Problems at Patch.com

Lenz should have told Armstrong to go fuck himself and continue videoing. What's he going to do, fire him?

 

Here's more on the firing and Patch's supposed future...

http://www.nypost.com/p/news/business/conference_gall_L7kFlZegr4EuO9QkSZUAgP

 

Romenesko just posted the audio and transcript from the first few minutes of the CEO's conference call that includes the apparent Lenz firing. Beyond the obvious callousness of firing a guy on a conference call (for nothing), Armstrong doesn't seem to like his employees very much. But what jumped out at me was him talking about not caring what the press says about Patch, as if even he doesn't view the company he founded as being part of the press. So much for reinventing journalism.

http://jimromenesko.com/2013/08/10/listen-to-aol-ceo-tim-armstrong-fire-his-creative-director-during-a-conference-call/

 

I got an offer from Patch three years ago.

My wife and I talked it over. I would have made an additional $10-$15K jumping from print to Patch. I didn't go.

Our thoughts back then: "No way this endeavor works."

 

Done. I don't work there but from now on, Patch is my primary news source.

 

But what about the people who Armstrong is about to lay off? What if they used the product and were invested in it? Was it not good enough?

 

Armstrong gives a non-apology apology.

http://www.boston.com/news/source/2013/08/aol_seo_fires_employee_in_front_of_1000_others.html

 

Unless you're rehiring him with a nice raise, Mr. Corporate Idiot, your apology is meaningless. Nobody is going to remember anything about your rah-rah shit except for you telling people that you're doing layoffs, and that you fired one poor guy right in front of everyone.

 

One story I read said Patch's sales last year were $35 million and expenses were between $126M and $162M. Six years down the road, they've got it all figured out!

 

Eh. They're still closer to Step 2 than the underwear gnomes.

 

Who would have thought church-luncheon journalism wasn't profitable?

 

The bizarre firing aside, a boss telling employees how they should think about the company is pretty creepy. Confirms my worst fears about corporate.