I just read that Steve Case is telling his senior management that he would like to take back the unit spinning it off from the Time-Warner group. Now, I’m pretty illiterate when it comes to M and A issues but this one never seemed to be the right match from the start. And I guess that line of thinking has been born out. For whatever reason, AOL and Time-Warner have not clicked. Call it a culture class or irreconcilable differences. There are too many strings between the two that are hampering the growth of both. Bigger is definitely not better.
When alone, AOL was lithe, quick to grow and yes, had problems. But it appeared as though it had a singular mission: to be the biggest and the best packaged online experience. Well, it’s certainly the biggest but far from the best. I say the best thing for AOL and Time-Warner is to split. Go off and do what each is best at doing. Doing it together is not working.
