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Yahoo CEO might have lied about having CS degree

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Re: Yahoo CEO might have lied about having CS degree

#21
post #9

This opinion is from someone who's been in charge of hiring a few times and will likely do so again: If you can actually do the job described, I don't give a damn about your credentials. I would not fire an employee who I found out fabricated credentials, if they had been working well for a while.

Being able to get the job done doesn't mean it is getting done right. If they lied about something so easily verifiable, why would you trust that they're not lying to you about something more important? What does that say about your screening process and you as an employer and a company?

Lying about your credentials is really low and kept the more experienced person from getting the job. You may be happy with the liar's output, but you don't know how much you're screwing yourself (and their future employers) in the end by allowing that type of behavior to be rewarded.

Re: Yahoo CEO might have lied about having CS degree

#22
post #16

Jobs didn't need a college degree to be a good CEO. In my opinion, college degree is not neccessary to be a competent CEO. Leaders are praised for different qualities than those which can be simply taught in a school.

Agreed, but that wasn't the point...

Would you approve of a CEO lying on public investor documentation?

Re: Yahoo CEO might have lied about having CS degree

#23
His pay package for yahoo is 27 million dollars, i wonder how much of that he will keep after he gets the pink slip? Probably more than I'll ever earn in 5 of my lifetimes.

It doesn't seem fair. But I guess demand for ceo's is high and quality ceo's are scarce.

Re: Yahoo CEO might have lied about having CS degree

#24
post #16

Jobs didn't need a college degree to be a good CEO. In my opinion, college degree is not neccessary to be a competent CEO. Leaders are praised for different qualities than those which can be simply taught in a school.

It's less about whether he needed the degree, and more about whether he lied on a filing to the SEC about him having the degree.

Re: Yahoo CEO might have lied about having CS degree

#25
Sort-of off topic: That guy has nothing on some of the other infamous CEO career lies... take the ex-CEO of Lotus (former makers of 123, Lotus Notes, etc). He lied about being a fighter pilot, having a PhD, and being a black belt in tae kwon do. source: http://www.zdnet.com/news/background-of-lotus-chief-under-fi...

I think people get to a point where they start to believe their made-up mythology. Or perhaps they reach a point where it's too late to turn back. That's what I learned while getting my PhD in Lying Studies at University of Fountainhead, anyway.

Re: Yahoo CEO might have lied about having CS degree

#26
The issue here is not whether or not he's qualified for the CEO spot. It's whether he has been signing off on SEC filings that he knows contain falsehoods. In particular, there's information in the proxy statements that shareholders are supposed to use as the basis of their voting and their support for executive compensation. If he's lying about this, how are shareholders supposed to trust the rest of the SEC filings he signs off on as CEO?

(Also, if it's ok for him to lie on his resume and keep his job, does that mean anyone applying to Yahoo should feel free to do so?)

From the proxy statement: "Mr. Thompson has served as our Chief Executive Officer and President and as a member of our Board since January 2012. Mr. Thompson served as President of PayPal, a division of eBay, Inc., an internet auction and shopping company, from January 2008 until January 2012. [clipped prior jobs out] Mr. Thompson holds a Bachelor’s degree in accounting and computer science from Stonehill College. Mr. Thompson was selected as a director nominee principally because, as the Company’s Chief Executive Officer and President, he has in-depth knowledge of the Company’s operations, strategy, financial condition and competitive position. In addition, Mr. Thompson has a deep understanding of global online businesses, experience in transforming business models to deliver growth and increased value, and experience in integrating customer experience with innovative technology. Mr. Thompson also possesses strong organizational and operational skills."

http://sec.gov/Archives/edgar/data/1011006/00011931251219151...

Re: Yahoo CEO might have lied about having CS degree

#27
I have a B.S. in Computer Science and B.S. in Mathematics (a double degree). Had I taken fewer courses, I could have had a combined B.S. Computer Science and Mathematics (a double major).

I haven't seen a double degree like mine very often, but I have seen the latter form on a LinkedIn profile where Googling for his name returned a university web site showing that the person actually had a minor, not a second major, in Mathematics.

It's true that degrees are not comparable and colleges have different standards of difficulty. Students may be able to convince advisers to count one course for multiple majors. And degrees are not a great measure of applicable skill.

However, if you want to get a degree, double degree, double major, or triple major, you should follow the procedures at your college before you graduate, rather than just adding it to resume many years later.

As another example, a classmate created his own major to take more Business and Psychology courses and fewer C.S. courses; he lists the degree like a triple major, which is very misleading.

Re: Yahoo CEO might have lied about having CS degree

#28
post #16

Jobs didn't need a college degree to be a good CEO. In my opinion, college degree is not neccessary to be a competent CEO. Leaders are praised for different qualities than those which can be simply taught in a school.

I agree, but honesty is necessary to be a competent CEO, especially honesty to government authority that can close the company down.

Re: Yahoo CEO might have lied about having CS degree

#29
I would love to know how many people (not just CEOs, though they are also people) do this sort of thing. I have totally honest resume and I'm sure it doesn't impress much compared to people that have degree multiplier powers.

Also, I would never have imagined that Yahoo would hire someone who only has an undergraduate degree in accounting. He must be REALLY good.

Re: Yahoo CEO might have lied about having CS degree

#30

The issue here is not whether or not he's qualified for the CEO spot. It's whether he has been signing off on SEC filings that he knows contain falsehoods. In particular, there's information in the proxy statements that shareholders are supposed to use as the basis of their voting and their support for executive compensation. If he's lying about this, how are shareholders supposed to trust the rest of the SEC filings…

Lying on your resume should get you fired. Lying on SEC filings should get you imprisoned.
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