The CEO of Ashley Madison's parent company is stepping down

Noel Biderman, the CEO of the company that operates Ashley Madison, is stepping down “effective today.”

Biderman’s departure was announced in a statement issued by Avid Life Media Inc. (ALM). The statement also explains that for the time being, the company “will be led by the existing senior management team.”

The statement goes on to say that ALM is “actively adjusting to the attack on our business and members’ privacy by criminals,” but doesn’t elaborate on what “adjusting” entails.

Biderman was the founder and public face of the company. Ashley Madison, ALM’s flagship product, was a dating site intended to help users have extramarital affairs. Before the hack, he had actively touted the site’s security.

The announcement follows the release of a trove of data on Ashley Madison’s users last week by a hacker or group of hackers using the name “The Impact Team.” The data, which included the names, addresses, and credit card details of millions of Ashley Madison members, was released a month after the Impact Team initially announced the hack and demanded the takedown of both Ashley Madison and Established Men, another site run by ALM.

Correction: This story initially stated the statement was issued by ALM Vice President Andrew Ricci. While the statement was sent to Fusion by Ricci, he is not an employee of ALM and the statement was issued by the company.

Ethan Chiel is a reporter for Fusion, writing mostly about the internet and technology. You can (and should) email him at [email protected]