In the midst of a transition period and under new leadership in the person of Chairman and CEO Randy Falco, AOL has lost four top-level execs who have been knee-deep in the company's move to an open web strategy, paidContent.org writes.

Jim Bankoff, EVP of consumer & publisher services; Joe Redling, president of AOL mobile, customer management & paid services, and chairman & CEO of AOL international; John Buckley, EVP of corporate communications; and Randy Boe, former general counsel and current EVP of consumer advocacy and security have all left the company, taking advantage of change-of-management exit clauses in their contracts.

Also leaving will be John McKinley, the interim CTO (formerly president of AOL's digital services division).

Meanwhile, AOL Europe's president, Carlo D'Asaro Biondo, has joined French media conglomerate Lagardere as international managing director of its multimedia/interactive arm.