[cross-posted from my prediction market blog: Mercury's Blog]
I’m very sorry to say that the world lost John Delaney on May 22, 2011. John was the CEO of prediction market Intrade, one of the most well-known real-money prediction markets. He was climbing Mount Everest and came within 50 meters of the summit when he encountered medical problems and died.
I’ve known John for some time; though we only met for the first time in October 2007. I was struck by how down-to-earth he was, and truly interested in having everyone in the prediction market industry succeed. At the time, Intrade was going through a legal separation of sorts from its other entity Tradesports, and many had questions and concerns about what that meant. John was incredibly honest and up-front, and didn’t pull any punches in speaking about the issues.
To make this tragedy even worse, his wife gave birth to a baby daughter just before he made his way to the summit. He died without knowing he had become a father once again.
I will personally remember John as a successful entrepreneur and as a man who embodied the friendly and big-hearted nature of the Irish. He will be truly missed.
Rest in Peace, John.