AOL Employee Burns $1,500, But That Pales in Comparison to What AOL Members Have Burned on the Service

If Michael Arrington is crazy, America Online subscribers must be nuts.

Arrington, the editor of TechCrunch (AOL's

tech blog), is

for his

regarding the company's silly expense practices. AOL is reportedly very strict with its expense reports, forcing employees to explain every dollar spent. But while $1,500 (which Arrington threw away “because it wasn't worth the pain”) sounds like a lot, you should consider how much loyal AOL subscribers have been spending since 1996. At an average rate of $20, subscribers of the ill-fated Internet Service Provider have burned approximately $3,500. Now who seems crazy?