Gianroberto Casaleggio
{{short description|Italian businessman (1954–2016)}}
{{use dmy dates|date=November 2016}}
{{Infobox officeholder
|name = Gianroberto Casaleggio
|image = Gianroberto Casaleggio 23 maggio 2014 2.jpg
|caption =
|office = Co-founder of the Five Star Movement
|alongside = Beppe Grillo
|term_start = 4 October 2009
|term_end = 12 April 2016
|predecessor =
|successor2 =
|birth_name = Gianroberto Casaleggio
|birth_date = {{birth date|1954|8|14|df=y}}
|birth_place = Milan, Italy
|death_date = {{death date and age|2016|4|12|1954|8|14|df=y}}
|death_place = Milan, Italy
|death_cause = Brain cancer
|resting_place =
|resting_place_coordinates =
|nationality =
|party = M5S (2009–2016)
|spouse =
|children = 2
|residence =
|alma_mater =
|occupation = {{Hlist|Activist|entrepreneur}}
|profession =
|religion =
|signature =
|website = [http://www.casaleggio.it/ casaleggio.it]
|footnotes =
}}
Gianroberto Casaleggio ({{IPA|it|dʒanroˈbɛrto kazaˈleddʒo}}; 14 August 1954 – 12 April 2016) was an Italian entrepreneur and political activist. He was co-founder and chairman of Casaleggio Associati srl, an internet and publishing company that advises on network strategies. He was editor of Beppe Grillo's blog, and together they founded the Five Star Movement, of which Casaleggio was sometimes called the "guru".{{cite news|url=http://www.lastampa.it/2012/05/26/italia/politica/grillo-e-l-ombra-di-casaleggioil-guru-con-il-mito-di-re-artu-HTkcdZOw3zpCfJ13VuQXYL/pagina.html|title=Grillo e l'ombra di Casaleggio il guru con il mito di Re Artù|newspaper=La Stampa|author=Marco Alfieri|date=26 May 2012|accessdate=19 December 2012|language=it}}{{cite news|url=http://www.ilfattoquotidiano.it/2012/09/08/guru-casaleggio-esce-dallombra-non-decido-io/346592/|title=Il guru Casaleggio esce dall'ombra: "Non decido io"|newspaper=il Fatto Quotidiano|author=Emiliano Liuzzi|date=8 September 2012|accessdate=20 December 2012|language=it}}
In the Italian context, Casaleggio promoted the Web as a medium for political communication.{{Cite journal|last1=Natale|first1=Simone|last2=Ballatore|first2=Andrea|date=2014-01-01|title=The web will kill them all: new media, digital utopia, and political struggle in the Italian 5-Star Movement|url=http://mcs.sagepub.com/content/36/1/105|journal=Media, Culture & Society|language=en|volume=36|issue=1|pages=105–121|doi=10.1177/0163443713511902|s2cid=73517559 |issn=0163-4437|access-date=14 April 2016|archive-date=29 November 2016|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20161129020210/http://mcs.sagepub.com/content/36/1/105|url-status=dead|hdl=2318/1768935|hdl-access=free}}
Biography
Born in Milan, Casaleggio began his career working at Olivetti, then, in the late 1990s, became CEO at Webegg, an internet consulting company. Webegg suffered heavy losses (over €20 million) in the period 2002–2003, and Casaleggio was replaced as CEO in 2003 by Giuseppe Longo.{{cite news|url=http://www.milanofinanza.it/giornali/preview_giornali.asp?id=1113780&codiciTestate=7&sez=giornali&testo=italia&titolo=Telecom%20Italia%20rinuncia%20al%20controllo%20di%20Webegg|title=Telecom Italia rinuncia al controllo di Webegg|newspaper=MF Milano Finanza|date=6 April 2004|language=it|access-date=22 July 2013|archive-date=3 March 2014|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20140303180159/http://www.milanofinanza.it/giornali/preview_giornali.asp?id=1113780&codiciTestate=7&sez=giornali&testo=italia&titolo=Telecom%20Italia%20rinuncia%20al%20controllo%20di%20Webegg|url-status=dead}} In 2004, Casaleggio founded Casaleggio Associati, an internet consulting company that carries out research on e-commerce in Italy and whose findings are presented at a conference held in Milan every spring (since 2006).
Casaleggio Associati became the editor of Beppe Grillo's blog in 2005, as well as of some of Grillo's books. Casaleggio Associati was also editor of the web-blog of Antonio Di Pietro until 2010,{{cite news|url=http://www.ilmessaggero.it/primopiano/politica/grillo_di_pietro_idv_ingroia_elezioni/notizie/229338.shtml|title=Grillo-Di Pietro, il piano per le elezioni"Ingroia candidato premier"|author=Ettore Colombo|newspaper=Il Messaggero|date=3 November 2012|accessdate=5 November 2012|language=it|archive-date=5 November 2012|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20121105210139/http://www.ilmessaggero.it/primopiano/politica/grillo_di_pietro_idv_ingroia_elezioni/notizie/229338.shtml|url-status=dead}} and the website of Chiarelettere, an editor, until 2013, when he was dismissed following disagreement over the editorial strategy.{{Cite web|url = http://www.vanityfair.it/news/italia/13/07-%281%29/08/casaleggio-grillo-chiarelettere-fatto-quotidiano-cadoinpiedi|title = Il guru dimezzato|newspaper = Vanity Fair|author = Francesco Oggiano|date = 8 July 2013|accessdate = 8 July 2013|language = it|url-status = dead|archiveurl = https://web.archive.org/web/20130712033600/http://www.vanityfair.it/news/italia/13/07-(1)/08/casaleggio-grillo-chiarelettere-fatto-quotidiano-cadoinpiedi|archivedate = 12 July 2013|df = mdy-all}}{{cite news|url=http://www.ilgiornale.it/news/interni/quando-travaglio-c-mandarono-quel-paese-guru-cinque-stelle-854855.html|title=Quando Travaglio & C. mandarono a quel paese il guru a cinque stelle|newspaper=il Giornale|author=Paolo Bracalini|date=12 November 2012|accessdate=19 December 2012|language=it}}
Casaleggio died on 12 April 2016 in Milan, at the age of 61, after a long period of illness.{{cite web|url=http://www.corriere.it/politica/16_aprile_12/m5s-morto-gianroberto-casaleggio-628f6308-0088-11e6-8701-d21ef4c79bc6.shtml|title=M5s, è morto Gianroberto Casaleggio Fotostoria{{!}} Le frasi {{!}} I video|accessdate=14 November 2016|work=Corriere.it|date=12 April 2016 |language=it}}
Family
After Gianroberto's death, his son Davide was appointed to replace him as president of Casaleggio Associati.Horowitz, Jason, [https://www.nytimes.com/2016/12/12/world/europe/with-success-comes-dissension-in-italys-five-star-movement.html "With Success Comes Dissension in Italy’s Five Star Movement"], New York Times, 12 December 2016. Retrieved 2016-12-12.
References
{{Reflist}}
Sources
- {{in lang|it}} [http://www.beppegrillo.it/movimento Five Star Movement]
- {{in lang|it}} [http://www.casaleggio.it Personal website]
- {{cite news|url=https://www.theguardian.com/world/2013/jan/03/italy-five-star-movement-internet|author=John Hooper|title=Italy's web guru tastes power as new political movement goes viral|newspaper=The Guardian|date=3 January 2013}}
- {{cite news|url=https://www.independent.co.uk/news/world/europe/italys-web-politicians-post-their-dystopic-vision-8563112.html|author=Peter Popham|title=Italy's web politicians post their dystopic vision|newspaper=The Independent|date=7 April 2013}}
{{Authority control}}
{{DEFAULTSORT:Casaleggio, Gianroberto}}
Category:Businesspeople from Milan
Category:Politicians from Milan