Instant messaging slipped quietly into the workplace at Lehman Brothers last fall.
After terrorists destroyed the World Trade Center on Sept. 11, the Wall Street brokerage turned a blind eye when employees took up AOL Instant Messenger (AIM) to stay in touch with co-workers and family. The crisis left the company's employees scattered across the city, and the program's simple "buddy lists"--which show when others are online and available to chat--proved too powerful and comforting to shut down.
These days, however, Lehman is questioning how much longer the service should stay. At stake is not so much the future of instant messaging at Lehman, but rather America Online's role as a provider of it.
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