Ridiculously rich man shuts down DNAinfo and Gothamist after employees unionize

Billionaire Joe Ricketts has thrown a temper tantrum so big he shut his own company down. 

Ricketts—the founder of Ameritrade, whose children own the Chicago Cubs, and whose wealth is estimated at around $2.1 billion—closed down local New York City news sites DNAinfo and Gothamist on Thursday, as well as websites in a variety of other cities including Chicago, San Francisco, and Washington D.C. 

After a months-long battle, employees at the recently-merged news outlets voted to become members of Writers Guild of America East about a week ago.

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