Neither. It was created back in 2003 by a private individual out of an old server in his living room. Chase owned and ran TPF on his own for several years. He did eventually contract out the server when the database got huge and he moved to the vBulletin platform. We've been through many upgrades and played with many formats over the years. In 2009 Chase sold the place to our current owners, who also run several other forums through their private company Forum Foundry. They work hard to keep all their forums running at peak performance and make sure we always have the latest and greatest in upgrades and user tools. A great group of guys!
Our moderating team handles the day to day business of keeping the place free of spam attacks, enforcing the TPF guidelines, running the photo contests, reviewing and discussing policies and procedures - that sort of thing.
But Mish is always ready to deliver a crack of her whip, so you are right to be afraid...very afraid.