Yahoo Appoints Scott Thompson CEO • Hacker News Board

Re: Yahoo Appoints Scott Thompson CEO

#11

Post by xal » Wed, Jan 04, 2012, 5:52 PM UTC

Mystalic wrote: post #3

I've met and interviewed Scott several times over the course of my career. He is the anti-Carol Bartz. He is extremely likeable, approachable. He's a consensus-builder, not a bomb thrower. And he did double PayPal's user base and revenue to 100+ million and $4+ billion respectively. Yahooers will like this guy. He's sharp. He's the right man for the job.

He is one of the nicest people in the valley, unbelievably passionate and aware.

He used to be the CTO so he is also a strong technical person. It's a great fit.

Re: Yahoo Appoints Scott Thompson CEO

#12

Post by tribeofone » Wed, Jan 04, 2012, 5:53 PM UTC

Yahoo! Inc. (NASDAQ: YHOO), the premier digital media company...

Who writes these PR releases? Some humility should be in order here..

Yahoo Appoints Scott Thompson CEO [FIXED] Yahoo! Inc. (NASDAQ: YHOO), the premier digital media company from April 1999 to February 2000 is desperately trying to become relevant again after a series of incomprehensible blunders. We are very hopeful that with the appointment of Scott Thompson as Chief Executive we will finally get things turned around because, quite frankly, the next stop for us is being Gecko'd - bought out for pennies on the dollar, broken apart and sold off to the highest bidders at auction.

Re: Yahoo Appoints Scott Thompson CEO

#13

Post by steve8918 » Wed, Jan 04, 2012, 6:08 PM UTC

Mystalic wrote: post #3

I've met and interviewed Scott several times over the course of my career. He is the anti-Carol Bartz. He is extremely likeable, approachable. He's a consensus-builder, not a bomb thrower. And he did double PayPal's user base and revenue to 100+ million and $4+ billion respectively. Yahooers will like this guy. He's sharp. He's the right man for the job.

I have no opinions either way on Scott Thompson.

But a "consensus-builder" is not something that Yahoo needs right now. They are in deep trouble, and they need someone that is willing to drag them, kicking-and-screaming if need be, into a better position. This requires vision and balls, and the willingness to gut the layers and layers of middle management that diluted every single good idea Yahoo had. They also need to completely eradicate the board they have at Yahoo and get some real tech people, not fat cats with no vision, suckling off the teats of Yahoo shareholders.

I liked Carol Bartz because they needed someone to cut through the BS within Yahoo, but unfortunately she just wasn't right in her vision. I personally would have given her another couple more years.

Re: Yahoo Appoints Scott Thompson CEO

#14

Post by rmason » Wed, Jan 04, 2012, 6:29 PM UTC

I agree with Jason Calcanis that Yahoo needed a product oriented CEO, not just another financial guy.

They need someone who groks products and can make acquisitions to grow the audience. You want the operations guy to be the number two, not the CEO.

Re: Yahoo Appoints Scott Thompson CEO

#15

Post by schraeds » Wed, Jan 04, 2012, 7:05 PM UTC

steve8918 wrote: post #13

Mystalic wrote: post #3

I've met and interviewed Scott several times over the course of my career. He is the anti-Carol Bartz. He is extremely likeable, approachable. He's a consensus-builder, not a bomb thrower. And he did double PayPal's user base and revenue to 100+ million and $4+ billion respectively. Yahooers will like this guy. He's sharp. He's the right man for the job.

I have no opinions either way on Scott Thompson. But a "consensus-builder" is not something that Yahoo needs right now. They are in deep trouble, and they need someone that is willing to drag them, kicking-and-screaming if need be, into a better position. This requires vision and balls, and the willingness to gut the layers and layers of middle management that diluted every single good idea Yahoo had. They also need…

After slashing R&D and giving Microsoft the keys to the kingdom (search) you want to give her more time to gut Yahoo? No way.

And I don't take being a consensus builder means lacking vision, it means you get the team on board as opposed to charging ahead regardless of what people think. A consensus builder sells their team on the vision, then executes.

Re: Yahoo Appoints Scott Thompson CEO

#16

Post by samstave » Wed, Jan 04, 2012, 7:27 PM UTC

steve8918 wrote: post #13

Mystalic wrote: post #3

I've met and interviewed Scott several times over the course of my career. He is the anti-Carol Bartz. He is extremely likeable, approachable. He's a consensus-builder, not a bomb thrower. And he did double PayPal's user base and revenue to 100+ million and $4+ billion respectively. Yahooers will like this guy. He's sharp. He's the right man for the job.

I have no opinions either way on Scott Thompson. But a "consensus-builder" is not something that Yahoo needs right now. They are in deep trouble, and they need someone that is willing to drag them, kicking-and-screaming if need be, into a better position. This requires vision and balls, and the willingness to gut the layers and layers of middle management that diluted every single good idea Yahoo had. They also need…

>I personally would have given her another couple more years.

Wait, you state that Yahoo needs someone with vision and balls, then you say you'd have given CB a couple more years right after saying her vision was no right???

Nobody is addressing the real issue: Yahoo needs to build something innovative that people want to use, not just mee-too services.

I agree with what you say about the board. Look at Google, Apple and too a certain degree even facebook, you have very very technical/visionary leaders -- Yahoo seems to be trying to solve a technical abyss with traditional business strategies.

Re: Yahoo Appoints Scott Thompson CEO

#17

Post by ChuckMcM » Wed, Jan 04, 2012, 9:20 PM UTC

tribeofone wrote: post #12

Yahoo! Inc. (NASDAQ: YHOO), the premier digital media company... Who writes these PR releases? Some humility should be in order here.. Yahoo Appoints Scott Thompson CEO [FIXED] Yahoo! Inc. (NASDAQ: YHOO), the premier digital media company from April 1999 to February 2000 is desperately trying to become relevant again after a series of incomprehensible blunders. We are very hopeful that with the appointment of Scott T…

Its funny that you mention that, I talked with someone who kept referring to Yahoo as the 'premier digital media company' and I finally stopped them and said, "What exactly do you mean when you say that?"

I was curious because I could not think of any interpretation where that statement made sense. When I hear the phrase I might think "Apple" or iTunes/iPod or "Amazon" for e-books, but on a multiple choice question "Which of the following companies is the premier digital media company?", Yahoo! would have been the first company I would mark off as not being it.

That being said, perhaps it helps frame the challenge for Scott, which is to help Yahoo! regain its corporate identity.