Ashley Madison hacking costs parent CEO job

The hacking scandal at Ashley Madison online dating service has claimed the job of the CEO of the site's parent company Avid Life Media.

Canadian parent company Avid Life Media announced that its founder and CEO Noel Biderman had stepped down as chief executive, CNET reported.

Biderman, a former sports lawyer, launched the website in 2001.

He said at the time that he wanted to offer the same opportunities for both women and men seeking extra-marital encounters.

In July, a group called the Impact Team claimed that it had stolen information from the site, including data both on the company itself and on more than 30 million Ashley Madison users, who sign up with the goal of having extramarital affairs.

The cyber attackers threatened to release the embarrassing data if the website did not shut down.

Ashley Madison refused, and the hackers delivered on their threat recently.

"This change is in the best interest of the company and allows us to continue to provide support to our members and dedicated employees. We are steadfast in our commitment to our customer base," Avid Life Media said in a statement.

The company has offered a reward of Canadian $500,000 for information about the Ashley Madison hackers.

Prior to the hack, the firm had announced plans to list publicly in London later this year, with the aim of raising up to $200 million.