The principals dissect the failed AOL-Time Warner merger, 10 years later

The most powerful lessons can be learned years after a mistake is made. This is especially true with a colossal failure. Only after much time has passed can the people involved shed their self-protective impulses and see clearly what happened.

There has been much written (for example here and here) about the 10th anniversary of the failed AOL-Time Warner merger (AOL again became an independent company in mid-December 2009). But nothing has been as compelling and rewarding to read as this New York Times article recounting the history of the merger from the viewpoints of the principal actors involved. Did you know that TW CEO Gerald Levin and AOL founder Steve Case first met at the 50th anniversary celebration of the People's Republic of China? I didn't either.

Once back in the States, Case began his pursuit:

MR. LEVIN We’re now back in the United States and I think Steve Case called me on the phone and in that conversation more than alluded to putting the companies together. I had my traditional script and quasi-legal background that when someone calls you on the phone, make sure they understand you’re not for sale, which we certainly weren’t, and decline any overture, which I did over the phone.

And the story goes on from there. It's riveting, candid, and revealing, and a must read for anyone who is eager to do a big merger. It might make them stop and think a bit.