Updated: July 12, 2020 (June 9, 2003)
Charts & IllustrationsAOL and Microsoft: Diverging Interests
Although AOL and Microsoft have competed in many areas over the years, AOL is becoming more interested in its media business and less interested in technology, while Microsoft is moving in the opposite direction.
| Business Area | AOL History | Microsoft History | Current Status |
| Media Content | Time Warner was one of the world’s largest owners of recorded music, movies, TV networks, and print content; AOL also boasted exclusive content. Merger was supposed to help deliver this content and associated advertising via a new channel: the Internet. | Entered the media business in 1996 with a cable news network (MSNBC), original print content (Slate), and multimedia shows on MSN. |
AOL views content as its main business and plans to deliver content to AOL users.
Microsoft continues to operate some media ventures, but is building no new ones. Top executives say Microsoft is not a media company. |
| Internet Access | AOL has long been the number-one ISP in the U.S. |
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