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Bebo’s Birch Tight-Lipped On AOL Deal; Talks Around Numbers

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Though he no doubt took a healthy slice of that $850 million, Bebo’s English co-founder Michael Birch went to ground when AOL (NYSE: TWX) bought the site in March - and he’s still keeping schtum on the deal. Appearing to speak at a Glasshouse event in his adopted home town of San Francisco last night, Birch managed to avoid any mention of the deal. CNET’s (NSDQ: CNET) Caroline McCarthy pushed but got only an oblique: “850 million is an interesting number. It’s a lot bigger than some numbers and a lot smaller than some numbers.”

SEE ALSO: Interview: Joanna Shields, President, Bebo: AOL Was First Suitor; ‘Attractive Bids’; Staffing Up

If that made Birch sound like the Count from Sesame Street, he did offer: “There were many other companies (as potential buyers)... It came down to fit.” But we already learned that in our acquisition-day interview with Bebo president Joanna Shields. A humble developer at heart, Birch, with wife Xochi, is now gone from the Bebo fold but is sure to reemerge in some entrepreneurial venture. Drop us a line if you find out what…

Apr 22, 2008 4:57 AM ET

Posted In: Social Media, Companies, AOL, Bebo, Time Warner, michael birch

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