Gerald M. Levin - Biography

Gerald M. "Jerry" Levin (born 6 May 1939) is an American mass-media businessman. CNBC named him as one of the "Worst American CEOs of All Time".

Early life and education

Levin was born in Pennsylvania to a Russian-Romanian Jewish family. He lived as a child in Overbrook Hills, a suburb of Philadelphia. He attended Haverford College, where he is a member of the Board of Directors. He graduated from the University of Pennsylvania Law School in 1963.

Levin has been married three times and is the father of five children.

Career and later life

Levin spent most of his career with Time Inc. (later Time Warner, then AOL Time Warner), starting as a programming executive for Home Box Office (HBO) and eventually becoming CEO of the corporation. Levin is probably most famous for having brokered the merger between AOL and Time Warner in 2000, at the height of the dot-com bubble, a merger which seemed to many to be disadvantageous to Time Warner as the bubble collapsed in the next few years.

Murder of Jonathan Levin

One of his children, Jonathan Levin, a 31-year-old high school English teacher, was tortured and murdered on May 31, 1997 by one of his own students. The student, Corey Arthur, was convicted of second-degree murder and sentenced to 25 years to life in prison in November 1998. A purported accomplice, Montoun Hart, was acquitted on the same charges in February 1999. While Hart had written a confession, jurors were not able to find out how it was obtained and felt it was unreliable.

The murder occurred after Jonathan had mentioned that his father was Time-Warner head Gerald M. Levin in the classroom. The former student, Corey Arthur, assumed that Jonathan was rich. The student stole Jonathan's bank card and got the account's PIN, obtaining about $800 from the account.

Jonathan Levin High School for Media and Communications in The Bronx, New York City, is named for the murdered teacher.

Philanthropic activities

In addition to being a businessman, Levin is a philanthropist; he is a supporter of Jewish causes and engages in other charitable and philanthropic work as well. He is a trustee and supporter of the Museum of Jewish Heritage, among other charitable organizations.

Further reading

• Klein, Alec, Stealing Time: Steve Case, Jerry Levin, and the Collapse of AOL Time Warner (Simon & Schuster, 2003) ISBN 0-7432-5984-X

External links

• Gerald Levin's page at The Museum of Broadcast Communications' website
• Forbes Magazine article about Levin's resignation from AOL Time Warner
• October 20, 1998 CNN.com news article discussing opening statements at the trial of Jonathan Levin's then suspected murderer
• Moonview Sanctuary: Gerald Levin's holistic treatment center based in Santa Monica, California