Noel Biderman, the CEO at the helm of Ashley Madison's parent company, has stepped down as the business faces a class-action lawsuit over leaked data.
Avid Life Media, which operates AshleyMadison.com and CougarLife.com among other brands, announced that Biderman, who founded the cheating website, is no longer
leading the company, effective Friday, The Guardian reported.
Described on Avid Life's website as "the most hated man on the Internet" or the "King of Infidelity," Biderman founded Ashley Madison in 2002, naming it after the most popular female baby names that year in belief that the Internet would help expand "female infidelity." Avid Life acquired the company in 2007 and appointed Biderman president and CEO.
The Guardian said Biderman resigned after a third posting of leaked emails this week, primarily from Biderman's personal Gmail account. The emails reportedly suggested that he had affairs, although he has denied that emphatically in the past. Biderman and his wife, Amanda Biderman, co-founded the Ashley Madison company, and in a
Thursday article, the Daily Mail said the two have claimed that their marriage is strong.
The New York Daily News reported that Amanda Biderman has said in interviews that she would be "devastated" if she found out her husband was having affairs.
The couple appeared on "The View" in 2013. On the show, Noel Biderman said that he thinks cheating can make a marriage stronger. But his wife disagreed, saying that it is absolutely "devastating."
"In general, it's a destructive thing. I have traditional values, and I live in a traditional marriage with Noel," she said on the program.
In a statement on its website, Avid Life Media said, "This change is in the best interest of the company and allows us to continue to provide support to our members and dedicated employees. We are steadfast in our commitment to our customer base."
Until the announcement of a new CEO, the senior management team will lead the company.
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