The search engine, web portal formerly known as America Online has changed its name to that of its acronym, AOL.
“Our company long ago accomplished the mission implied by our old name. We literally got America online,” said Jon Miller, chairman and chief executive of AOL LLC, in an interview with Associated Press.
This is the fourth time the company has changed its name. Formed in 1985 as Quantum Computer Services, it changed its name to America Online Inc. in 1991. Ten years later, it bought the Time Warner media empire and changed its name to AOL Time Warner in 2001. Three months after the purchase, the bottom fell out of the tech market and the name AOL became a liability on the larger corporation. It was later dropped from the Time Warner banner.
Time Warner is making AOL a limited liability company, removing its corporate status, hence the name AOL LLC. Miller added, “Our new corporate identity better reflects our expanded mission – to make everyone’s online experience better.”
Around here, we’re just going to keep calling it AOL.