A recording of the firing was leaked to the media and caused a firestorm around Mr. Armstrong, who has been trying to turn AOL from an Internet portal fighting a successful media company.
The four-paragraph statement sent to AOL employees at 4:30 pm and obtained by The New York Times, said: "I am writing to acknowledge the mistake I made last Friday during a meeting of all hands Patch when I left Abel Lenz publicly. was an emotional response in the beginning of a difficult debate dealing with the careers and livelihoods of many people. I am the CEO and the leader of the organization, and I take that responsibility seriously " .
The dismissal came during a conference call with more than 1,000 employees of Patch, the local news service of AOL lasts for hundreds of cities. Mr. Armstrong had called the meeting to emphasize the hopelessness of the situation Patch and prepare for the next staff layoffs and management changes.
"If you think what's happening right now is a joke, and you want to joke about it, you should take your things and leave Patch today," Mr. Armstrong told employees.
But after that statement can be heard berating Lenz Patch creative director, who was recording the meeting, and then fire him.
"Abel, since the camera now! Abel, you're fired. Away!" Five seconds later, the stunned silence, proceeded with his message.
In his letter to employees, Mr. Armstrong explained the reason for the dismissal, saying confidential meetings should not be recorded and that Mr. Lenz had been warned not to make recordings. AOL said Mr. Lenz not be hired again, but that Mr. Armstrong had contacted him to apologize.
AOL has spent hundreds of millions of people in the service of Patch, but has acknowledged being disappointed with their financial performance. During a call with analysts last week, Mr Armstrong said he would look for partners to sell or as many as 400 of 900 local Patch sites, a move that could result in hundreds of layoffs.
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