Yahoo CEO might have lied about having CS degree

Post by csallen » Thu, May 03, 2012, 10:50 PM UTC

tomkarlo wrote: post #77

csallen wrote: post #46

Earlier quoted context omitted.

> If he's lying about this, how are shareholders supposed to trust the rest of the SEC filings he signs off on as CEO? I'm not sure how I feel about statements like this. On the one hand, yes, you probably do not want such a brazen liar leading your company. But on the other hand, we as a society tend to believe in a dangerously inaccurate theory of character. Namely, that people are either inherently moral or they a…

I think you're reading more into this than I meant. I don't think this necessarily means he lies perpetually in life, etc, or has poor moral character. But it's hard to ague that it doesn't raise the issue of "you know he was willing to lie on this document that you're trying to use to make investment decisions -- which calls into question the entire document since he's to some degree its 'author'". There is, a syste…

Post by im3w1l » Thu, May 03, 2012, 10:57 PM UTC

csallen wrote: post #46

tomkarlo wrote: post #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…

> If he's lying about this, how are shareholders supposed to trust the rest of the SEC filings he signs off on as CEO? I'm not sure how I feel about statements like this. On the one hand, yes, you probably do not want such a brazen liar leading your company. But on the other hand, we as a society tend to believe in a dangerously inaccurate theory of character. Namely, that people are either inherently moral or they a…

Post by twoodfin » Thu, May 03, 2012, 11:06 PM UTC

Tossrock wrote: post #66

For those unfamiliar, this is Daniel Loeb's MO [1]. When he first purchased his share in Yahoo he fired a similar round at the board of the time, headed by Roy Bostock. [2] Still, lying about your education is pretty serious, and Thompson should answer the charges. [1] http://nymag.com/nymetro/news/bizfinance/finance/features/10... [2] http://www.scribd.com/doc/64278509/YHOO-20110908-SC13D-0

Post by larrys » Thu, May 03, 2012, 11:30 PM UTC

sliverstorm wrote: post #40

tomkarlo wrote: post #35

Earlier quoted context omitted.

Or, the head of admissions at MIT: http://www.usatoday.com/news/education/2007-04-26-mit-admiss... No question she was good at her job, but it's a real problem when you're in charge of any kind of hiring to ask your applicants to be honest if you're not honest yourself.

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.

Post by alecbenzer » Thu, May 03, 2012, 11:37 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?