AOL Investors: Does Arianna Have Commitment Issues?

CEO Tim Armstrong, AOL execs push comeback message

Huffington Post may be the engine driving AOL’s new content-first comeback strategy, but some investors are wondering how long the news site’s eponymous founder is going to stick around.

At AOL’s Investors Day Thursday, CEO Tim Armstrong and his executive team took the stage to pitch the company’s revival message and show off its suite of new products. But, when given the opportunity to ask questions, one investor asked AOL’s editorial chief Arianna Huffington, “How do we know that your interests are aligned with ours?”

The question referenced Huffington’s decision to take 25 percent of her proceeds from the Huffington Post’s $315 million February sale as AOL stock—an amount interpreted by some as too little skin to have in the game.

“I’m deeply committed,” Huffington said in reply to the investor’s question.

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