Disconsolate and disheartened are just two of the adjectives used these days by employees at PlanetOut, when they talk privately about life at their workplace. Insiders tell us the company had been rife with turmoil in recent months, with a staff revolt in the offing. The gay online service, which produces its own Web site as well as sites for America Online and Microsoft Network, was founded nearly two years ago by the always outgoing Tom Rielly. We've learned from friends inside the organization that Tom recently departed for a rather lengthy "vacation" from his role as founder and president, and that the decision to do so may not have been his alone. Earlier this fall, management sought out an organizational psychologist named Gil Kaplan to discover what was wrong. After poking around, Kaplan presented a report to the board of directors and the entire staff that declared the core problem was that 90 percent of the staff had a healthy distrust for Jon Huggett, the company's CEO. Indeed, we're told that most staffers - who are said to have a nearly religious devotion to PlanetOut - are lobbying hard to have Rielly restored to his leadership role when he returns in mid-December. That's assuming there's a staff left - over the weekend, two key staff members, Karen Wickre and Megan Smith, were fired. PlanetOut, it seems, is becoming Planet Wipeout.
What happens when one oppressively controlling media company decides to acquire another oppressively controlling wannabe media company? We may soon find out, if the rumor that Disney is stalking AOL Networks proves to be true. We've heard via certain rather active AOL-insider mailing lists that the Mouse is indeed trying to expand its online presence through acquisition rather than construction. True or not, it seems to us like the most logical move for both parties. On Disney's side, the dead-tree media drum up Internet scares on a near-weekly basis. Could there be a more perfect brand ISP for frightened parents? Meanwhile, AOL has been churning ferociously through this very territory. Plus, where Disney is strongest - a masterful ability to build memorable content - the Ted Leonsis-controlled side of AOL has proven weak. Fodder for this speculation can also be found in the hiring of former MTV jefe Robert Pittman as president of AOL Networks, arguably the crown zirconium of the newly tripartite AOL family. Pittman's background in television and Time Warner theme parks allow him to survive the sniff tests of the Mousketeers. With AOL's ANS division reputedly headed into the hands of a phone company, could AOL Networks be far behind?
When you're able to abscond with US$7,500 a pop for telling marketing executives things they already know, you don't need to put up with guff from anybody. Least of all CNET. That appears to be the conclusion sometime writer and frequent pontificator Douglas Rushkoff recently drew when his editors at the determinedly bland CNET site killed an edition of his regular biweekly column. Rushkoff promptly quit. For the moment, Doug's not talking about the incident. Word on the street is that Rushkoff's words of Net wisdom will soon grace the wires of The New York Times Syndicate.
