Jonathan Miller: 破釜沉舟

Jonathan Miller wasn't a charismatic leader.  But he recognized theneed to fundamentally change AOL's strategy, mappedout a new direction, and got people moving the way that he waspointing.  Since last year, especially, he had been executing well andreally seemed to "get it".  Giving AOL's services away for free thissummer forced the organization to focus on the new world rather thanthe old; a Rubicon crossing, or as Jon's Sifu might say, "Break the woks and sink the boats(破釜沉舟)".  And as Ted notes, the strategy that Jon architected is starting to show good results.

Given all of this, Jon's departure wasa shock. Neither the communications to the rank and file nor to Jonhimself were handled well.  There are plenty of rumors and speculationflying around.  I hope that the Time Warner leadership team handles thesituation going forward with the openness and honesty that are due tothe people who have worked so hard to turn AOL around.

Jon, you'll be missed.