You've Got No Mail: DC Techies Ponder Life After AOL

Relocation is struggling sector's latest setback
By Laila Weir,  Newser Staff
Posted Feb 18, 2008 10:12 AM CST
You've Got No Mail: DC Techies Ponder Life After AOL
The Time Warner building is photographed Wednesday, Nov. 7, 2007, in New York. Weak results from AOL tempered an otherwise strong quarter at Time Warner Inc., the company reported Wednesday, as gains from cable TV and the latest Harry Potter movie helped the media conglomerate meet Wall Street expectations...   (Associated Press)

AOL is moving its HQ to New York, cutting nearly half of its 5,700 DC-area jobs, and leaving serious questions about the Washington, DC area’s tech industry in its wake. AOL’s declining fortunes have already hurt the sector, but local techies and VCs have fought back with numerous startups, reports the Washington Post.

The best known is Revolution, which aims to use technology to transform health and other industries. Still, "we just don't have the high-end Googles and Facebooks,” says one area investor. Another warns that the lack of a local Internet leader increases the risk that “quality talent migrates elsewhere, with innovation, capital, and employment growth following them.” (More AOL stories.)

Get the news faster.
Tap to install our app.
X
Install the Newser News app
in two easy steps:
1. Tap in your navigation bar.
2. Tap to Add to Home Screen.

X