AOL CEO Tim Armstrong Might Be Meeting With Top Shareholders To Push Idea Of Sale To Yahoo

AOL CEO Tim Armstrong Might Be Meeting With Top Shareholders To Push Idea Of Sale To Yahoo

Aol Shareholders Freak Out Over Exec Departures — As They Should | TechCrunch
@Marius Schulze
Ego kills success. It happens everywhere!
@Ferris Salameh
they don't deserve you, Alexia.
@Hua Zhong
Is this a resignation letter?
@Rick Rodriguez
More like a "i don't want to resign but I will if you jack asses don't get it together" letter.
@Dirk de Kok
when in doubt, quit.
@Sardar Mohkim Khan
i wonder if she would actually quit. That doubt is just to help her write "one more article", that's about it.
@Dirk de Kok
ha, let's see!
@Abid Azam
Sounds like a good short.
@Joe Harper
You rock. Are you going to gut a bass atop a pile of T.P.S. reports in your cubicle tomorrow? I hope things work out for you. Life is too short. Say what you feel. Always.
@Steve Parent
*waits for Michael Arrington's witty reply* - It's sad. I would love to see Mike take his money, or hell even go for an investment round and rehire every single one of you for uncrunched. Can you imagine AOL? In twelve months it would be the most exciting tech blog all over again. Instead, we have TC which..... well... great post.
@Daniel Velmon Lynch
if you can write like this about your company without getting fired you should stay...when's the last time you saw a scathing newscorp story at wsj?
@Abiel Abuy
Like reading Paul Carrs work... with less F word!! :)
@Alexia Tsotsis
I agree. Will keep you guys posted.
@Nallai Wickreman
AOL Investor Arrington, ha ha ha
@Peter Austin
Alexia Tsotsis I've just been in a similar position, after an unsuccessful take-over (my business continued growing for a while, until it was "integrated"). It's clear that AOL's ownership of TechCrunch is destroying value, due to a clash of business models. Probably the other titles too. The only realistic solution is for AOL to demerge its media titles voluntarily, before this happens anyway because key people leave and start-up elsewhere. The problem is, this requires core AOL management to admit their strategy has been a mistake, which will be really bad career-wise, so it's not going to happen until things get *really* bad - losses of £100 millions. Rationally, they should restructure and run the original core business as a hugely-profitable cash cow, but they won't. Your advice will be ignored, but also they can't afford to sack you unless you do something really stupid - e.g. something Paul Carr would do - so stick around until something better comes up.
@Blue Moon
Alexia Tsotsis You belong at the Verge
@Seyi Taylor
Let's see how long she stays. I've already placed my bets.
@Avery D'Alessandro
Hire Max Woolf. He's the answer.
@Max Woolf
Max Woolf's 3 Step Plan To Fixing AOL: Step 1: Teach AOL executives that increase in Revenue = Good. Step 2: Teach AOL executives that increase in Losses = Bad. Step 3: Fire Arianna Huffington. It's a guaranteed success!
@George Daskalakis
Max, it looks like Arianna is going back to her roots and doing what modern Greeks in power do best, destroying value and driving away talent through crippling bureaucracy and politics.
@Dom Anthony Narducci
Max Woolf 1 and 2 might be substantially easier if 3 happens first.
@Max Woolf
Dom Anthony Narducci True, but it would be much more dramatic! She will be all "WTF WHY ARE YOU TELLING ME HOW TO RUN A BUSINESS, I'M ARIANNA FUCKING HUFFINGTON, BITCH! I BUILT A FUCKING BLOG FROM THE GROUND UP! AND I CAN....wait are you firing me? YOU CAN'T BE SERIOUS. YOU ARE ALL MORONS!"
@Randy Stuck
Max Woolf All you have to say back is, You built a blog founded on stealing other's content... big deal...
@Craig Kanalley
Thank you for posting this, Alexia. I recently moved on myself. I really enjoyed my two years with the Huffington Post, have nothing but good to say of Arianna and HuffPost personally. Amazing experience and talented people. But AOL has some serious problems and it's sad to see the talent exodus that's taken place. First step to solving problems is to acknowledge them, and it's kind of shocking to see AOL hasn't. To the contrary, as you say... this statement that everything is fine, which it's not. People who work there aren't stupid.
@Luca Falda
Craig, I just read "I have nothing good to say of Arianna" and has a split-second stroke :-) Coming from you!
@Oye Aborishade
Techcrunch is falling apart slowly ahhhhhhh!
@Brian S. Hall
Another TechCrunch post about...TechCrunch. Lot easier I guess than going out and actually breaking news. Oh, and new rule. You can only hit up Arrington for a job once per blog post. Kthx.
@Jim Shaw
I agree. The quality of articles has gone downhill since Arrington left. I come to TechCrunch for the witty writing, not just tech news. Without the personalities, TC would be a lower quality Engadget.
@Karthik Bhoopathi
In the recent management departures from the link. http://www.businessinsider.com/heres-the-damning-letter-a-massive-aol-shareholder-just-sent-tim-armstrong-2011-12?op=1 why do all the people announced leaving on11th of the month?
@Craig Kanalley
It's 2011... they're all leaving in 2011.
@Michael Mitchell
You are the worst writer/journalist in the UNIVERSE. You don't don't need to capitalize after a semi colon--"i’m concerned; From what"--but, punctuation aside, you're just a bad writer. You say "four of these people are the smartest blah blah" but you don't say which 4 and since you had mentioned 5 or 6 people, the reader is left to wonder what the hell you're talking about and why.
@Alexia Tsotsis
It's meant to be a mystery -- five of those people I know, four I think are brilliant.
@Alice Bradshaw
Alexia Tsotsis But you're a total idiot, how would you even have the mental tools to judge who is brilliant in the first place? Still remember how you got bored over a 3+ Billion enterprise acquisition just a few weeks ago.
@Subhasish Ghosh
alexia was never hired as a writer... more as an eye-candy i guess... lololzzz.. she damn cant write, must agree!
@Robert Boyle
Why in the world would the three of you take time out of your day to write about how someone is the "worst" "idiot" "eye-candy"? This; makes me... sad For you. (intentionally ironic punctuation)
@Subhasish Ghosh
Robert Boyle thanks dude... for being sad... everyone cant be darn happy... some losers needs to be sad as well... looks like we got ourselves a winner here!
@Rick Rodriguez
Wow you guys are assholes. That is all.
@Alexia Tsotsis
Alice Bradshaw @subhasish Ghosh "Total idiot," "eye candy." Amazing.
@Subhasish Ghosh
Rick Rodriguez rick, "you guys" includes you as well, eh?
@Subhasish Ghosh
Alice Bradshaw alice... damn... u ought to work at TC... am sure by the way u look (abs gorgeous), u will get million page views in a month... am sure Alexia wud kill u for that anyways... kidding!
@Max Woolf
Subhasish Ghosh Please don't hit on blog commenters.
@Thomas Vellaringattu
It looks like Alexia has a new job in hand. Michael Arrington wrote such an article before he got booted. Good luck Alexia.
@Seth Eheart
as many will tell you Alexia... get while the gettings good.
@Vanessa Camones
great post Alexia. what a shit show.
@Carlos Nieto
Ugly.
@Philip Lindblom
I think AOL has become an under-stimulated company, in need of challenges to direct the focus towards something everyone is involved with and a part of...This power struggle, badmouthing and clowning around is a clear sign of restlessness and lack of better things to do...
@Sardar Mohkim Khan
It is so surprising to note how politicized AOL actually sounds ad functions. While it is good to read about concerns, etc, it just shows how inefficient AOL is actually turning into. $15 Million in revenue and yet you can't prevent your Star from leaving (or actually forcing him to leave) is pointless.
@Seth Eheart
But seriously... AOL needs some SERIOUS re-branding. Name and logo change and completely change its business. I hear AOL and I think of those CD's I got back in the day. I would kill off 75% of the company projects and start fresh. Go after Google in search or something. They need to be bold. If not, they will always stay the punchline of every joke.
@Shomari Ewing
"The only question left to ask now is, Who's coming with me?"
@Abiel Abuy
AOL is actually accepting suggestions on how to save the company, just send in your suggestion at stevecase@aol.com! :)
@Michael Birch
Did someone call my name?
@Alexia Tsotsis
This made my day.
@Victor Osaretinvbeniyaghagha Asemota II
Wow!
@Shabooty Bieber
AOHELL2k12, anyone?
@Ashley Hawkins
I'm not going to say I'm sad this is happening to AOL, because they've had it coming to them for quite a while now, only they've been ignorant of it. What with Huffington and this whole TechCrunch drama, AOL's definitely lost more talent in a shorter time than it's gained talent.
@Anders Bach Waagstein
Will Tech self-destruct in 2012?
@Anders Bach Waagstein
*TechCrunch
@Habibullah Khan
Sir. I am not going to underestimate the size of balls needed to write a post as open and frank as this about the company that owns you. R.E.S.P.E.C.T
@Dave Paisley
RESPECT, but not much in the checking the byline...
@Ariel Adams
Alexia, Really, congrats to the courage it took to write this. I was an Aol casualty. I was one of the main writers for Luxist. A great website at the top of its niche that Aol shutdown because this simply didn't know how to handle it. The writing on the wall of how Aol mismanages its acquisitions has been around for 10 years at least. The company is full of strong by unqualified egos (not entirely, but more and more the fact), and routinely buys, eats, and spits out otherwise good assets. Keep us in the loop.
@Flynn Like
are you still around? confirms the complete lack of talent in tc nowdays...
@Andrew James Villarose
Bye Arianna!
@Jason Vicinanza
When all the best talent leaves it's clearly a sign that it's time to go.
@Ciarán Norris
You lost me when you claimed that Arrington & Carr leaving were signs that disaster is imminent. Disaster may well be imminent (probably is in fact), but it's not & won't be because either of those two amazing self-publicists decided to take their skills, and egos, elsewhere. AoL isn't screwed because people like those left, it's screwed because it's been paying way too much for businesses like Techcrunch and Huff Post, and can't monetise them sufficiently to make up for it. That and the fact the subscription business is dying.
@Felix Sulla
I agree. AOL has been AOL a long time before Arrington sold out. He may have made some money but his former colleagues are all f*cked.
@Christopher Westfall
Quick question: Why don't you just quit?
@Chuck Van Court
And your goal for this article is what exactly?
@Kirk Goodwin
Alexia, You should move on as from the writing of this story, you are part of the problem. If you are writing this publicly, then you are most likely also poisoning the coffee in the lunch room conversations. You obviously do not buy into the leadership of your employer for whatever or possibly many reasons. You need to stop drawing a paycheck immediately and move on. Don't play it safe! Give yourself a Christmas gift and rid yourself of your unhappiness called your job. Launch out - show the world how a media company should be run rather than griping about the one that is putting food on your table. I wish you well on your new endeavor and look forward to your future success.
@Blue Moon
That coffee was poisoned a long time ago
@Adrian Esquivel
Feels like I read more about what's going on at AOL/TechCrunch than actual tech...when's the book/movie going to come out?
@Akemi Sue Williams
I read TechCrunch every morning! Total nerd I know!
@Ivan Mladenovic
Techmeme.com you will never read anything else
@Chuck Van Court
Clearly Alexia is not a happy camper. She is also a spoiled brat who thinks she "breaks hearts" and has no accountability to her readers for the quality of her work. Question her work and she just tell you to stop reading. Ironically, this little "piss on AOL" article will probably give her some time since AOL now has to be considerate of the message they would send by letting her go for just doing what any good writer does when they write what they believe to be true. Nice maneuver Alexia to buy some time!