AOL to shed a third of its work force

Struggling Internet company AOL plans to shed up to 2,500 jobs -- more than a third of its work force -- as it prepares to separate from Time Warner and finally sever their ill-fated marriage.

Major job cuts had been expected and seemed certain after Time Warner said last week that AOL would take $200 million in charges for severance and other restructuring-related costs. But the magnitude was not known until yesterday.

AOL, which already has pared thousands of workers in recent years and now employs about 6,900, is asking for volunteers to accept buyouts. If the company falls short of the 2,500 target, AOL plans layoffs to reach a payroll cut of up to 2,300 positions, a third of its current total.

The cuts will leave AOL at less than a quarter the size it was at its peak in 2004, when the company had more than 20,000 employees.

Although AOL is based in New York, it has major operations in Northern Virginia.

The reductions show the company is endeavoring to become lean as it leaves Time Warner's side in three weeks, but it still is unclear how they will help the Internet company, which has been trying to reinvent itself as a content and advertising company amid an ongoing decline in its legacy dial-up Internet business.

The voluntary offer is open to all employees from Dec. 4 through Dec. 11, AOL spokeswoman Tricia Primrose said. The job cuts still need approval from the new AOL board and come on top of about 100 layoffs announced Nov. 10.

"We're trying to put more choice and decision-making abilities in the hands of the employees, as opposed to having them wait for final cost recommendations or involuntary layoffs," Primrose said.