In a significant move for the legacy web brand, technology company Bending Spoons has announced a definitive agreement to acquire AOL from Yahoo. The deal, announced October 29, 2025, will see the iconic web portal and email provider join a portfolio that includes other major digital brands like Vimeo, Evernote, and WeTransfer. The acquisition is expected to close by the end of 2025.
Bending Spoons, which recently secured $2.8 billion in debt financing for this and future acquisitions, expressed a long-term commitment to its new asset. CEO Luca Ferrari highlighted AOL’s “highly retained customer base” of around 30 million monthly active users and stated the company’s intention to “invest significantly to help the product and the business flourish.” For Yahoo, owned by Apollo Funds, the sale allows for a deeper focus on its core products and AI-powered experiences.
AOL Ownership History
Here is a trace of AOL’s most significant ownership changes, including prices paid:
- 2025: Bending Spoons Bending Spoons agreed to acquire AOL from Yahoo. The purchase price was not publicly disclosed in the official announcement although one site puts the AOL price as $1.5 billion.
- 2021: Apollo Global Management Private equity firm Apollo Global Management acquired a 90% stake in Verizon Media (which included both AOL and Yahoo) from Verizon for $5 billion. The new entity was renamed Yahoo.
- 2015: Verizon Communications Verizon acquired AOL for $4.4 billion, aiming to bolster its digital media and advertising businesses.
- 2009: Independent Company Time Warner spun off AOL as an independent public company. As this was a spin-off to shareholders, there was no direct purchase price.
- 2001: AOL Time Warner Merger In one of the largest and most infamous corporate mergers in history, AOL acquired Time Warner in a deal valued at approximately $183 billion at the time of its announcement, forming AOL Time Warner.
