Editing Steve Case

{{Short description|Businessman and former CEO of AOL}}
{{Distinguish|Stevie Case}}
{{Use mdy dates|date=April 2025}}
{{Infobox person
|name        = Steve Case
|image       = Steve Case at Strictly VC event in 2024 (cropped).jpg
|caption     = Case in 2024
|alt = head and shoulders crop of Case wearing light blue shirt and navy suit jacket, holding a microphone and facing audience
|birthname   = Stephen McConnell Case 
|birth_date  = {{birth date and age|1958|8|21}}
|birth_place = [[Honolulu]], [[Hawaii Territory]], U.S.
|death_date  = 
|death_place = 
|party       = [[Independent (voter)|Independent]]
|spouse      = {{plainlist|
* {{marriage|Joanne Barker|1985|1996|end=divorced}}
* {{marriage|[[Jean Case|Jean Villanueva]]|1998}}
}}
|children    = 5
|alma_mater  = [[Williams College]]
}}

'''Stephen McConnell Case''' (born August 21, 1958) is an American businessman, investor, and philanthropist best known as the former chief executive officer and chairman of [[America Online]] (AOL).  Case joined AOL's predecessor company, [[Quantum Computer Services]], as a marketing vice-president in 1985, became CEO of the company (renamed AOL) in 1991, and, at the height of the [[dot-com bubble]] in 2000, orchestrated with [[Gerald M. Levin]] the merger that created AOL Time Warner, described as "the biggest train wreck in the history of corporate America."<ref>{{cite news|url= http://www.achievement.org/autodoc/page/cas1bio-1|title= Steve Case Biography|publisher= American Academy of Achievement|access-date= June 13, 2011|url-status= dead|archive-url= https://web.archive.org/web/20111004143401/http://achievement.org/autodoc/page/cas1bio-1|archive-date= October 4, 2011}}</ref><ref>{{cite book|url=https://archive.org/details/foolsrushinsteve00munk|url-access=registration|title=Fools Rush In: Steve Case, Jerry Levin, and the Unmaking of AOL Time Warner|last=Munk|first=Nina|date=2004|publisher=HarperBusiness|isbn=0060540346}}<!--|access-date=1 July 2022 --></ref>

Since resigning as chairman of the company in 2003, he has launched a [[Venture capital|venture-capital firm]], [[Revolution LLC]], based in Washington, D.C., and authored ''The Third Wave: An Entrepreneur's Vision of the Future'', which in 2016 became a ''New York Times'' bestselling book.<ref>{{cite news|title=New York Times Bestsellers - Business Books - May 2016|url=https://www.nytimes.com/books/best-sellers/2016/05/15/business-books/?_r=0|work=The New York Times|access-date=October 25, 2016}}</ref> In 2022 he published his second book, ''The Rise of the Rest: How Entrepreneurs in Surprising Places Are Building the New American Dream''.

== Life and career ==
Steve Case was born and grew up in [[Honolulu, Hawaii]],<ref name="VanVoris20060801">{{cite news |url=http://starbulletin.com/2006/08/01/business/story03.html |title=Steve Case immerses himself in life after AOL |author=Bob Van Voris, Bloomberg News |publisher=Honolulu Star-Bulletin |date=August 1, 2006 |access-date=May 1, 2008 |archive-date=April 8, 2008 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20080408172249/http://starbulletin.com/2006/08/01/business/story03.html |url-status=dead }}</ref> the son of Carol and Daniel Case.<ref>{{cite news |url=http://www.staradvertiser.com/2016/07/01/breaking-news/noted-attorney-daniel-case-dies/ |title=Noted attorney Daniel Case dies |author=Michael Tsai |publisher=Honolulu Star-Adviser |date=July 1, 2016 }}</ref> He graduated from the private [[Punahou School]]<ref name="VanVoris20060801" /> in 1976 and attended Central Union Church.

Case graduated from [[Williams College]] in [[Williamstown, Massachusetts]] in 1980 with a degree in [[political science]]. For the next two years he worked as an assistant brand manager at [[Procter & Gamble]] in [[Cincinnati, Ohio]]. In 1982 he joined [[Pizza Hut|Pizza Hut Inc.]] in [[Wichita, Kansas]], serving as manager of new pizza marketing.<ref name="VanVoris20060801" />

In January 1983, his older brother, Dan, an investment banker, introduced him to [[Bill von Meister]], CEO of Control Video Corporation. The company was marketing a service called [[GameLine]] for the [[Atari 2600]] [[video game console]] that allowed users to download games via a phone line and [[modem]]. After that meeting, von Meister hired Case as a marketing consultant.<ref name="VanVoris20060801" /><ref>{{cite book |last=Ashby |first=Ruth |title=Steve Case: America Online Pioneer |year=2002 |publisher=Twenty-First Century Books |location=Brookfield, Conn. |isbn=0-7613-2655-3 |chapter=Page 17 |chapter-url=https://books.google.com/books?id=TV4bEYv2MGAC&pg=PA17 |quote=His brother Dan introduced him to ... Bill Von Meister |url=https://archive.org/details/stevecase00ruth }}</ref> Later that year, the company nearly went [[bankruptcy|bankrupt]] and one of its investors, [[Frank Caufield]], brought in his friend [[Jim Kimsey]] as a manufacturing consultant. Case later joined the company as a full-time marketing employee.

In 1985 Quantum Computer Services, an online services company, was founded by Jim Kimsey from the remnants of Control Video. Kimsey became CEO of the newly renamed [[Quantum Computer Services]] and hired Case as vice president of marketing. In 1987 he promoted him again to executive vice president.  Kimsey groomed Case to become chairman and CEO when Kimsey retired, and the transition formally took place in 1991 (CEO) and 1995 (chairman).

As part of the changes that gave birth to Quantum, Case changed the company's strategy, creating an online service called [[Quantum Link]] (Q-Link for short) for the [[Commodore 64]] in 1985 with programmer (and AOL co-founder) [[Marc Seriff]]. In 1988, Quantum began offering the [[AppleLink]] online service for [[Apple Computer|Apple]] and [[PC Link]] for [[IBM compatible]] computers.  In 1991 he changed the company name to [[America Online]] and merged the Apple and PC services under the AOL name; the new service reached 1 million subscribers by 1994, and Q-Link was terminated October 21 of that year.

AOL pioneered the concept of social media, as its focus from day one was on communication features such as chatrooms, instant messaging and forums.<ref>{{cite news|url= http://iml.jou.ufl.edu/projects/fall2000/mcatee/|title= AOL A History|access-date= June 13, 2011|archive-date= August 19, 2005|archive-url= https://web.archive.org/web/20050819145032/http://iml.jou.ufl.edu/projects/Fall2000/McAtee/|url-status= dead}}</ref> Case believed that the "killer app" was community — people interacting with each other — and that was the driver of much of AOL's early success.  By contrast, competitive services of the time such as [[Prodigy (online service)|Prodigy]] funded by [[IBM]] and [[Sears]], focused on shopping, and [[CompuServe]] focused on being an information utility.<ref>{{Cite news|url= http://www.askmen.com/celebs/men/business_politics/49_steve_case.html|title= Steve Case Biography|newspaper= AskMen|access-date= June 13, 2011|url-status= dead|archive-url= https://web.archive.org/web/20111007060307/http://www.askmen.com/celebs/men/business_politics/49_steve_case.html|archive-date= October 7, 2011}}</ref>
AOL's strategy was to make online services available and accessible to the mass market by making them affordable, easy to use, useful and fun.<ref>{{Cite news|url= http://topics.wsj.com/person/C/steve-case/603|archive-url= https://archive.today/20120716001412/http://topics.wsj.com/person/C/steve-case/603|url-status= dead|archive-date= July 16, 2012|title= Steve Case|newspaper= The Wall Street Journal|access-date= June 13, 2011}}</ref> At a time when competing services like CompuServe were charging for each minute of access (which varied based on modem speeds and added extra charges for premium services), AOL priced its service at $19.95 per month for unlimited use of basic tier services beginning in 1996.<ref>{{Cite news|url= http://www.webhostingreport.com/learn/aol.html|archive-url= https://web.archive.org/web/20110101185453/http://www.webhostingreport.com/learn/aol.html|url-status= dead|archive-date= January 1, 2011|title= The History of AOL|newspaper= WebHostingReport.com|access-date= June 11, 2011}}</ref> Within three years, AOL's userbase grew to 10 million, ultimately reaching 26.7 million users at its peak in 2002.<ref>{{cite news|last1=Tedeschi|first1=Bob|title=AOL store tempts comparison shoppers|url=https://www.nytimes.com/2004/09/14/business/worldbusiness/aol-store-tempts-comparison-shoppers.html|access-date=January 6, 2018|work=The New York Times|date=September 14, 2004}}</ref>

Among many initiatives in the early years of AOL, Case personally championed many innovative online interactive titles and games, including graphical chat environments [[Habitat (video game)|Habitat]] (1986) and [[Club Caribe]] (1989), the first online interactive fiction series [[QuantumLink Serial]] by [[Tracy Reed (writer)|Tracy Reed]] (1988), [[Stormfront Studios|Quantum Space]], the first fully automated [[Play-by-mail game|Play by email]] game (1989), and the original [[Dungeons & Dragons]] title ''[[Neverwinter Nights (AOL game)|Neverwinter Nights]]'', the first Massively Multiplayer Online Role Playing Game ([[MMORPG]]) to depict the adventure with graphics instead of text (1991).

After a decade of quick growth, AOL merged with media giant [[Time Warner]] in 2001, creating one of the world's largest media, entertainment and communications companies.<ref>{{Cite news|date=January 12, 2001|title=AOL Time Warner: Timeline of the merger|language=en-GB|url=http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/business/1113599.stm|access-date=November 21, 2020}}</ref> The $164 billion acquisition was completed in January 2001 but quickly ran into trouble as part of the [[Dot-com bubble|dot-com]] recession, compounded by accounting scandals. Case announced his resignation as chairman in January 2003, although he remained on the company's [[board of directors]] for almost three more years.<ref>{{cite news|url=https://www.scribd.com/doc/44394858/Steve-Case|title= Steve Case's Last Stand|access-date= June 14, 2011}}</ref>

The failure of the AOL-Time Warner merger is the subject of a book by [[Nina Munk]] entitled ''Fools Rush In: Steve Case, Jerry Levin, and the Unmaking of AOL Time Warner'' (2005). A photo of Case and [[Time Warner]]'s [[Gerald Levin|Jerry Levin]] embracing at the announcement of the merger appears on the cover.

In 2005, Case wrote in ''[[The Washington Post]]'' that "It's now my view that it would be best to 'undo' the merger by splitting Time Warner into several independent companies and allowing AOL to set off on its own path."<ref>{{cite news|title=AOL founder calls for breakup of Time Warner|url=http://www.seattlepi.com/business/251800_aol13.html|date=December 13, 2005|publisher=Bloomberg via Seattle Post-Intelligencer|access-date=December 1, 2007}}</ref>

[[Image:Ray Chambers, Bill Clinton, Jean Case, Steve Case and Laura Bush at President Bill Clinton's Annual Global Initiative Conference in New York, September 20, 2006.jpg|thumb|left|[[Laura Bush]] announces a $60 million partnership between the U.S. Government and the [[Case Foundation]] at the [[Clinton Global Initiative]] conference in New York on September 20, 2006. With her, from left, are: Raymond Chambers, Chairman, MCJ and Amelier Foundations; former President [[Bill Clinton]]; and [[Jean Case]] and Steve Case.]]

Case resigned from the Time-Warner board of directors in October 2005, to spend more time working on [[Revolution LLC]], a D.C.-based investment firm he founded in April 2005. Revolution and its related funds have invested in more than 200 companies. Revolution has committed to investing a majority of its capital outside Silicon Valley<ref name="Business Insider">{{cite web | url=http://www.businessinsider.com/200m-for-startups-not-in-the-valley-2013-9 | title=Steve Case's Fund Will Invest $200 Million On Startups Outside Of Silicon Valley| website=[[Business Insider]]| access-date=September 3, 2013}}</ref>

He is also chairman of the [[Case Foundation]], which he and his wife [[Jean Case]] created in 1997. In 2011, Steve and Jean Case were honored as Citizens of the Year by the [[National Conference on Citizenship]]<ref>{{cite news|url=https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=JIJ8vrP5224 |archive-url=https://ghostarchive.org/varchive/youtube/20211212/JIJ8vrP5224| archive-date=December 12, 2021 |url-status=live|title=Jean and Steve Case recognized at Citizens of the Year at the Civic Innovators Forum|access-date= September 22, 2011}}{{cbignore}}</ref> and interviewed by [[Stephanie Strom]] of ''[[The New York Times]]'' about their record of service and philanthropic endeavors. The Case Foundation also created the Impact Investing Network Map, to track transactions between investors and startups that are socially-conscious.<ref>{{Cite web |title=Steve Case |url=https://www.forbes.com/profile/steve-case/ |access-date=2025-04-25 |website=Forbes |language=en}}</ref>

In 1999, Case received the Golden Plate Award of the [[Academy of Achievement|American Academy of Achievement]]. His award was presented by Awards Council member [[Jim Kimsey]].<ref>{{cite web|title= Golden Plate Awardees of the American Academy of Achievement |website=www.achievement.org|publisher=[[American Academy of Achievement]]|url=https://achievement.org/our-history/golden-plate-awards/#business}}</ref> Case was inducted into the Junior Achievement U.S. Business Hall of Fame in 2009. In 2011, he was appointed as a Citizen Regent of the [[Smithsonian Institution]], and [https://www.si.edu/newsdesk/releases/steve-case-elected-chair-smithsonian-board-regents became Chair of the Regents in 2020].<ref name="Smithsonian">{{cite web | url=http://www.si.edu/Regents/members.htm | title=About Smithsonian: Regent Members | publisher=[[Smithsonian Institution]] | access-date=May 14, 2011 | url-status=dead | archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20110429070003/http://www.si.edu/Regents/members.htm | archive-date=April 29, 2011 }}</ref> Case was a co-chair of the Democracy Project at the [[Bipartisan Policy Center]].<ref>{{cite web|url=http://www.bipartisanpolicy.org/projects/democracy-project|title=Governance - Bipartisan Policy Center|url-status=dead|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20110610173655/http://www.bipartisanpolicy.org/projects/democracy-project|archive-date=June 10, 2011}}</ref> In May 2014, Case received an Honorary Doctorate of Humane Letters from [[Georgetown University]].<ref>{{cite news |url= http://www.georgetown.edu/hoyas2014/speakers.html |title= Georgetown Announces Speakers for 2014 Commencement |date= May 1, 2014 |work= Georgetown University |access-date= May 1, 2014 |url-status= dead |archive-url= https://web.archive.org/web/20140502033259/http://www.georgetown.edu/hoyas2014/speakers.html |archive-date= May 2, 2014 }}</ref>

== Investments ==
Following his departure from AOL, Case founded [[Revolution LLC]] in 2005. Early investments include [[Revolution Money]], [[HelloWallet]], AddThis, [[Zipcar]], [[Living Social]], and luxury travel club Exclusive Resorts. These last three were considered early bets on the new Web economy,<ref>{{cite news |url= https://www.theatlantic.com/business/archive/2011/11/how-steve-case-and-his-company-are-driving-the-sharing-economy/247997/ |title= How Steve Case and His Company Are Driving the Sharing Economy |date= November 9, 2011 |work= Business Insider}}</ref> and were early examples of what is now referred to as the 'sharing economy.' Zipcar went public in April 2011, earning a market valuation of more than $1 billion before being acquired by Avis Budget Group in January 2013.<ref>{{cite news| url= http://www.entrepreneur.com/blog/225399| title = Zipcar Timeline: From Business Idea to IPO to $500 Million Buyout|newspaper= Entrepreneur|access-date= January 2, 2013}}</ref>

Case also believed he could change the healthcare system in the US and founded [[Revolution Health Group]] in April 2005.<ref>{{cite web |title=Steve Case Launches Revolution |url=http://revolution.com/health/default.asp |access-date=January 2, 2025 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20061117063915/http://revolution.com/health/default.asp |archive-date=November 17, 2006}}</ref> After a number of acquisitions but disappointing results, the company merged with Waterfront Media in October 2008.<ref>{{cite news| url=https://www.nytimes.com/2008/10/03/business/03deal.html?_r=2&oref=slogin | work=The New York Times | title=Two Online Health Site Operators to Announce a Merger | first=Stephanie | last=Clifford | date=October 3, 2008 | accessdate=May 22, 2010}}</ref>

Other exits include the purchase of Revolution Money by American Express in 2009 for $300 million, and on May 29, 2014, MorningStar announced plans to acquire HelloWallet for an undisclosed amount.<ref>{{cite news| url= http://revolution.com/revolutionary-views/post/hellowallet-acquired-morningstar#.VP5P8cZYWqB| title = HelloWallet Acquired by Morningstar| access-date= May 29, 2014}}</ref> Additionally, Case recognized another successful exit when Towers Watson acquired early exchange pioneer Extend Health for $435 million in May 2012.

In 2011, Case, along with [[Ted Leonsis]], launched the $450 million Revolution Growth fund.<ref>{{Cite web|title = Revolution Growth {{!}} Revolution|url = http://revolution.com/revolution-growth#.VP5QecZYWqA/|website = revolution.com|access-date = May 15, 2015}}</ref> The fund's investments to date include [[Bigcommerce]], [[Custom Ink]], Echo360, [[FedBid]], Handy, [[Lolly Wolly Doodle]], [[Optoro]], Orchard, [[Resonate]], Revolution Foods, Sweetgreen, Sparefoot, Bedrock Manufacturing, LDiscovery, Interactions, Cava, [[DraftKings]], [[Sportradar]], Tala, Tempus, TalkSpace and Uptake. In 2013, he launched the Revolution Ventures fund with Tige Savage and David Golden. Revolution Ventures has invested in [[BenchPrep]], Booker, [[Busbud]], Framebridge, [[Homesnap]], Insikt, [[OrderUp]], [[RunKeeper]], MemberSuite, PolicyGenius, Paro, Bloomscape and Bright Cellars. [https://www.nytimes.com/2017/12/04/business/dealbook/midwest-start-ups.html In 2017, Case launched the Rise of the Rest Seed Fund, investing in companies outside of San Francisco, New York and Boston. The fund has invested in companies across 78 cities and 35 states]. Case has also invested directly in other companies, such as Kenyan solar provider [[M-kopa]].<ref>{{Cite news|url=https://www.ft.com/content/ccfaa1ba-d0f1-11e5-831d-09f7778e7377 |archive-url=https://ghostarchive.org/archive/20221210/https://www.ft.com/content/ccfaa1ba-d0f1-11e5-831d-09f7778e7377 |archive-date=December 10, 2022 |url-access=subscription|title=Lightbulb moment for M-Kopa|newspaper=Financial Times|date=March 17, 2016|last1=Aglionby|first1=John}}</ref>

Case controls tens of thousands of acres of land in Hawaii, including a controlling interest in [[Maui Land & Pineapple Company]],<ref name="case">{{cite news |newspaper= The [[Maui News]] |author= Ilima Loomis |date= August 5, 2010 |title= Steve Case's ownership in ML&P now at 62.8 percent |url= http://www.mauinews.com/page/content.detail/id/534096/Steve-Case-s-ownership-in--ML-P-now-at-62-8-percent.html |access-date= November 15, 2010}}</ref> and [[Grove Farm (Lihue, Hawaii)|Grove Farm]], obtained in a highly controversial transaction which led to years of litigation by the farm's previous owners.<ref>{{cite news |title= Grove Farm - a house divided: Litigation that divides family stems from sale clouded in suspicions |date= April 23, 2006 |author= Stewart Yerton |newspaper= [[Honolulu Star-Bulletin]] |url= http://archives.starbulletin.com/2006/04/23/news/story03.html |access-date= November 15, 2010 }}</ref>

==Third Wave==
Case wrote ''The Third Wave: An Entrepreneur's Vision of the Future'' in 2016. In the book, he argues innovations in technology will transform the Internet of Things to the Internet of ''Everything'', change the way society thinks about work and challenging the biggest industries in the world.<ref>{{Cite web |title=The Third Wave: An Entrepreneur's Vision of the Future (SSIR) |url=https://ssir.org/books/excerpts/entry/book_excerpt_the_third_wave_an_entrepreneurs_vision_of_the_future |access-date=May 22, 2024 |website=ssir.org |language=en-us}}</ref>

He calls the new era the "Third Wave" of the internet. The "first wave" saw AOL and other companies lay the foundation for consumers to connect to the internet. The "second wave" saw companies like Google and Facebook build on top of the internet to create search and social networking capabilities, while apps like Instagram leveraged the smartphone revolution. Case says we're entering the "Third Wave," a period when entrepreneurs will leverage technologies to finally disrupt "real world" sectors like health, education, transportation, and energy - and in the process change the way people live their daily lives. Entrepreneurs, large corporations and governments will need to have a new mindset and skills in order to be successful in this new era.

In the "Third Wave," Case also predicts the rise of startup ecosystems outside of California, New York and Boston. What he calls The Rise of the Rest. A confluence of the industry expertise in these regions, technological innovations and public policy changes makes it easier to start and scale a business anywhere.

==Political views and advocacy==
Steve Case has long advocated for policies that support the rise of startups. In 2012, he advocated for the bipartisan [[Jumpstart Our Business Startups Act|Jumpstart our Business Startups Act]], which legalized crowdfunding for early stage companies and included reforms to make it easier for younger companies to make [[initial public offering]]s.<ref>{{Cite web |last=Admin |first=Revolution |date=April 4, 2012 |title=Why The JOBS Act Is Good for Startups - and for America |url=https://revolution.com/why-the-jobs-act-is-good-for-startups-and-for-america/ |access-date=December 16, 2024 |website=Revolution |language=en}}</ref> Congress passed the bill with bipartisan support and it was signed into law on April 5, 2012.<ref>{{Citation |title=Jumpstart Our Business Startups Act |date=December 11, 2024 |work=Wikipedia |url=https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Jumpstart_Our_Business_Startups_Act |access-date=December 16, 2024 |language=en}}</ref>

Steve Case is also a staunch supporter of [[opportunity zone]]s, and is credited for having helped pass them as part of the [[2017 Tax Cuts and Jobs Act]] signed by [[Donald Trump|President Trump]].<ref name="Limitone">{{Cite web |last=Limitone |first=Julia |date=May 10, 2019 |title=Opportunity zones a 'game changer' for entrepreneurs: AOL co-founder Steve Case |url=https://www.foxbusiness.com/business-leaders/opportunity-zones-game-changer-entrepreneurs-aol-co-founder-steve-case |access-date=December 16, 2024 |website=FOXBusiness |language=en-US}}</ref> Case stated that he believes the policy will help create real estate incentives to create the infrastructure co-working space needed to attract entrepreneurs. He referred to the policy as a "game changer," stating that opportunity zones will be a "terrific place for entrepreneurs to cluster."<ref name="Limitone"/> In a 2019 interview with Fox News host [[Maria Bartiromo]], Case stated that Trump's passage of opportunity zones was a "step in the right direction in trying to get more money from the coasts to other parts of the country."<ref name="foxbusiness.com">{{Cite web |date=February 6, 2019 |title=AOL founder Steve Case on job creation: The notion of 'opportunity zones' is a step in the right direction {{!}} Fox Business Video |url=https://www.foxbusiness.com/video/5999143392001 |access-date=December 16, 2024 |website=Fox Business |language=en-US}}</ref>{{better source needed|reason=[[WP:FOXNEWSPOLITICS]]|date=April 2025}}

Case is an avid advocate for comprehensive [[immigration reform]], arguing that easing restraints on immigration is necessary for America's future entrepreneurial economy.<ref>{{cite journal|last1=Primack|first1=Dan|title=Steve Case: Still 'optimistic' on immigration reform|journal=Fortune|date=October 12, 2013|url=http://eds.b.ebscohost.com/eds/detail/detail?sid=13508370-db31-43e9-96b4-a4bc763df5a5%40sessionmgr107&vid=0&hid=111&bdata=JnNpdGU9ZWRzLWxpdmU%3d#AN=91037937&db=bth|access-date=November 20, 2016}}</ref> He particularly emphasizes the impact that reform would have on recent engineering graduates and the tech sector.{{cn|date=April 2025}}

Case contends that making it easier for foreign students educated in America to stay post graduation is vital to winning the war for talent, given the sheer high demand for engineers and entrepreneurs and current visa rules preventing tech companies from hiring the best foreign talent.<ref>{{cite journal|last1=Summers|first1=Nick|title=Steve Case's Second Life|journal=Bloomberg Businessweek|date=August 26, 2013|issue=4343|pages=52–57|url=http://eds.b.ebscohost.com/eds/detail/detail?sid=182f9482-0454-4bbf-b6bb-b6c6aa894d5c%40sessionmgr105&vid=0&hid=111&bdata=JnNpdGU9ZWRzLWxpdmU%3d#AN=89925963&db=bth|access-date=November 20, 2016}}</ref><ref>{{cite news|last1=Savitz|first1=Eric|title=Q&A: Steve Case On Startups, Living Social, Zipcar And More.|url=http://eds.b.ebscohost.com/eds/detail/detail?sid=ed5d234a-654d-402a-ae97-a6d19f724946%40sessionmgr104&vid=0&hid=111&bdata=JnNpdGU9ZWRzLWxpdmU%3d#AN=80158397&db=bth|access-date=November 20, 2016|work=Fortune|publisher=EBSCOhost|date=September 13, 2012}}</ref> He argues not only for reforming the [[H-1B visa|H-1B visa program]], but also implementing a [[Startup Visa|Startup Visa program]] that welcomes immigrant entrepreneurs with proven ideas to launch their startups in the United States.<ref>{{cite news|last1=Case|first1=Steve|title=Immigration must be considered an opportunity for America, not a problem|url=http://www.recode.net/2016/8/3/12362390/immigration-visa-policy-entrepreneur-immigrant-education-snapdeal-kunal-bahl|access-date=November 20, 2016|work=Recode|publisher=[[Vox Media, Inc]]|date=August 3, 2016}}</ref> Case traditionally has avoided politics, quietly building nonpartisan relationships with both Democrats and Republicans.<ref>{{cite news|last1=Case|first1=Steve|title=Steve Case: Why I'm voting for Hillary Clinton|url=https://www.washingtonpost.com/opinions/steve-case-why-im-voting-for-hillary-clinton/2016/09/28/8c05fe5c-84f1-11e6-ac72-a29979381495_story.html|access-date=November 20, 2016|newspaper=The Washington Post|date=September 28, 2016}}</ref>

Fueled by concern that [[Donald Trump]]'s restrictive immigration policies would result in loss of jobs as many [[Fortune 500]] companies were founded by immigrants or their children<ref>{{cite news|last1=Addady|first1=Michael|title=AOL Founder Steve Case Has 4 Reasons Why He's Voting for Hillary Clinton|url=http://fortune.com/2016/09/29/hillary-clinton-steve-case/|access-date=November 20, 2016|work=Fortune|date=September 29, 2016}}</ref> he made an exception to remaining nonpartisan by endorsing [[Hillary Clinton]] for the 2016 presidency.<ref>{{Cite news |date=April 12, 2023 |title=Opinion {{!}} Steve Case: Why I'm voting for Hillary Clinton |url=https://www.washingtonpost.com/opinions/steve-case-why-im-voting-for-hillary-clinton/2016/09/28/8c05fe5c-84f1-11e6-ac72-a29979381495_story.html |access-date=May 22, 2024 |newspaper=Washington Post |language=en-US |issn=0190-8286}}</ref> However, in 2017, Case met with President Trump stating that he appreciates "that the administration wants to connect with the men and women that are leading Silicon Valley’s/New York’s tech giants."<ref>{{Cite web |last=Case |first=Steve |date=June 21, 2017 |title=Why I'm Meeting with President Trump |url=https://blog.revolution.com/why-im-meeting-with-president-trump-5b0d479aa35d |access-date=December 16, 2024 |website=Medium |language=en}}</ref>{{better source needed|reason=Blogs are not [[WP:RS]]|date=April 2025}} In 2024, Case stated that he "was pleased to hear President Trump express his support for issuing green cards to noncitizen graduates of U.S. colleges and universities earlier this year."<ref name="blog.revolution.com">{{Cite web |last=Case |first=Steve |date=November 8, 2024 |title=The Innovation Imperative for the New Administration |url=https://blog.revolution.com/the-innovation-imperative-for-the-new-administration-95c6f7c3fd85 |access-date=December 16, 2024 |website=Medium |language=en}}</ref>{{better source needed|reason=Blogs are not [[WP:RS]]|date=April 2025}} In 2019, Case praised a portion of Donald Trump's State of the Union address, stating the importance of "focusing on greatness and not gridlock."<ref name="foxbusiness.com"/>

In a 2022 interview with [[Kara Swisher]], Case indicated his preference for a nonpartisan approach to advocacy, and emphasized the importance of bringing Republicans and Democrats together over conversations that transcend the traditional partisan political divide, such as efforts to improve the start-up ecosystem.<ref>{{Cite web |last=Staff |first=Intelligencer |date=October 17, 2022 |title=Steve Case on Avoiding an Entrepreneurial Culture War |url=https://nymag.com/intelligencer/2022/10/on-with-kara-swisher-steve-case-on-partisanship.html |access-date=December 16, 2024 |website=Intelligencer |language=en}}</ref>

In 2017, Case also hired [[JD Vance|J.D. Vance]] to work at Revolution LLC to help advance his effort to promote startup growth in parts of the United States outside of major tech hubs like [[Silicon Valley]], Boston, and New York City.<ref>{{Cite web |last=Feloni |first=Richard |title=AOL cofounder Steve Case is betting $150 million that the future of startups isn't in Silicon Valley or New York, but the money isn't what's making his prediction come true |url=https://www.businessinsider.com/steve-case-rise-of-the-rest-revolution-startup-culture-2018-5 |access-date=December 16, 2024 |website=Business Insider |language=en-US}}</ref> After Vance was elected vice president, Case wrote on November 8, 2024, that everybody having access to the benefits of entrepreneurship and innovation is something "[he] knows[s] vice-president-elect JD Vance cares about."<ref name="blog.revolution.com"/>{{better source needed|reason=Blogs are not [[WP:RS]]|date=April 2025}}

== Family ==
His father, Daniel H. Case, is the founding partner of the Hawaiian law firm of Case Lombardi & Pettit.<ref>[http://www.caselombardi.com/AttorneyDetail.aspx?AttorneyID=1003 Daniel H. Case bio & at Case Lombardi & Pettit] {{webarchive|url=https://web.archive.org/web/20090130045946/http://www.caselombardi.com/AttorneyDetail.aspx?AttorneyID=1003 |date=January 30, 2009 }}</ref> His mother Carol was an elementary school teacher. His parents had three other children.<ref>{{cite book |last=Munk |first=Nina |title=Fools Rush in: Steve Case, Jerry Levin, and the Unmaking of AOL Time Warner |year=2004 |publisher=HarperCollins |location=New York |isbn=0-06-054035-4 |chapter=Page 72 |chapter-url=https://books.google.com/books?id=TALGwoFoC9wC&pg=PA72 |url=https://archive.org/details/foolsrushin00munk }}</ref> His brother Dan died from brain cancer at the age of 44 in June 2002.<ref>{{cite news |url=http://starbulletin.com/2002/06/27/news/story10.html |title=Investment banker Daniel H. Case, Jr. dies of cancer at 44 |publisher=Honolulu Star-Bulletin |date=June 27, 2002 |access-date=May 1, 2008 |archive-date=December 30, 2004 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20041230092845/http://starbulletin.com/2002/06/27/news/story10.html |url-status=dead }}</ref>

Case is a cousin of [[Ed Case]], who served as a [[U.S. Congressional Delegations from Hawaii|Hawaii congressman]]<ref>{{cite news| url=http://pacific.bizjournals.com/pacific/stories/2003/01/13/daily5.html | first=Howard | last=Dicus | title=Steve Case decides to resign from AOL Time Warner | date=January 13, 2003}}</ref> from 2002 to 2007 and since 2019.<ref>{{Cite web|url=https://www.usatoday.com/story/news/nation/2018/08/12/ex-congressman-wins-hawaii-democratic-primary-for-us-house/37449021/|title=Ex-congressman Ed Case wins Hawaii Democratic primary for US House|website=USA TODAY|language=en|access-date=March 23, 2019}}</ref>

In 1985, Case married Joanne Barker whom he had met while attending Williams College. The couple had three children and divorced in 1996.<ref>{{cite book |last=Ashby |first=Ruth |title=Steve Case: America Online Pioneer |year=2002 |publisher=Twenty-First Century Books |location=Brookfield, Connecticut |isbn=0-7613-2655-3 |chapter=Page 24 |chapter-url=https://books.google.com/books?id=TV4bEYv2MGAC&pg=PA24 |quote=He had married his college girlfriend, Joanne, in 1985 |url=https://archive.org/details/stevecase00ruth }}</ref><ref name=Munk2003>{{cite magazine
|url=http://www.docengines.com/ArticleFileMain.asp?Instance=1021&ID=5665FD104D764E418BE872C4236D5DEC
|author=Munk, Nina |title=Steve Case's Last Stand |magazine=Vanity Fair |date=January 2003 |quote=In 1985 he married Joanne Barker at a church in her hometown of Rumson, New Jersey. They'd met at Williams, where Barker, a student at Smith College, had spent a year. She became a schoolteacher. They had three children.}}</ref> Two years later, in 1998, he married former AOL executive [[Jean Villanueva]] in a ceremony officiated by [[Billy Graham (evangelist)|Billy Graham]].<ref>{{cite news |url=https://www.wsj.com/articles/SB899933350501468000?mod=googlewsj |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20180209063901/https://www.wsj.com/articles/SB899933350501468000?mod=googlewsj |date=July 9, 1998 |archive-date=February 9, 2018 |title=Digits: "You've got married" |publisher=Wall Street Journal |quote=Steve Case ... has tied the knot with companion Jean Villanueva ... the top public-relations official at AOL until she left the company in 1996. Officiating at the small ceremony was the Rev. Billy Graham ... The previous marriages of Mr. Case and Ms. Villanueva ended in divorce.}} [https://news.google.com/archivesearch?q=Digits%3A+Steve+Case+Jean+Villanueva+married&btnG=Search+Archives&oe=utf-8&um=1&hl=en&ie=UTF-8 Alt URL]</ref>

Case donated $10 million to [[Punahou School]] to build a junior high school named after his parents.<ref>{{Cite book|title=Kings of the Internet: What You Don't Know about Them ?|last=Bahareth|first=Mohammad|date=April 2012|publisher=iUniverse |isbn=978-1469798424}}</ref> He is a Christian.

== References ==
{{Reflist}}

===Sources===
{{Refbegin}}
* {{Cite news |url=http://www.businessweek.com/1996/16/b34711.htm |archive-url=https://archive.today/20130102033140/http://www.businessweek.com/1996/16/b34711.htm |url-status=dead |archive-date=January 2, 2013 |title=The Online World of Steve Case |publisher=Business Week |date=April 15, 1996}}
* {{Cite book |last=Klein |first=Alec |title=Stealing Time: Steve Case, Jerry Levin, and the Collapse of AOL Time Warner |year=2003 |publisher=Simon & Schuster |location=New York |isbn=0-7432-5984-X |url=https://archive.org/details/stealingtimestev00klei }}
* [https://web.archive.org/web/20060228033635/http://www.gamebanshee.com/interviews/stormfrontstudios2.php Interview detailing Case's support for early games, and effects of explosive growth]
{{Refend}}

==Further reading==
* Leibovich, Mark. ''The New Imperialists'' (Prentice Hall, 2002) pp 183–228. [https://archive.org/details/newimperialists00mark online]

== External links ==
* {{Commons category-inline}}
* {{C-SPAN|33946}}

{{s-start}}
{{s-bus}}
{{s-new|office}}
{{s-ttl|title=Chief Executive Officer of [[AOL|America Online]]|years=1991–2001}}
{{s-aft|after=[[Barry Schuler]]}}
{{s-end}}

{{AOL Inc.}}
{{Authority control}}

{{DEFAULTSORT:Case, Steve}}
[[Category:1958 births]]
[[Category:American billionaires]]
[[Category:American technology chief executives]]
[[Category:American Internet company founders]]
[[Category:Chairmen of AOL]]
[[Category:Warner Bros. Discovery people]]
[[Category:American chairpersons of corporations]]
[[Category:21st-century American philanthropists]]
[[Category:Living people]]
[[Category:Businesspeople from Honolulu]]
[[Category:People from McLean, Virginia]]
[[Category:Punahou School alumni]]
[[Category:Williams College alumni]]
[[Category:Businesspeople from Hawaii]]