AOL in Talks to Buy TechCrunch

AOL is on the verge of announcing a deal to buy high-profile technology blog TechCrunch, insiders say. AOL—which snapped up TechCrunch rival Engadget in 2005—tried and failed to buy the blog a few years ago, a source tells the Wall Street Journal. An announcement is expected to be made at Disrupt, TechCrunch's flagship conference, which is currently under way in San Francisco.

TechCrunch has become one of Silicon Valley's most influential blogs since its founding five years ago, and the buy would be in line with AOL's recent shift toward content generation. The firm wants to target "tech influencers—things like Engadget—and you're going to see us do more things in that space," AOL chief executive Tim Armstrong told investors last week. (More TechCrunch stories.)