Gawker Settles in Favour of the Man Who Lied About Inventing Email ⇥ gizmodo.com

Mario Aguilar, Gizmodo:

Two early internet pioneers are expressing sadness and disbelief at the fact that Shiva Ayyadurai, a self-described “world-renowned scientist, inventor, lecturer, philanthropist and entrepreneur” who says he invented “email: the electronic mail system as we know it today,” will receive a $750,000 settlement from Gawker Media, the bankrupt publisher that he sued for defamation earlier this year over a series of stories that, his lawsuit claims, “falsely trace the origin of email and call Dr. Ayyadurai a liar.”

Dr. Ayyadurai claimed to have invented email as a teenager in 1978, even though Ray Tomlinson sent the first email in 1971. Gawker Media probably figured it was cheaper to pay out than to continue fighting — something that’s especially important now that they’re bankrupt. Peter Thiel’s crusade against Gawker keeps racking up some pretty ridiculous beneficiaries.