Armstrong Apologizes for Abrupt Firing

AOL's chief executive is sorry for firing an employee during a conference call, but he isn't being hired back. Last Friday, Tim Armstrong was holding a meeting and call with 1,000 employees of local news service Patch, when he grew frustrated that Abel Lenz, the site's creative director, was taking photos and fired him. “As you know, I am a firm believer in open meetings, open Q&A, and this level of transparency requires trust across AOL," he wrote in a statement. "Internal meetings of a confidential nature should not be filmed or recorded so that our employees can feel free to discuss all topics openly. Abel had been told previously not to record a confidential meeting, and he repeated that behavior on Friday, which drove my actions.” Armstrong has since called Lenz to apologize, but has not offered him his job back.