AOL buys HuffPo
My first thought was my goodness, that’s an awful lot of money for a blog.
But it turns out they were really purchasing Arianna herself—her business acumen, that is.
And I think it’s interesting that there are 6,000 bloggers working for free for HuffPo, and they didn’t get a dime. We bloggers, what we do for love!
Funny how leftists are ok with big corporations when they personally get the cash…
New owner, same old non-news crap.
neo . . . I’ve bought a lot of books lately via your Amazon site. I hope you’ve made a little bit of money from this site.
You may want to refer to your Amazon link more often so that your readers remember to go through you to get to Amazon.
My first thought was my goodness, that’s an awful lot of money for a blog.
Of course, AOL isn’t exactly famous for its collective business acumen. See merger with Time-Warner.
The 6,000 bloggers should boycott. 🙂
“Of course, AOL isn’t exactly famous for its collective business acumen. See merger with Time-Warner.”
AOL used the magic beans of its grossly overpriced stock to buy one of the most valuable companies in America.
I’d say it was a very good deal for AOL.
It will interesting to see if the 6,000 bloggers who have been working for Arianna for free are going to continue doing so after she rakes in $315 million due to their efforts. Doing some quick math, she’s getting $52,500 per blogger. Well, I suppose she figures they’re all really happy for her. Besides, she needs the money . . .
Cap’n Rusty: At least Bill Gates pays his programmers.
The Things We Do For Love
AOL used the magic beans of its grossly overpriced stock to buy one of the most valuable companies in America.
I’d say it was a very good deal for AOL.
Yeah, I suppose that’s true. I was thinking in terms of catastrophic business decisions, but I guess that’s mostly from Time-Warner’s perspective.
Note to the Right: sour grapes is not a cyberspace strategy.
AOL is still in business?
Where did the cash come from?
gs,
We are amused. 🙂
Props to Arianna. 🙂
Sucks to be the 6,000 slaves….
They might have some sour grapes. Not us.
What will happen to HuffPo after the liberals succeed in getting the “Citizens’ United” ruling overturned, so that corporations — including AOL — no longer have protected free speech rights under the 1st Amendment?
http://www.realclearpolitics.com/video/2011/02/07/obama_corporate_profits_have_to_be_shared_by_american_workers.html
According to Obama, Arianna needs to share the profits.
AOL stock down 3.15%
http://finance.yahoo.com/q?s=aol&ql=1
Down 3.24 %
Another issue with this is that everyone knows George Soros was the initial funder of HuffPo, and has run it has a storefront every since. I’m sure some of that cash will go back into Soros’ pocket to buy out his interest.
Or, maybe not, and HuffPo/Soros remain joined at the hip.
The liberal bloggers, most of whom are financially affluent at worst, and rich at best, didn’t do it out of love per se; but blogged at HuffPo out of love for their liberal ideology.
Besides, how much work is it to write a snarky six-paragraph hit piece on the hypnotic qualities of Palin’s uterus or how her kids are media whores; not to mention the factually baseless hit pieces on how the GOP are corporate whores, when Obama was the recipient of more corporate donations in 2008, than Bush was in 2000 and 2004 combined.
The only difference between HuffPo and Kos is, HuffPo’s mouf’-breevers’ don’t live in their parents’ basements and actually have Ivy League sheepskins with majors in Poli-Sci and Communications.
“really purchasing Arianna herself–her business acumen”…you could get some pretty good executives for a lot less than $315 million. To the extent they’re buying Arianna herself, surely it is the celebrity factor that they are paying for as much as or more than any business acumen.
1. Cubz_Fan Says:
Another issue with this is that everyone knows George Soros was the initial funder of HuffPo, and has run it has a storefront every since.
Hyperlink, please.
2. Baklava, iirc a number of established conservative bloggers were amused when HuffPo struggled early on. While you’re feeling amused, recall that who laughs last laughs best.
3. As long as the GOP holds a house of Congress, the MSM can kiss its hopes of a federal bailout goodbye. IMHO that means their best chance of survival lies in a novel utilization of cyberspace. I’m not sure they can pull it off, but I don’t dismiss the possibility. There will be failures during the search for a viable business model. That doesn’t necessarily mean that the search will end in failure.
Here is an attempt to understand the buyout from AOL’s point of view. “It’s a gamble, but AOL had to do this.”
gs,
Identity politics is not something I get off on.
I care about the ideas, policies, solutions.
I actually think, “Good for Arianna!”
Soros gave Huffington 15 million not that long ago just to keep from crashing and burning.
She’s a hoot to me. Everytime I hear her talk, the theme song from “Green Acres” starts playing in my head.
I can’t remember if I have ever been to that blog site more than a couple times, and that came from links that took me there. I didn’t navigate there on my own.
Good for you then, Baklava (February 7th, 2011 at 5:57 pm). Thanks for the clarification.
I’m still perplexed why you referred to the 6K HuffPo bloggers as “slaves”. Maybe that was a quip not meant to be taken as metaphor (unless the bloggers are inveigled into onerous obligations in exchange for being allowed to post at HuffPo).
Their stock is down 3.4%…
http://finance.yahoo.com/q?s=aol&ql=1
“One plus one will equal 11”
AOL Chief Executive Tim Armstrong to NY Times
They are cashing out the current value and transferring the future decline to the shareholders of AOL.
The Huffington Post is expected to generate over $50 million in revenue for 2011 and at a $100 million run-rate for the next 12 months, with margins at around 30 percent, according to prepared remarks by AOL Chief Financial Officer Arthur Minson.
he is probably down the hall from the one plus one is eleven man…
on another note.
White House Insider: Obama is Clueless. Totally Clueless
newsflavor.com/politics/world-politics/white-house-insider-obama-is-clueless-totally-clueless/#ixzz1D1EhLpL8
“manic” is not a word i ever wanted associated with “nuclear capability”
I hope the Air Force officers and/or the Secret Service are keeping a close watch on the “football”.
“Sorry, sir, it’s in the shop for maintenance.”
All you have to know about this latest open marriage among the morality-impaired left is that there are no innocents to be hurt and no clean money to fear might be siphoned away from orphans. If the synergy of Huffy and AOL lets them puff up the bubble a little more before Sarah puts the pin to it, all we need do is buy more popcorn and look forward to more kneeslappers from BigFurHat.
I do have one doddering old relative still using AOL because it’s “cuter.” Time to remove her forcefully to a platform with more stability.
gs,
Obviously they aren’t “slaves”…
They contribute and post of their own free will.
For free!
But use their pen (keyboard) to deride other legal transactions such as Walmart, and HP who outsourced a section of the company in order to cut costs.
Carly Fiorina for instance was described as someone who “doesn’t care” as opposed to Barbara Boxer “who does care”
See where identity politics gets you?????
Carly has specific ideas and solutions that weren’t covered over Barbara Boxer’s non-ideas and tired old tax and spend during a recession ideas.
If we focus on ideas (not identities) we’ll get better leaders.
Also, the left has animosity towards profits and a company making the decisions it needs to make to be profitable.
There are so many decisions a company can make to be profitable including:
1) Paying more to employees to attract good employees
2) Deciding to move offshore – away from strangling unions
3) Putting more money into Research and Development
4) Deciding not to invest more money but save for the rainy day.
5) Deciding not to hire due to coming costs.
AOL decided to pay for something. Conservatives do not think it’s illegal, bad, immoral, etc.
It is liberals who usually have a problem with these kinds of deals. We are mocking.
Mockery is in order. Obviously AOL desires to become MSNBC. Arianna is a self-promoting twit, and AOL is a corporate sucker. Ride ’em like a closet-queen Arianna!
1. Baklava, IMO political professionals want the politics of identity and passion because it makes their jobs easier.
2. I’m not trying to defend Huffington; I’m trying to be objective (she can’t be an ignorant bimbo and a diabolical mastermind at the same time). This post mentions that a lawsuit has been filed against her claiming that she ripped off the idea for HuffPo. At this point the matter has not gone to trial, so we only have one side of the story.
Now we know how Barack Obama is going to raise one billion dollars for his reelection campaign. Watch and see how the money is going to be spread out and converted into campaign donations to Obama 2012. I kid you not.
“She can’t be an ignorant bimbo and a diabolical mastermind at the same time.”
But isn’t that what you believed about George Bush?
Wm Lawrence wins best comment of the thread award;.
FWIW: Glenn Reynolds links to an article which explains that AOL’s stock price has now dropped enough to reduce its capitalization by the $315 million it will spend to buy HuffPo. Heh.