this is about google (Score 1)

aol is a major piece of google's ad revenue. the game here is the same as the game ten years ago with netscape: cut off google's "air supply" by attacking their revenue. The tactic with netscape was to give away the browser and elimintate the revenue stream from selling the browser: not critical to MSFT since it has other revenue streams. The tactic here is to shift ad revenue away from the search provider: again, MSFT has other revenue streams.