It's obvious Olbermann either was fired by his new boss (of 3 days) Brian Roberts of Comcast -- rather famously a Republican agenda supporter -- or he decided to quit ahead of the axe.
Countdown was MSNBC's most popular show. It'll hurt their bottom line quite substantially to lose Olbermann.
But I suspect that isn't why Comcast bought MSNBC.
They bought NBC to gain access to the studio's catalog of movies, but also to squelch the fact-checking and counterbalance that kept making the Republican propaganda harder to force down the public's throat. Right-wing media moguls (like Roberts and Murdoch) are quietly buying up the airwaves (with FCC complicity) and soon -- if not right now -- "fair and balanced" will be nothing but a slogan.
The easily-brainwashed may see this as a good thing, but I see it as the end of democracy.
Aw, don't cry, Keith.