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How the Lolcat Empire Keeps Growing

'There's no way on the planet this should actually work,' says Huh

By Wesley Oliver, Newser Staff

Posted Aug 16, 2009 4:58 PM CDT

(Newser) – Ben Huh knows how to fail upward, and has a rather simple explanation for the success of his Web empire: “Dude, I think it’s funny.” The former journalist, 31, is the maverick behind at least 20 smirking sites, including I Can Has Cheesburger? and FAIL Blog, which showcases photos and videos of spectacular stupidity, like the billboard partly written in Braille and the guy who used a trash can as a bike helmet. The viral site has officially hit the zeitgeist, Time reports.

Facebook and YouTube still dwarf Pet Holdings, Huh’s company, but it remains profitable with about 10 million monthly visitors. “There’s no way on the planet this should actually work,” Huh says of his business model. “But it’s working.” Huh and his team of 20 staffers sift through the 10,000 photos and videos they receive daily, looking for the next big thing. “You can't really explain why it's funny,” Huh says. “That's part of the fun.”

[Images (5)]

[Quotes (1)]

NEW YORK - JUNE 10: Emily Huh and Ben Huh co-creators Itchmo.com, a pet site, attend the 12th Annual Webby Awards on June 10, 2008 at Cipriani on Wall Street in New York. (Getty Images)

Ben Huh, 31, launched Pet Holdings in 2007 when angel investors helped him buy a new website called "I Can Has Cheezburger?" (Flickr)

An LolCat. (Flickr)

Another LolCat. (Flickr)

An Lolcat. (Flickr)

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You can't really
explain why it's funny.
That's part of the fun.
- Ben Huh,
Founder, Pet Holdings

« Prev« Prev | Next »Next » Slideshow

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How the Lolcat Empire Keeps Growing