Yahoo Selects (Another) New CEO

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Let's hope this one sticks around. Marissa Mayer, former Google VP, will be Yahoo's sixth leader in just five years. Mayer follows Scott Thompson, fired for misleading academic information on his resume, and Carol-"I've-just-been-fired-over-the-phone"-Bartz (and two interim CEOs in between).

Yahoo CEOsAt 37, Mayer is a relatively young CEO-and she's pregnant. Due to deliver a baby boy in October, Mayer said of the board's decision to hire her, "They showed their evolved thinking."

The company's press release emphasized Mayer's technology and product experience, which analysts say indicates Yahoo's "going back to its Silicon Valley Internet roots."

Yahoo Co-Founder David Filo said, "Marissa is a well-known, visionary leader in user experience and product design and one of Silicon Valley's most exciting strategists in technology development. I look forward to working with her to enhance Yahoo's product offerings for our over 700 million unique monthly visitors."
Not everyone is optimistic that Mayer can make the changes required for Yahoo to succeed, and some dread another round of restructuring and layoffs.

  Mayer CEO
 Discussion Starters:

  • Read Yahoo's press release about Mayer. Considering the leadership history, did Yahoo do a good job in writing the release?
  • What's your view of Yahoo's board hiring a pregnant woman?