Lions Love to Lead

Steve Case is the co-founder of America Online (AOL.com), and one of the key players in the largest, and potentially most lucrative, business merger ever! He’s also a Leo, born on August 21, 1958. Leo has a talent for making even the most demanding careers seem like fun. Doing work that they truly love to do is more like play to Leos, and they’ll pour their dynamic energies into such enjoyable enterprises with flair and gusto. But the Lion must be given the lead role if it is to feel truly content. Leo is a sign of executive power.

Ever since his youthful days growing up in Honolulu, Case exhibited an entrepreneurial spirit. With his brother Dan (who is now an investment banker), young Steve created Case Enterprises, which specialized in selling seeds and greeting cards. Then they went on to form the Aloha Sales Agency. Case was later the editor of his high school newspaper, and he wrote music reviews for a teen publication. He was born with a stimulating Sun-Jupiter aspect—a planetary contact called the sextile—that is often found in the charts of those blessed with creative versatility and the confidence to back up their multi-talented expression. Having faith in himself and receiving the public’s support should come easily to him.

Steve’s college degree was in political science (his career planet, Saturn, is in Sagittarius, the sign of politics and the mass media). At the time, he was not all that crazy about computer programming, but he was intrigued by the ability of computers to interact with one another from far away. Sagittarius is the sign of long-distance communication; Saturn in Sagittarius suggests he takes a serious interest in how all this works.

An Intense Scorpio Moon

Although Leo has a well-deserved reputation for being flashy, attention grabbing and even egotistical, Steve Case has been described more as low-key, calm and a bit shy. He doesn’t chitchat much, and apparently is very focused. Many of these qualities are associated with his Moon, the planet of moods and feelings, in reserved, secretive, but passionate Scorpio. It’s doubtful that he’s really low-key inside.

His Moon in crisis-ready Scorpio gives him the cool head and steady nerves needed to handle the periodic crises or emergencies that occur in his business. He’s not one to panic or to hand over the reigns of management to others, say his astrological indicators. He can thrive under pressure.

Case is a Plutonian

Another feature that keeps Steve Case from coming off as arrogant and self-glorifying (two stereotypical Leo traits), is that he was born with Pluto in close contact with his Leo Sun and his Mercury in Virgo. This makes him a “Plutonian,” a term used to imply that his life will be very much colored by the themes of this Scorpio-related planet. Pluto types are excellent at taking on power roles where the stakes are high and the rewards are enormous. (Ted Turner is a Sun in Scorpio mogul who was born with a major Sun-Pluto aspect as well. For more information see Captain Outrageous by Rowena Wall.)

Plutonians are on the obsessive-compulsive side, and they never tire of the challenges—and perils—of building a mighty empire. They also don’t care for outside interference of their master plans, and do not readily subordinate themselves to authority. Case’s Mercury-Pluto aspect is a marker of shrewd business sense and an uncanny perception into people’s needs—assets that served him well in his professional success with marketing since the early 1980s. His idea to distribute—by now—more than 250 million installation diskettes enabled AOL to get its name and services known around the world.

Virgo Work Ethic

By the mid 1980s, Steve was providing online services for various top computer companies (including Apple and IBM). Given to workaholic (even thinkaholic) tendencies, his Mercury in Virgo has a head for details and an eye for weeding out what can get in the way of productivity. It shows a strong and relentless (thanks to Pluto) work ethic. In fact, Plutonians are great at swiftly eliminating old frameworks that cannot be improved on, and instead starting all over if need be.

America Online

In 1991, Case was named the president and CEO of America Online, at a time when Jupiter, the planet of opportunity, was moving through Leo and contacting his three planets there. He should have been feeling very good about himself and his professional vision at that time. By 1993, Microsoft—run by another now-legendary Plutonian—wanted to buy out AOL, but Case held on tightly to his ever-expanding enterprise. By 1996, AOL became the world’s number one Internet service provider.

One Awesome Merger

On January 10, 2000, AOL and Time Warner, the world's largest media conglomerate, announced their history-making merger, creating the new AOL Time Warner. Steve Case is to be the chairman of this new mega-company—one that is guaranteed to have a staggering global reach. Each business stands to inherit existing customers from the other. AOL’s access to an expanding, broadband universe is secured, thanks in part to Time Warner’s millions of cable modem subscribers.

A Pluto-Uranus Idea

Transiting  Pluto (planet of colossally profitable deals like this) is starting to make a harmonious trine to Steve Case’s Uranus (the planet of life’s biggest and most unexpected turnabouts). It seems the idea for this merger was suddenly hatched in October 1999, and it was the brainchild of Case, who unexpectedly got the ball rolling.

Pluto’s influence is evolutionary and very deep in its long-range social impact; Uranus is the planet associated with revolutionary change of an inventive nature. This current pattern is excellent for whatever Case has in mind along these lines, and now he has access to incredible media resources that should make a few of his amazing dreams come true. To top it off, this deal was announced as transiting Jupiter in Aries (the sign of pioneering activities) was starting to make a harmonious trine to Case’s Sun in Leo. He’s obviously very sensitive to Jupiter cycles, and they turn out well for him.

Transiting Uranus is making an excellent trine to Steve’s Saturn, suggesting a sudden and innovative career boost. This could give him a new level of management and plenty of room to intuitively do things the way his he’s inspired to do. This is a tremendously exciting period for him. I guess some Leos seem to have the Midas touch, but in Steve Case’s situation, he has worked very hard to get to where he finds himself today—on top of the new media world!

Author’s Notes

Leo is a sign that would rather be the boss than work under one. This fire sign is a gambler and a self-assured risk-taker, even professionally. Leo is drawn to the entertainment field, and so Case’s interest in Time Warner probably appealed to him on a deep level (making it more than just a good business move). But Leo is also a fixed sign, meaning it steadily pursues its interests and is determined to reach its set goals—Leo sees itself as a winner in life.

Sagittarius is a sign of great faith, one that has high hopes for the advancement of civilization through the collective expansion of knowledge. It’s also a sign interested in broader ways of communicating (i.e., the global level of interaction that has made the Internet so universally popular). Steve Case’s Saturn in this sign suggests he’s on a serious mission to use the latest communication technology to bring people around the world closer together to share their cultural experiences.

Moon in Scorpio is an indicator of an emotional nature that is deeply personal and instinctively transformational, but is determined to remain private (not allowing much public access to its inner workings). Steve Case may seem intense and compelled to thoroughly probe what interests him—he’s doggedly persistent—yet he may also be regarded as an enigma to those who are used to a more extroverted, showy business style.

Mercury in Virgo suggests a methodical mind that demands logical order, simplicity based on organization, and clarity regarding information communicated. It’s also known for being picky about details and is a stickler for doing things right. Case most likely takes a keen interest in all facets of his company. Always looking to be more efficient and productive, he probably gets worked up by sloppy procedures and incompetency.