Yahoo CEO might have lied about having CS degree • Hacker News Board

Re: Yahoo CEO might have lied about having CS degree

#51

Post by joeblossom » Thu, May 03, 2012, 9:11 PM UTC

ramLlama wrote: post #37

felipemnoa wrote: post #33

Earlier quoted context omitted.

>>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). What is the difference between having them separate as opposed to saying it was a double major? You still have to meet the same requirements don't you?

I believe double majors do not functionally require as much due to a greater chance of being able to double-count a class. Also, a double major typically means you get one diploma that lists your two majors. A double degree means that you get two physically separate diplomas. This may matter to someone. Of course, I may be compeletely wrong with respect to the OP's university.

I have a double degree, B.S. Economics and B.S. Computer Science, however, my school did not mind me double counting classes, I just had to meet all of the requirements of both majors and accumulate 150 credits. Whereas a single degree would be just 120 credits. I could have received a double major, which is 120 credits (or more) and fulfilling all of the requirements of both majors. Since the CS program required 120 credits (with no wiggle room for classes that didn't fit the curriculum) adding on economics put me above 150 credits just to fullfil all of the requirements.

Re: Yahoo CEO might have lied about having CS degree

#52

Post by why-el » Thu, May 03, 2012, 9:11 PM UTC

vijayr wrote: post #47

sliverstorm wrote: post #40

Earlier quoted context omitted.

Maybe it isn't a problem, but actually something that makes her good at her job? I'd trust a long-time liar to recognize other liars better than an honest person, any day.

by that logic, may be we should hire ex-cons for law enforcement? they'd probably make better cops than 'normal' people?

Not a very good analogy, as ex-cons already underwent punishment and hopefully some reflection. Also, if I follow your logic, then that will ruin Spielberg's Catch Me if You Can for me.

Re: Yahoo CEO might have lied about having CS degree

#53

Post by seldo » Thu, May 03, 2012, 9:13 PM UTC

I'm amazed that anybody gives a shit about this. It's a line on a résumé about a degree he earned 33 years ago. If he was 2 years out of college then lying about his degree would be material to his qualifications and compensation. After 30 years, what possible difference does it make? He is clearly qualified.

Re: Yahoo CEO might have lied about having CS degree

#54

Post by redorb » Thu, May 03, 2012, 9:14 PM UTC

vijayr wrote: post #47

sliverstorm wrote: post #40

Earlier quoted context omitted.

Maybe it isn't a problem, but actually something that makes her good at her job? I'd trust a long-time liar to recognize other liars better than an honest person, any day.

by that logic, may be we should hire ex-cons for law enforcement? they'd probably make better cops than 'normal' people?

I think there is a very fine line between a criminal and a cop per say in mentality. Good cops will know what to look for in criminal behavior and good criminals will know how to look out for cops; not all cops - but I would say its a fine line between the best of both worlds.

Could be the reason double agents are so valuable.

Re: Yahoo CEO might have lied about having CS degree

#55

Post by nwhitehead » Thu, May 03, 2012, 9:15 PM UTC

felipemnoa wrote: post #33

vlad wrote: post #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,…

>>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). What is the difference between having them separate as opposed to saying it was a double major? You still have to meet the same requirements don't you?

At my college (Whitman College) you can get a degree in Mathematics-Physics. That is the "combined major". It is about as difficult as either a degree in mathematics or a degree in physics, the requirements are a mix of both.

The alternative is a "double major". That is where you meet the requirements of both the math major and the physics major. This is harder than just meeting the requirements of either one individually. Your degree is listed as a "B.A. in Mathematics and Physics" for the double major as opposed to a "B.A. in Mathematics-Physics" for the combined major.

I worked hard for my "and" instead of a "-", dammit.

Re: Yahoo CEO might have lied about having CS degree

#56

Post by pavelkaroukin » Thu, May 03, 2012, 9:17 PM UTC

maeon3 wrote: post #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.

He got to the CEO position not because he had a CS degree. So it is totally fair to get that kind of compensation.

On the other hand - it might be totally fair to be prosecuted for doing this... :)

Re: Yahoo CEO might have lied about having CS degree

#57

Post by cube13 » Thu, May 03, 2012, 9:17 PM UTC

felipemnoa wrote: post #33

vlad wrote: post #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,…

>>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). What is the difference between having them separate as opposed to saying it was a double major? You still have to meet the same requirements don't you?

When I was going to UIUC, there were 3 Computer Science programs offered: 1. Computer Science 2. Computer Science and mathematics 3. Computer Science and Statistics

The first was through the engineering department, and the last two were through the liberal arts department.

The combined programs were basically the entire sequence of non-elective CS courses required for a CS degree and the non-elective math or stats courses. My friends that got degrees in those basically took 20-30 hours more math courses. I got a straight CS degree, so those hours were filled with about 15 hours of CS electives and the remaining 15 were with the engineering school's "application sequence" requirement which was a series of electives in another discipline.

Re: Yahoo CEO might have lied about having CS degree

#58

Post by sandieman » Thu, May 03, 2012, 9:19 PM UTC

seldo wrote: post #53

I'm amazed that anybody gives a shit about this. It's a line on a résumé about a degree he earned 33 years ago. If he was 2 years out of college then lying about his degree would be material to his qualifications and compensation. After 30 years, what possible difference does it make? He is clearly qualified.

Its a sign of poor character. Lying on your resume is inexcusable for CEO of any public company.

Re: Yahoo CEO might have lied about having CS degree

#59

Post by egor83 » Thu, May 03, 2012, 9:19 PM UTC

tomkarlo wrote: post #39

jrockway wrote: post #34

Earlier quoted context omitted.

Lying on SEC filings should get you imprisoned. This costs me a lot of money, and I don't want to give free money to people just because they are dishonest. Ban the guy from being the CEO or a board member of a publicly traded company for 10 years. Inexpensive and an appropriate punishment for the crime. Let's reserve prison for people that absolutely cannot integrate with normal society.

All you'll be doing then is turning him into a high-priced industry consultant or public speaker. Not that prison always prevents that (See: Michael Milken) but it at least puts the brakes on it for a few years.

More than that, I believe. That would also create a good incentive to avoid lies for the rest of executives.

Re: Yahoo CEO might have lied about having CS degree

#60

Post by carguy1983 » Thu, May 03, 2012, 9:20 PM UTC

vijayr wrote: post #47

sliverstorm wrote: post #40

Earlier quoted context omitted.

Maybe it isn't a problem, but actually something that makes her good at her job? I'd trust a long-time liar to recognize other liars better than an honest person, any day.

by that logic, may be we should hire ex-cons for law enforcement? they'd probably make better cops than 'normal' people?

The good ones are already doing consulting work for the cops, FBI, military, intelligence, etc. There are countless books and movies and news reports about this, from organized crime informants, document forgers, computer/network hackers, international espionage, heist masterminds... the list goes on and on.

The majority of crooks - the 'ex-cons' you're talking about - are just shitty petty criminals or violent idiots, and get caught and punished. Why would anyone hire a shitty crook to do counter-intel against a job they failed at previously?