My title at craigslist is "customer service rep and founder," and my customer service role is at least a full-time gig. A CEO runs the actual organization now. I've always had difficulty articulating why I have this obsession. I work anywhere from two to ten hours a day, seven days a week, doing stuff like deleting "bait and switch" posts from New York apartment brokers, moderating discussion boards, and sharing community suggestions with the team. If you e-mail me about the site, I'll probably write back -- quickly, too.

Craigslist was originally a very simple e-mail list for my friends, focusing on arts and technology events in San Francisco. People suggested doing more, like job and apartment listings, so I did that; then I got more feedback -- so I did even more stuff. Today, craigslist helps people in more than 100 cities in 24 countries with everyday needs, like finding a place to live or getting a job or selling furniture. With nine million unique visitors a month, it's a big site, though a simple one. We have a pretty good culture of trust and goodwill.