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High Noon at Yahoo
December 6, 2006
Terry Semel has made his move. Too soon to tell if this will be enough to stop the rot, but Wall Street will probably applaud him for acting decisively.
On the way out:
Dan Rosensweig, the COO whose fault was to preside over the spreading of too much peanut butter (he leaves in March.)
Lloyd Braun, the former ABC whizz who was a casualty of a failed bid to turn Yahoo into a creative powerhouse.
On the way up:
Sue Decker, the well-regarded CFO, who now gets to run Yahoo’s answer to AdSense.
Jeff Weiner, the head of search, may have been passed over for the top job in the new audiences division, but his broader responsibility for a number of the old product groups cements him as a player to watch.
On the way in:
This will be the real test of Semel’s mettle. Can he lure the top talent he needs to bring the excitement back to Yahoo?
Update: The underwhelming reaction in Yahoo’s stock price on Wedneseday suggests that while there is a general view that Semel is trying to move things in the right direction (this is Henry Blodget’s take), the reorganisation will be hard work and could distract the company at an important time.
