• Home
  • Latest
  • Fortune 500
  • Finance
  • Tech
  • Leadership
  • Lifestyle
  • Rankings
  • Multimedia
TechGlobal 500

You’ll Never Guess the ‘You’ve Got Mail’ Guy’s Job

By
Don Reisinger
Down Arrow Button Icon
By
Don Reisinger
Down Arrow Button Icon
November 8, 2016, 1:21 PM ET
AOL
AOL's home page is shown on a computer screen Friday, Aug. 4, 2006 in New York. AOL will shed as many as 5,000 employees, a quarter of its global work force, within six months as the company seeks more than $1 billion in savings to offset its decision to give more services away for free. That decision, analysts say, may not be enough to draw new visitors. Key to AOL's success will be how well it taps its strengths in video and instant messaging. (AP Photo/Mark Lennihan)Mark Lennihan—AP

An Internet legend is driving for Uber.

This past weekend, Brandee Barker, co-founder of public relations firm The Pramana Collective, hailed an Uber in Cleveland and ultimately realized it wasn’t a typical ride. Her driver was none other than Elwood Edwards, the voice-over actor who was is responsible for AOL’s iconic “You’ve Got Mail” chime in the 1990s.

In an interview with tech news site The Verge, Barker said Edwards is the news editor for WKYC-TV, a news station in Ohio. Barker said she assumed he was an Uber driver on the side to “meet and talk with people.”

Get Data Sheet, Fortune’s technology newsletter

Edwards is also an Internet icon. In 1989, his wife was working in customer service at online company Q-Link, the precursor to AOL, and overheard former chief executive Steve Case say he needed a voice-over actor for something he was working on. Edwards’ wife volunteered her husband for the role, which in addition “You’ve got mail,” included being recorded saying “Welcome” and “Goodbye.” His clips, recorded in his home, were ultimately heard by millions of people. AOL has since largely retired them, but the chimes still available to check out on Internet archive sites and on countless YouTube videos.

Over the last several years, Edwards has worked in the news industry, and last year appeared on The Tonight Show Starring Jimmy Fallon to read comedic phrases that the late-night host and his fellow writers cooked up.

OMG OMG my @Uber driver in Ohio was the You've Got Mail voice Elwood Edwards!!! I made him say it in this video #GOTVforHRC pic.twitter.com/Jgcl7v040D

— Brandee Barker (@brandee) November 5, 2016

According to Barker, Edwards said during their ride that he was paid $200 for the AOL voice over.

For more about Uber, watch:

Now, he’s making a little extra cash driving Uber passengers. And AOL has been acquired by Verizon.

About the Author
By Don Reisinger
See full bioRight Arrow Button Icon

Latest in Tech

Finance
Lorem ipsum dolor sit amet, consectetur adipiscing elit, sed do eiusmod tempor incididunt ut labore et dolore magna aliqua. Ut enim ad minim veniam
By Fortune Editors
October 20, 2025
Finance
Lorem ipsum dolor sit amet, consectetur adipiscing elit, sed do eiusmod tempor incididunt ut labore et dolore magna aliqua. Ut enim ad minim veniam
By Fortune Editors
October 20, 2025
Finance
Lorem ipsum dolor sit amet, consectetur adipiscing elit, sed do eiusmod tempor incididunt ut labore et dolore magna aliqua. Ut enim ad minim veniam
By Fortune Editors
October 20, 2025
Finance
Lorem ipsum dolor sit amet, consectetur adipiscing elit, sed do eiusmod tempor incididunt ut labore et dolore magna aliqua. Ut enim ad minim veniam
By Fortune Editors
October 20, 2025
Finance
Lorem ipsum dolor sit amet, consectetur adipiscing elit, sed do eiusmod tempor incididunt ut labore et dolore magna aliqua. Ut enim ad minim veniam
By Fortune Editors
October 20, 2025
Finance
Lorem ipsum dolor sit amet, consectetur adipiscing elit, sed do eiusmod tempor incididunt ut labore et dolore magna aliqua. Ut enim ad minim veniam
By Fortune Editors
October 20, 2025

Most Popular

Finance
Lorem ipsum dolor sit amet, consectetur adipiscing elit, sed do eiusmod tempor incididunt ut labore et dolore magna aliqua. Ut enim ad minim veniam
By Fortune Editors
October 20, 2025
Finance
Lorem ipsum dolor sit amet, consectetur adipiscing elit, sed do eiusmod tempor incididunt ut labore et dolore magna aliqua. Ut enim ad minim veniam
By Fortune Editors
October 20, 2025
Finance
Lorem ipsum dolor sit amet, consectetur adipiscing elit, sed do eiusmod tempor incididunt ut labore et dolore magna aliqua. Ut enim ad minim veniam
By Fortune Editors
October 20, 2025
Finance
Lorem ipsum dolor sit amet, consectetur adipiscing elit, sed do eiusmod tempor incididunt ut labore et dolore magna aliqua. Ut enim ad minim veniam
By Fortune Editors
October 20, 2025
Finance
Lorem ipsum dolor sit amet, consectetur adipiscing elit, sed do eiusmod tempor incididunt ut labore et dolore magna aliqua. Ut enim ad minim veniam
By Fortune Editors
October 20, 2025
Finance
Lorem ipsum dolor sit amet, consectetur adipiscing elit, sed do eiusmod tempor incididunt ut labore et dolore magna aliqua. Ut enim ad minim veniam
By Fortune Editors
October 20, 2025
Rankings
  • 100 Best Companies
  • Fortune 500
  • Global 500
  • Fortune 500 Europe
  • Most Powerful Women
  • Future 50
  • World’s Most Admired Companies
  • See All Rankings
Sections
  • Finance
  • Leadership
  • Success
  • Tech
  • Asia
  • Europe
  • Environment
  • Fortune Crypto
  • Health
  • Retail
  • Lifestyle
  • Politics
  • Newsletters
  • Magazine
  • Features
  • Commentary
  • Mpw
  • CEO Initiative
  • Conferences
  • Personal Finance
  • Education
Customer Support
  • Frequently Asked Questions
  • Customer Service Portal
  • Privacy Policy
  • Terms Of Use
  • Single Issues For Purchase
  • International Print
Commercial Services
  • Advertising
  • Fortune Brand Studio
  • Fortune Analytics
  • Fortune Conferences
  • Business Development
About Us
  • About Us
  • Editorial Calendar
  • Press Center
  • Work At Fortune
  • Diversity And Inclusion
  • Terms And Conditions
  • Site Map

Latest in Tech

Man wearing a black suit with a microphone
InvestingMicrostrategy
Michael Saylor’s Strategy flirts again with the danger threshold at which his company is worth less than his Bitcoin
By Jim EdwardsJanuary 2, 2026
47 minutes ago
Musk
Travel & LeisureElectric vehicles
Tesla is officially smaller than China’s BYD in EV sales as it reports second-straight year of falling sales
By Nick LichtenbergJanuary 2, 2026
1 hour ago
blondie
Lawintellectual property
Betty Boop and Blondie join Mickey Mouse and Winnie the Pooh in the public domain
By Andrew Dalton and The Associated PressJanuary 2, 2026
2 hours ago
Eric Simons
Commentarystart-ups
15 years after skipping college to launch 3 startups, I believe the taboo around questioning higher ed is holding an entire generation back
By Eric SimonsJanuary 2, 2026
3 hours ago
Eric Schmidt sat in a white chair, speaking on a stage.
AIGoogle
How former Google CEO Eric Schmidt is motivated by Henry Kissinger to keep working past 70
By Jordan BlumJanuary 2, 2026
4 hours ago
Eric Schmidt, former Google CEO, speaks during the Collision 2022 conference at Enercare Centre in Toronto, Canada.
AIElectricity
Google ex-CEO Eric Schmidt jumps into the AI data center business with a failed, 150-year-old Texas railroad turned oil giant
By Jordan BlumJanuary 2, 2026
5 hours ago

Most Popular

placeholder alt text
Success
Marriott’s CEO spoke out about DEI. The next day, he had 40,000 emails from his associates
By Ashley LutzJanuary 1, 2026
1 day ago
placeholder alt text
Politics
Buddhist monks peace-walking from Texas to DC persist even after being run over on highway outside Houston
By The Associated PressDecember 30, 2025
3 days ago
placeholder alt text
Success
Melinda French Gates got her start at Microsoft because an IBM hiring manager told her to turn down its job offer—'It dumbfounded me'
By Emma BurleighDecember 31, 2025
2 days ago
placeholder alt text
Startups & Venture
Trump Mobile says its first-ever smartphone is delayed, and the government shutdown is to blame
By Dave SmithDecember 31, 2025
2 days ago
placeholder alt text
Health
Lay's drastically rebrands after disturbing finding: 42% of consumers didn't know their chips were made out of potatoes
By Matty Merritt and Morning BrewDecember 31, 2025
2 days ago
placeholder alt text
C-Suite
Exiting CEO left each employee at his family-owned company a $443,000 gift—but they have to stay 5 more years to get all of it
By Nick LichtenbergDecember 30, 2025
3 days ago

© 2025 Fortune Media IP Limited. All Rights Reserved. Use of this site constitutes acceptance of our Terms of Use and Privacy Policy | CA Notice at Collection and Privacy Notice | Do Not Sell/Share My Personal Information
FORTUNE is a trademark of Fortune Media IP Limited, registered in the U.S. and other countries. FORTUNE may receive compensation for some links to products and services on this website. Offers may be subject to change without notice.