Google’s Marissa Mayer Tapped as Yahoo’s Chief • Hacker News Board

Re: Google’s Marissa Mayer Tapped as Yahoo’s Chief

#91

Post by petercooper » Mon, Jul 16, 2012, 8:43 PM UTC

yock wrote: post #11

Is it possible that Yahoo is just too far gone to be helped? Her head must be filled with dozens of ideas for changing the corporate culture there, but would any of us honestly believe anything could save Yahoo at this point?

There's another way to look at it. With $1bn of net income in 2011, Yahoo! can clearly turn a profit.

Could any of us here on HN forge a great, long term business from a profit stream of hundreds of millions of dollars? I'm sure quite a few could, and Meyer surely stands a good chance.

Even if she has to turn the organization upside down, make major branding changes, or fire key staff, Yahoo! has the resources, at least, to change for the better. It has just lacked the willpower, till now hopefully.

Re: Google’s Marissa Mayer Tapped as Yahoo’s Chief

#92

Post by dexen » Mon, Jul 16, 2012, 8:43 PM UTC

yumraj wrote: post #63

Historical precedent: Stephen Elop was head of Business Division at MS before he became Nokia CEO and then Nokia fully fell in MS's lap. Prediction: Sometime in near future some sort of very close partnership will happen between Google and Yahoo, subject to regulatory approval of course. Edit: Fixed "MS CEO" to "Nokia CEO" typo. Thanks kreilly

Came here to say just that.

Another prediction: such partnership won't help Google very much, but will hurt Microsoft a bit -- due to Yahoo shying away from Bing and possibly MS e-mail technology.

It may also well help developers -- Yahoo's YUI is a very handy and very relevant toolkit; with Marissa as the CEO, I sure hope Yahoo will embrace developers more and YUI will get some more love.

Re: Google’s Marissa Mayer Tapped as Yahoo’s Chief

#93

Post by cschmidt » Mon, Jul 16, 2012, 8:45 PM UTC

ryanwaggoner wrote: post #30

This might be a stupid question, but are there any amazing turnaround stories in the world of large tech companies? If not, is that due to the relative youth of the sector, or something fundamental? I can think of a ton of companies that have faltered, but really none that have made a dramatic turnaround.

Lou Gerstner's turnaround of IBM, in addition to the obvious Apple comparison.

Re: Google’s Marissa Mayer Tapped as Yahoo’s Chief

#94

Post by cschmidt » Mon, Jul 16, 2012, 8:46 PM UTC

ryanwaggoner wrote: post #30

This might be a stupid question, but are there any amazing turnaround stories in the world of large tech companies? If not, is that due to the relative youth of the sector, or something fundamental? I can think of a ton of companies that have faltered, but really none that have made a dramatic turnaround.

Lou Gerstner's turnaround of IBM, in addition to the obvious Apple comparison.

Re: Google’s Marissa Mayer Tapped as Yahoo’s Chief

#95

Post by petercooper » Mon, Jul 16, 2012, 8:46 PM UTC

ryanwaggoner wrote: post #30

This might be a stupid question, but are there any amazing turnaround stories in the world of large tech companies? If not, is that due to the relative youth of the sector, or something fundamental? I can think of a ton of companies that have faltered, but really none that have made a dramatic turnaround.

Bit borderline on being a 'tech' company by modern standards (though historically it's about as tech as it gets), General Electric under Jack Welch. He pulled off a Jobsian effort in the 80s. GE went from $27bn revenues to $130bn under his watch and a market cap of $14bn up to $410bn.

Re: Google’s Marissa Mayer Tapped as Yahoo’s Chief

#96

Post by drumdance » Mon, Jul 16, 2012, 8:46 PM UTC

product50 wrote: post #86

adventureful wrote: post #32

This will play out much like Armstrong at AOL. Lots of flailing around, another attempt at altering Yahoo's trajectory, and ultimately a further devalued company (not specifically because of anything Mayer will do, but because there's nothing that can stop Yahoo's erosion). At some point the conclusion needs to be reached that the core of Yahoo is the problem. The products that generate the bulk of their sales are at…

Good advice. So according to you nothing can be changed at Yahoo! no matter who comes in. Apple was in a similar situation not long ago and I am sure there were people like you commenting similarly. I am not saying Marissa is similar to Steve Jobs but at least she has the credibility and qualification to make things work. Why comment when you have nothing to add?

Steve Jobs executed the single greatest turnaround in corporate history, at the company he founded, from which he had been fired ten years before. Betting on a similar result (or even something 10-20% as good) is really no different than expecting to draw an inside straight at the poker table. Sure, it can happen, but it's very unlikely.

Best of luck to Mayer and Yahoo, though.

Re: Google’s Marissa Mayer Tapped as Yahoo’s Chief

#97

Post by jblock » Mon, Jul 16, 2012, 8:47 PM UTC

jc4p wrote: post #18

jblock wrote: post #6

Earlier quoted context omitted.

I mentioned this out loud at the office and that was the exact same reaction.

I don't think anyone in my office had a reaction other than "...What the fuck?!"

haha, I actually meant the "what the fuck" part

Re: Google’s Marissa Mayer Tapped as Yahoo’s Chief

#98

Post by waiwai933 » Mon, Jul 16, 2012, 8:47 PM UTC

thornofmight wrote: post #81

reso wrote: post #24

Earlier quoted context omitted.

Non-competes are effectively illegal in California.

If I have a non-compete from employment in another state but then want to relocate to California, does that previous non-compete still apply?

Assuming that you work in California, no, the non-complete clause is rendered unenforceable. (Under Application Group, Inc. v. Hunter Group, Inc., California law trumps a choice of law clause with respect to a non-compete clause.) If you live in CA and commute to Nevada/Oregon/Arizona/some other state, then my understanding is that the law of the state where you actually work would apply.

Disclaimer: IANAL and this post does not constitute legal advice of any kind.

Re: Google’s Marissa Mayer Tapped as Yahoo’s Chief

#99

Post by debacle » Mon, Jul 16, 2012, 8:47 PM UTC

TylerE wrote: post #84

jbyers wrote: post #71

Earlier quoted context omitted.

Corrected. Poor phrasing on my part. I was suggesting a likely alternative for her would be starting a company, not that Yahoo is anything like a startup.

No, that's exactly how I took it. Oblig car metaphor: That's like saying hey, as an alternative to a free Lamborghini Aventador, you can have an old Pontiac Fiero chassis, and a Chevy 350 with a blown head gasket. If you're really lucky and amazing you might make something worth 1/10th what the Lamborghini is.

No one I've talked to who works at Yahoo would compare it favorably to a Lamborghini.

Re: Google’s Marissa Mayer Tapped as Yahoo’s Chief

#100

Post by adventureful » Mon, Jul 16, 2012, 8:48 PM UTC

product50 wrote: post #86

adventureful wrote: post #32

This will play out much like Armstrong at AOL. Lots of flailing around, another attempt at altering Yahoo's trajectory, and ultimately a further devalued company (not specifically because of anything Mayer will do, but because there's nothing that can stop Yahoo's erosion). At some point the conclusion needs to be reached that the core of Yahoo is the problem. The products that generate the bulk of their sales are at…

Good advice. So according to you nothing can be changed at Yahoo! no matter who comes in. Apple was in a similar situation not long ago and I am sure there were people like you commenting similarly. I am not saying Marissa is similar to Steve Jobs but at least she has the credibility and qualification to make things work. Why comment when you have nothing to add?

Apple is a once in a century example, good luck with that.

And besides, I didn't suggest nothing can be changed at Yahoo. I didn't say that at all.

I said it should be blown apart, and the stagnant 1990s products should go. Mayer should put her talents to work on a smaller core where growth can be achieved with new products.

Yahoo Finance? Yahoo Sports? Search? Yahoo Mail? 1998 era portals? There's no growth there. She might be able to revitalize energy into Flickr and adjust it to a smart phone world, that'd be one existing major product worth giving some attention to (for example).

Unless Mayer has something equivalent to the game changing PageRank approach to search, there's absolutely nothing she can do to improve Yahoo's search product. So what can she do with the existing product core exactly? Not much, stagnation is inherent to most of the product segments in question.

The real simple angle is: ok, what's the gorilla / whirlwind product that's going to revitalize Yahoo? Search? Not a chance. The content niche products like sports or finance? Nope. Web mail? Comeon. Classifieds & jobs? Nope, small potatoes. So what is it? To really grow a $20 billion company, you need to find billions in new profit. Mayer will only find that with new products. Unless you think she can take 1/4 of the search market back from Google or take a huge chunk of the rest of the web email market.

Yahoo needs a blue ocean change.

All the stagnant parts should be sold off for a huge amount of cash. And she should more or less start over and attack something new where Yahoo can own its segment and build a gorilla product with huge growth potential (instead of being 2nd or 3rd (etc) place in everything).