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Patrick Byrne’s Overstock Exit Came After Admission He Romanced Russian

Patrick M. Byrne at an Overstock warehouse in Salt Lake City, Utah on April 29, 2010.Photographer: George Frey/Bloomberg

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By Jeran Wittenstein

August 22, 2019 at 4:42 PM UTC

Updated on

August 22, 2019 at 7:24 PM UTC

This article is for subscribers only.

Patrick Byrne finally gave his critics the flameout they’ve been predicting for years.

In a 1,600-word email statement in which he vowed to disappear “for some time,” Byrne, 56, resigned as chief executive officer and board member of Overstock.com, the online retailer he’s led for 20 years.