A Rare Steve Case Appearance at AOL
As Originally Posted to The Wall Street Journal
In a rare appearance, AOL founder Steve Case told employees Tuesday that the company needs to focus on Main Street, not Wall Street, as it makes another attempt at a turnaround under new CEO Tim Armstrong.
At the town-hall meeting, held by Mr. Armstrong at AOL’s Dulles, Va., campus, Mr. Case said skeptics didn’t believe in AOL when he started the company, so we shouldn’t be disheartened that they don’t now, according to staffers in attendance.
In his first public addres
s to workers before officially taking the reins on April 7, Mr. Armstrong also talked about his respect for AOL’s products and services coming from Google, where he has been a senior vice president. He added that he hoped to continue the advertising partnership between AOL and Google. Google has said it plans to sell its 5% stake in AOL.
Ted Leonsis, AOL’s former vice chairman, also joined the pep rally, saying that AOL can be around for another 25 years if it can get back to being focused on products and customers.
In calling on Mssrs. Case and Leonsis to address staff, Mr. Armstrong appears to be invoking a symbol of AOL’s heyday to set the tone for his leadership. The beleaguered Internet company has been a thorn in Time Warner’s side since the 2001 merger, and Mr. Case has kept his distance from the company in recent years. Mr. Armstrong’s surprise appointment last week is seen as a sign that Time Warner is seriously considering a spinoff of all or parts of AOL.
