速報：AOLが新しい会長兼CEOを任命した。Tim Armstrongは、Googleで米国内広告セールスの長を務めた人物で、Randy Falcoに代って会長兼CEOに就任する。AOLのプレジデント兼COOのRon Grantも同社を離れる。Armstrongの名前は、いくつかの会社のCEOまたはトップ候補として噂されていた。同氏はAOLという、GoogleやYahooと比べて広告資産にもトラフィックにも強みのない会社で、大いに手腕を問われることになる。
情報筋によると、この人事はかなりの極密裡に進められたもので、AOLの幹部クラスでさえ、Falcoの辞任を今日（米国時間3/12）の午後プレスリリースが出るまで聞かされていなかったらしい。
Falcoは、前任者であるJonathan Millerが追い出された後、NBCからやってきた。FalcoはAOLを再編成し、同サイトのポータル（今でも膨大なトラフィックを生んでいる）と広告資産を合体させることに注力し、現在Platform-Aとして統合されている。同氏の戦略は、AOLを広告ネットワークに作り上げ、AOL自身の資産を基盤として広告枠を保証することだった。
しかし、その広告戦略が開花することはなかった。ひとつには、経済の崩壊が理由だ。前四半期のAOLは、広告収益が18%減、総収益が23%減で、以前の買収による評価損が$2.2B（22億ドル）あった。しかし同じ四半期にYahooのディスプレイ広告は2%しか減少しておらず、総収益は1%減たった。ちなみにGoogleの収益は18%増で、これは検索広告によるものだ。Armstrongがこの収益の大部分の責任者であったことや、未だにオンライン広告の中で成長を続ける検索の専門家あることが、Time Warner CEOのJeff Bewkesの目に留まったことは間違いない。
AOLの営業に問題があることは確かで、これはYahooとGoogleとの実績と比較すれば明らかだ。このためArmstrongは、これも最近雇われたYahoo出身のGreg Colmanと共に、この解決を手助けしてくれる人物であるとみられている。ColemanはAOLの新しい営業のトップだ。しかし、Googleを去るようにArmstrongを駆り立てたものは、一体何だったのだろうか。しかも、最近価格が再設定されたストックオプションの権利も持っていたのに。
Time WarnerはAOLを手離したいと思っている。当初は即座に売り飛ざすつもりだったが、今はむしろ、いずれスピンオフさせることを睨んているようだ。もしArmstrongがAOLを立て直して、IPOに持っていくか、Microsoftなどの買い手から買収の声がかかるまでの魅力をつけることができれば、彼にも給料日が訪れる。
以下にプレスリリース（英文）を載せておく。
TIM ARMSTRONG NAMED CHAIRMAN AND CEO OF AOL
Former Google Executive to Build AOL’s Future
and Help Determine Optimal Structure for AOL
NEW YORK, March 12, 2009 – Tim Armstrong, Google Senior Vice President, has been named Chairman and CEO of AOL, LLC, Time Warner Inc. (NYSE:TWX) Chairman and CEO Jeff Bewkes announced today. Current AOL Chairman and CEO Randy Falco and President and COO Ron Grant plan to leave the company after a transition period.
In making the announcement Mr. Bewkes said: “Tim is the right executive to move AOL into the next phase of its evolution. At Google, Armstrong helped build one of the most successful media teams in the history of the Internet — helping to make Google the most popular online search advertising platform in the world for direct and brand marketers. He’s an advertising pioneer with a stellar reputation and proven track record. We are privileged to have him preside over AOL as its audience and programming businesses continue to grow and its advertising platform expands globally. He’ll also be helpful in helping Time Warner determine the optimal structure for AOL”
Tim Armstrong said: “I’m very excited about the opportunities presented in leading AOL. AOL has a wide-ranging set of assets and audience. The company is well positioned to enhance those assets into a larger share of the Internet audience and advertiser communities. AOL and Google have been partners for years and I look forward to collaborating with Jeff Bewkes and his team as we explore the right structure and future for AOL.”
Mr. Bewkes added: “Randy led AOL in its transition from a subscription business to an audience business. Under Randy and Ron, AOL’s programming sites exhibited year-over-year growth in unique visitors for 23 consecutive months with many of its sites now in the top five of their categories., They also assembled Platform-A, the number one display ad network in the U.S. with a reach of more than 90%. They also aggressively cut costs as they restructured the Audience business portion of the company into three distinct operating units: People Networks, MediaGlow, and Platform-A. As Randy and Ron move on, they leave AOL with our gratitude and appreciation for remaking the company and bringing it to a new and promising level.”
Tim Armstrong was a member of Google’s Operating Committee and served as the president of the Americas Operations. Under the Americas Operations, Armstrong’s team managed publishers and advertisers’ relationships and platforms with some of the world’s most widely recognized media and agency brands. Armstrong started at Google in the year 2000 and opened the first office outside of the Mountain View, CA headquarters.
Mr. Armstrong joined Google from Snowball.com, where he was vice president of sales and strategic partnerships. Prior to his role at Snowball.com, he served as director of integrated sales & marketing at Starwave’s and Disney’s ABC/ESPN Internet Ventures, working across the companies’ Internet, TV, radio, and print properties. He started his career by co-founding and running a newspaper based in Boston, MA, before joining IDG to launch their first consumer Internet magazine, I-Way.
Mr. Armstrong sits on the boards of the Interactive Advertising Bureau (IAB), the Advertising Council, and the Advertising Research Foundation, and is a trustee at Connecticut College and Lawrence Academy. He is a member of Mayor Bloomberg’s MediaNYC 2020 committee. He is a graduate of Connecticut College, with a double major in economics and sociology.
[原文へ]
（翻訳：Nob Takahashi）
