posted 04-25-2000 10:43 AM         

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Worth magazine ranked Steve Case #11 on its top CEOs list. Here's what they said:

"If Steve Case, no. 14 on last year's list, wasn't already a household name, he became one in January, when America Online announced it would buy media giant Time Warner for $165 billion in stock, creating a company with a combined market valuation of roughly $350 billion. The merger, which the companies hope to complete before year-end, creates an old- and new-media giant whose reach is almost frightening. We would have put Case even higher on the list if not for his announced intention to relinquish the CEO title with the completion of the merger. ON TRACK? Even before the merger announcement, AOL was already a tech-stock star, with revenue of $4.8 billion for the fiscal year ended June 30 and a market valuation of $130 billion. Time Warner is healthy, too: The company's combined media properties generated about $27.3 billion in revenue in 1999. TRUE STORY: In 1980, Steve Case applied for a job at Time Inc.'s cable TV network, HBO, then run by Gerald Levin, now Time Warner CEO. Case didn't get hired. OUTLOOK: Consumers will find it hard to keep their eyeballs--and wallets--safe from AOL Time Warner. More than 21 million homes already subscribe to AOL or its CompuServe unit. Time Warner brings in 77 million subscribers from its cable and magazine holdings, and millions more courtesy of TV and movies. INTERNET STRATEGY: "Interactivity will become more and more a part of everyday life for more and more people," Case says. Think of AOL on steroids, with digital content from CNN and Warner music, plus Time and Sports Illustrated. ONE WORD: Ambitious. PASSION: Case donates millions to education. BIGGEST CHALLENGE: Making the merger stick. Both companies have powerful personalities at the top--like Time Warner's Ted Turner (whose postmerger equity stake gives him substantially less influence) and AOL's Robert Pittman, and they may not bond as closely as have Case and his new buddy Gerry Levin. FINANCIAL REWARD: Owns AOL shares and options worth more than $1.95 billion."

posted 04-18-2000 08:00 PM         

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Company (Ticker): reported, expected, same q last year

America Online (AOL): $0.11, $0.09, $0.05

posted 04-17-2000 11:44 AM         

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An article about the earlier story.

A German judge has ruled that AOL Germany violated copyright law by taking no action to prevent subscribers from swapping pirated digital music files. (source: Ecommerce Times)
http://www.ecommercetimes.com/news/articles2000/000413-5.shtml

posted 04-06-2000 03:54 PM         

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Here are some STRONG words from thestreetadvisor.com--I really don't understand what is going on with Linux, but if these are the implications, it is time to start learning. Of course, this is just one man's opinion, grain of salt taken:

"AOL Kills Windows
Kevin Prigel
Apr 6 2000
When it rains, it pours. So goes the story for Microsoft [MSFT], which today faces the announcement we have anticipated from America Online [AOL] since April 14, 1999: Windows is out, and Linux is in.

As part of America Online's $800m investment in, and partnership with, Gateway, the computer manufacturer will begin producing Internet appliances for AOL. The devices will utilize Linux as an operating system and America Online's software as a user interface.

In further exhibition of where the future of computing is headed, America Online commented that if users have to know they have an operating system, AOL has not done its job.

And with one magic announcement, the Windows era is dead.

Not convinced? Here's what AOL has just brought to the PC world:

· A device that retails for significantly less than any other PC yet serves the functionality needs for currently computer-free homes, and the Internet access needs for networked homes in their kitchens, bedrooms, and living rooms.

The ultimate PC operating system--self-updating and as transparent as an application
Guaranteed operating system and hardware compatibility, as Gateway and AOL have jointly developed the entire configuration.
The easiest-to-use online service just got easier: now it comes ready in a box.
What does it mean for the companies involved? America Online will probably realize little hardware revenue but should see gains in its Gateway stake. Where AOL really wins is with the hoards of new subscribers this device will bring to the service.

For its part, Gateway gains a foothold in the Internet appliance market with the one company that can make appliances succeed.

Microsoft is finished, but we already knew that. The only company in the world with the power to defeat Microsoft's monopoly is America Online. To this point, the company has been reluctant to disturb Microsoft's monopoly in order to keep its positioning in the Windows operating system. With the verdict handed down in the anti-trust case, though, it looks like AOL's ready to play hard ball--and win."

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