Around 1,200 jobs are to be lost in the US and the remainder in the rest of the world including the UK, Europe and India. The process is expected to be finished before the end of the year.
The company began its change in strategy last year, cutting 5,000 jobs and selling its European internet access operations. The UK operation was sold to Carphone Warehouse.
AOL's recent financial numbers, for the second quarter of the year were disappointing, with revenue growth of just 16% compared with more than 40% growth in previous quarters.
Randy Falco, who took over as AOL's chief executive last year, called the second quarter a "hiccup".
The reduction in staff numbers to 8,000, means that AOL will have less than half of the 18,000 headcount it had when it merged with Time Warner in a $150bn deal at the height of the internet boom in 2000.