to use ad blockers. The day after the article appeared, 25,000 readers whitelisted the site and 200 subscribed to Ars Premier.
What is the Ars Technica subscription service called?
Ars Technica's paid subscription service is now called Ars Pro and Ars Pro++, previously known as Ars Premier. The service has been available since 2001 and removes advertisements while providing access to exclusive articles and forum features.
Why was Benj Edwards fired from Ars Technica?
Benj Edwards, Ars Technica's senior AI reporter, was fired in March 2026 following the publication and same-day retraction of an article that contained AI-fabricated quotes falsely attributed to a software maintainer. He was one of two journalists dismissed over the incident.