Much like this gif, Aol added another layer of management last week. Aol Brands got its own CEO, Susan Lyne, to round out the triumvirate of Aol Networks CEO Ned Brody and interim Membership CEO Bud Rosenthal. And, in an impressive sleight of hand, the company also lost a layer of management, with COO Artie Minson out, perhaps due to Patch’s less-than-inspiring performance.
Because Aol reorgs are almost always baffling, Arianna Huffington and HuffPost CEO Jimmy Maymann get to be the bosses of Huffington Post, not answering to Lyne even though HuffPost’s and HuffPost Live’s traffic and revenue will be listed as Brands revenue on Aol earnings reports. Being one of the more recognizable brands, TechCrunch too will get the kid-glove treatment, with Lyne promising we’ll retain editorial independence.
“You’ve increased your traffic massively with little or no input from Aol. You don’t need help,” she told me in an interview, above, on her very first day in her new role. And on Arianna in the room? “The Huffington Post has a well-developed plan for growth, including Huff Post Live and more international expansion. There’s lots we can do together, but my time is better spent on areas that are not growing as fast.”
What else? Other than there are, as of yet, no plans for a TechCrunch “Swimsuit Issue”? Well, Michael Arrington is her favorite TechCrunch writer. Just wait until she gets a load of Lawler.