AOL to be Split into 4 Units 294
unsupported writes "AOL is apparently dividing into four units to provide a clear direction for each. The four divisions are as follows: Audience (Advertising, and AOL IM, Moviefon, Mapquest, Netscape.com), Access (dial-up, highspeed), AOL Europe (for the foreigners), and Digital Services (Premium services, phone and music subscription). "
And when the four parts come together (Score:5, Funny)
Secret Weapon: discs (Score:5, Funny)
Re:Secret Weapon: discs (Score:2, Insightful)
Re:Secret Weapon: discs (Score:2)
Re:Secret Weapon: discs (Score:4, Funny)
Re:Secret Weapon: discs (Score:5, Funny)
As opposed to firing employees?
It has a vulnerability (Score:2)
Re: (Score:3)
Quick Question... (Score:3, Interesting)
Seriously. AOL probably already operated this way anyway, so what's the big whoop?
Re:Quick Question... (Score:4, Insightful)
Re:Quick Question... (Score:5, Insightful)
I think its mostly to create some buzz amongst the investors and shareholders, who think a reorganization means increased efficiency and therefore huge profits. Plus, it allows for new banners with fancy slogans and missions statements to be hung on the wall, and to keep everyone up to date on the latest corporate slang (a reorganization is really nothing more than lots of little paradigm shifts to better utilize the synergistic capabilities of our capital-index work force, etc)
Re:Quick Question... (Score:2, Insightful)
See? As always, it's about the benjamins.
EOT.
Re:Quick Question... (Score:3, Interesting)
I used to work for a major Aircraft Flight Simulator company headquartered in Kirkwood NY. The company used to be refered to as the "Cadillac of Flight Simulators"
Toward the en
Seriously. (Score:2)
Re:Quick Question... (Score:3, Insightful)
Something like this:
Microsoft OS Inc
Microsoft Office Tech Inc
Microsoft Web tech Inc
Microsoft Consumer Products Inc
Of course it won't happen as Microsoft's OS and Office Tech companies would make all the money, the Web tech and Consumer Products divisions would go bust.
Re:Quick Question... (Score:3, Insightful)
Microsoft opposed being forced into becoming multiple companies. AOL isn't doing that - they are just formalizing internal business units. I think this will be good for them in that it could give VP's more power make decisions independent of the other units. I'm sure Microsoft already does this. Of course, this would make it simpler to split into seperate companies in the future and make it more
Re: (Score:2)
Re:Quick Question... (Score:2)
Maybe then they would have to create decent products instead of having the Microsoft war chest to fall back on in the event of product failure.
Re:Quick Question... (Score:5, Funny)
The biggest difference is that all the old infighting and contempt is offical, and can be reported on and monitered since it must cross interdepartmental divisions. Previously it was hard to track since it was intradepartemental.
Wars and power struggles are much more open. Further, it provides a new battlefield - all the commanders welcome this change since the wars were getting rather stale and predictable. Hopefully the new revolution will be streamed.
-Adam
Re:Quick Question... (Score:3, Insightful)
This is marginally interesting to me for a few reasons:
Re:Quick Question... (ATHF reference) (Score:2)
Frylock: No, it's bean flavored.
Meatwad: Yuck city, have fun eating it, because I'm eating this.
Oh Thank God (Score:5, Funny)
Re:Oh Thank God (Score:2)
Doh! (Score:5, Funny)
None of which will regain profitability.
Re:Doh! (Score:5, Funny)
Re:Doh! (Score:2)
Re:Doh! (Score:5, Funny)
Re:Doh! (Score:3, Funny)
I wonder if the Terrorist Network is IPv6 compliant.
Re:Doh! (Score:2)
You know, you look at the occasional post from a European that comments that "not everyone lives in America" and you assume that they're just complaining too much.
Then you see the above quoted line.
I'm beginning to they might have a point.
They still talk funny though. ;)
Re:Doh! (Score:2)
Re:Doh! (Score:2)
Re:Doh! (Score:2)
What expenses? I don't know, the half a billion dollar legal defense fund they've set up [timesonline.co.uk]. Which as an aside, is kind of a fucking stupid idea. It's like walking into a Mercedes dealer with a check for $150,000 and saying "What can I get?" ("Why, sir, this luxury edition E-class has so much more eagle. It saddens me to think of you missi
Re:Doh! (Score:2)
Before going into litigation using outside counsel, companies often will look to cap maximum expenses involved, and have anything over that reviewed by internal counsel. SCO's just the most visible to do this of late, but they're far from alone.
Re:Doh! (Score:2)
That's ok, because with four units, they can make it up in *volume*
4 Units? (Score:5, Funny)
Seriously though, will this provide newfound independence for the Netscape folks, and newfound options for the browsers associated with them? Or will it just be a management shift that has no practical effect on the rest of the world?
Re:4 Units? (Score:5, Funny)
Re:4 Units? (Score:2, Funny)
1) Coaster distribution - responsible for loading landfills with non-biodegradable chunks of worthless platic. Of course, a lot of these discs should be distributed with PC magazines, which are read by people who should already know better than to use AOL.
2) Moron recruitment - Dedicated to finding the dumbest of the dumb and encouraging them to POST IN ALL CAPS on every forum imaginable. They also believe that
Re:Your sig (Score:3, Insightful)
No, it's actually:
Conservatives & Liberals: F*cking the country today so our children can fix it tomorrow.
Re:Your sig (Score:3)
AOL/Atari = Time-Warner's B*tch (Score:2)
Remember way back when, when Atari (then owned by Warner), was split into the Arcade, Home Computer, and Consoles divisions? Did it change anything? Not really. Atari still died a slow, horrible death - although at least the new owners of the name help it sorta live on...
But Time-Warner certainly aren't the only ones who do this. I've watched G.E. spilt up divisions, only to put them back together again in six months
Re:4 Units? (Score:2, Informative)
You forgot the 5th Unit (Score:2, Funny)
It's the "Me too!" unit.
-= Stefan
Re:You forgot the 5th Unit (Score:2)
Re:You forgot the 5th Unit (Score:2)
Advertising? (Score:5, Funny)
At Least a Few More Years (Score:5, Interesting)
Their new commercials purport to make the Internet better - that's the market AOL has to reach, people who think their software is the Internet.
It doesn't have much longer, though. Education will put AOL to a slow death unless they drastically reform their business to revolve around the things they do get right (like messaging) instead of "access" and "customer support" (both in scare quotes for obvious reasons).
Re:At Least a Few More Years (Score:2)
Their new commercials purport to make the Internet better - that's the market AOL has to reach, people who think their software is the Internet.
People with Cable/DSL still have their AOL accounts and use it over Broadband because they don't want to lose their email account, they don't want to lose all the "wo
Re:At Least a Few More Years (Score:2)
People with Cable/DSL still have their AOL accounts and use it over Broadband because they don't want to lose their email account, they don't want to lose all the "wonderful" extras that AOL provides, and they don't want to know that they have been getting ripped off for 10 years by using their service.
Education will put AOL to a slow death unless they drastically reform their business to revolve around the things they do get right (like messaging) instead of "access" and "customer support" (both in scar
Re:At Least a Few More Years (Score:5, Insightful)
AOL had live video streams of the presidential debates. You could not see them anywhere on the "plain" Internet. I didn't watch the presidential debates, but I'm sure that a lot of people would like to.
If you're into mainstream content, AOL does give you more than just the free stuff on the Internet. They have the clout to make deals with the mainstream content providers to offer this content.
Doesn't do anything for me personally, but there's some truth to what they claim.
Re:At Least a Few More Years (Score:2)
Clear direction, bah. (Score:3, Insightful)
Maybe if you split the Time and the Warner parts off, you'd have even clearer direction, AOL?
Re:Clear direction, bah. (Score:4, Interesting)
TimeWarner is not the problem. The problem is AOL is trying to compete in the exact same space as MSN and will always lose. MSN is able to better integrate into Windows. MSN will always be the first choice on the OS.etc, etc, etc.
AOL needs to learn to carry the fight to a different battleground; basically a neutral ground.
- Make Firefox/Mozilla the default (with MSIE an option)
- Provide OpenOffice on their system.
- Start using a media system that is on multiple systems. The ogg line is certainly a choice as are a number of others.
Then allow customers to run that for about a year. Finally, create a Linux distro for the home user that includes all the above. They can call it AOS. It will enable them to compete.What they need to do, but they will not do it. History simply repeats itself.
It has to be said (Score:2, Insightful)
goals? (Score:2)
umm, given how abstract that collection looks, I'd say they need to divide into about 5 MORE groups or atleast better defined/organize groups. Haven't these people ever designed a Db?
.
1. telecomm (subscriptions, and telephony)
2. media (music & movies)
3. Advertising
Do they just try too hard to be elitest?
Their time has come, (Score:5, Interesting)
Re:Their time has come, (Score:2)
Sell off (Score:3, Insightful)
I doubt AOL-TimeWarner has much AOL left once the "Baby AOLs" are operating a little more independently.
This story put some strange pictures in my head... (Score:3, Funny)
Wonder what they are going to do with ODP? (Score:3, Interesting)
Deck chair re-arranging (Score:2)
And, this isn't trolling - this is just looking at the facts of AOL's business. They're completely surrounded by superior services that cost less and don't have the "Me Too!" stigma attached. I was wondering when AOL was going to start splitting itself up. Keep an eye open for it to sell each of these divisions off to a com
Horsemen of the Apocalypse? (Score:5, Funny)
Makes sense (Score:2)
Nick Powers
what, no CD Press department? (Score:5, Funny)
The 5th Unit (Score:2, Funny)
Wow! (Score:2)
Edna! Whip up a batch of poppycorn. Dis here is gonna be a good one, yesiree bob!
Which one is the CD-Company? (Score:2, Informative)
If YOU want to get rid of them send them to:
No More AOL CDs!
1601 Navellier St.
El Cerrito CA, 94530
U.S.A.
http://www.nomoreaolcds.com/ [nomoreaolcds.com]
What it REALLY sounds like... (Score:2)
Restructuring means layoffs, consultants (Score:5, Insightful)
Besides the already-commented-about possibility of selling off parts, in this day and age the notion of dividing up divisions of a company differently just seems to fly in the face of the path of the enlightened employer of the 21st century.
By segmenting into distinct groups, you facilitate the blame game and hamper communication. This kind of restructuring certainly isn't what you do to revitalize.
CEO speak for I havn't done something in a while (Score:3, Insightful)
"In the days ahead, when our transition to a new structure has been completed, we will have a streamlined organization with clear roles and responsibilities"
In other words... "Well try this for a while to see if it works or now, I don't actually have a clue if it will or not". And in reality it is nothing more then a cover for...
"especially at a time like this when we have announced plans for layoffs."
In other words: "CEO bonus here I come!" And I can't leave out this jewel:
"giving each [unit] responsibility for its own operations and financial performance."
So you have developer x in group 1 and group 2 needs developers x skills, but they have to first put in a REQ and get financiall approval or even worse hiring a new person and meanwhile developer x sits around idly. I predict project slowdowns stock dropping and in 12 months a "New Plan".
-Benjamin Meyer
Re:CEO speak for I havn't done something in a whil (Score:2)
Slate Article (Score:2)
Re:Slate Article (Score:2)
It's an ad blatantly admitting to sending you excessive amounts of junk mail. At least the tins included later on were actually useful. I keep stickers in them.
I wonder if that ad agency still has that contract with AOL.
netscape isp (Score:2)
netscape isp and IE (Score:2)
*Web Accelerator can load certain Web page text and graphics faster than with a standard 56k dial-up Internet service. Actual speeds may vary. **Pop-up Blocker requires Internet Explorer® 5.5 or higher. *** E-mail acceleration may not be compatible with certain computer systems.
Article is incorrect (Score:5, Funny)
- Overcharging
- Limiting/Reducing Quality of Service
- Cancellation Deflection/Avoidance
- Demo CD Manufacturing and Distribution
Not to worry, they will all be guided by AOL's core mission: TO SUCK!
Justice At Last? (Score:5, Funny)
Eventually, it will reduce itself to 64 small startup sized companies, 63 of which will fail. Just what I've always wanted to see: a living example of the DotCom bubble in reverse.
What's next? Maybe Microsoft will join them in self-dismemberment?
(Pray early, pray often...)
Wow! (Score:2)
Where's a killdozer when you need one? (Score:2)
Oh! Gosh! Is that what's it's all about? Thinking clearly? Damn! And here I was wasting my time with muddled thinking and piffly nonsense! Argh! Damn my simian decended brain! Why can't I be a being of pure knowledge like our glorious MBA annointed masters?
And this guy probably makes 20 times my salary despite the fact that my job involves deep knowledge of the u
Great, 4 more Cd's a day (Score:2, Funny)
Now That's progress.
delaying the inevitable... (Score:2, Interesting)
there are many ways to connect to the net and bypass their filtered system and filtered content.
their software cannot be controlled (it downloads updates on its own), their model is becoming obsolete, and their subscriber base has always been the un-net-educated.
as users become more sophisticated, they move away from aol because aol is incapable of providing that next step of service.
if tw/aol had a
AOL Europe? (Score:3, Funny)
America Online Europe
(i know, i know, no one in Europe really needs to know what "A" in "AOL" stands for...)
Re:AOL Europe? (Score:2)
It's not USAOL, and the U.S. of A. hasn't registered the trademark for America (at least not yet).
How egocentric must a country be to confuse issues so badly that they refer to a couple of continents as themselves? It's so mind boggling at times to be a U.S. Citizen, especially in these days.
The name is AOL (Score:2)
Nothing but a shell game again. (Score:2, Interesting)
This really is not that bad (Score:2, Interesting)
This may actually be beneficial to aol. AOL has always been the ISP for the internet newbie, and if the reorganization can help their broadband division actually give good services that are worth paying for, they may stick around.
As of now, their broadband and dial-up services have different aims, and you can not really keep those two together in the same division. AOL has got to step up and deliver a broadband serv
divide and conquer (Score:3)
When a company divides into independent units, that means that they're prepping a division for sale or dismantlement.
Typically, you'll see a geographical component to the division, so that ties can be severed cleanly, and there's more of a financial gain (facilities expense goes away, HR effort to maintain the separate health insurance, legal climante, tax burden, etc. goes away).
The function of whichever unit goes, will be outsourced.
If you're an employee of one of these units, start looking for the danger signs.
Is the cost of living in your region higher than others?
Did the higher-up officers at your site relocate to some other site?
Do they remodel other sites, but not yours?
Do they fail to change the lightbulbs when they burn out?
Did they close your site's cafeteria?
Did they eliminate your onsite IT group in favor of "remote support"?
Do officers visit less and less frequently to share corporate news or policy?
Is there a hiring freeze at your location?
When was the last time you got a new desktop machine?
When was the last time you got training?
Does your site have a security presence 24x7?
Funniest bit is when they retag all the assets. Then in future years, you know your site is next when you get all the assets from the first site they shut down, with their old asset tags.
For the foreigners (Score:2)
Was that supposed to be funny?
Re:For the foreigners (Score:2)
4 Horsemen of the Apocalypse Networks, Inc. (Score:2)
Appropriate? (Score:2)
Bizarre product name??? (Score:2)
Why isn't it the rational:
Mmmm.... (Score:2)
It sort of makes since if Time/Warner wants AOL to fail as an excuse to dump it. But for any other reason, it makes no sense to me.
Unit Renamed (Score:3, Funny)
See you on the game grid,
MCP
Business school lesson (Score:3, Funny)
"When you get into trouble the first time, open up letter number one and do what it tells you. When it happens again, use letter number two. And when it happens the third time, read letter number three."
With that, the old dog laughs and walks out the building.
A month later the new CEO is on the hotseat for missing the quarterly EPS mark. Right before the earnings conference call he reads letter number one - 'Blame me'. So the new CEO goes to the mike, blames the old CEO for bad management, and everyone walks away optimistic.
Three months later, the new CEO is on the hotseat again. He reads letter number two - 'Reorganize' So the new CEO tells everyone that the company is going to do a massive reorganization "to realign our business units with our core market paradigms.". The reporters grumble but accept the idea that the company is now on the right track.
Three months later, the new CEO is yet again facing major difficulties. He reads the last letter. 'Get three envelopes.'
*buhbumpbump*
Where's Group 5? (Score:2, Funny)
Oh wait. Never mind...
End Of Life? (Score:3, Interesting)
EOL stands for "end of life", but that's what we'd all want, right?
Anyway, "AOL" is a brand name, an opaque identifier. European subscribers seem to associate "AOL" with a specific online service provider rather than with the words "America Online", just as they associate "DSL" with "high-speed Internet access provided over the phone line" rather than with the words "digital subscriber line".
Re:Next up? (Score:3, Funny)
__
This was a lame attempt to be funny.
I care (Score:5, Funny)
Re:Huh? (Score:2)
Re:Don't forget Division #5... (Score:3, Informative)