Yahoo execs want cheerleader Yang back on the sidelines
According to the New York Times, when Yahoo CEO Jerry Yang and his team were told that Microsoft was walking away from its $47.5 billion offer to buy the company "high-fives were exchanged." Today, analysts expect Yahoo's value to plummet to $30 billion. Gimme an O! Gimme an O! Gimme a P! Gimme an S! — Yahoo employees, many of them suddenly poorer, told Kara Swisher they want Yang back on the sidelines where such cheerleading belongs. Yang's high-five display "shows a complete lack of connection to the balance of the company," one Yahoo exec told Swisher. Another told her:
Jerry could become chairman, Sue [Decker] could remain President and then someone who can really charge in and make drastic change could be CEO.
Swisher goes on with more horrified outtakes from Yahoo execs, but first — everybody say it with us, now — Up high! Down low! In space! In your face!
- "I am in shock."
- "I don't know if we won or we lost. I think we lost."
- "I don't love that it was Microsoft, but I think everyone thought $33 was a pretty good offer from a pretty good tech company."
- "Having to face my staff tomorrow will not be so much fun and I need some Prozac, since I don't know what I can say to them about how our leadership is going to get our company going again."
- "Where's the Jelly memo when you need it?"
- "I can't really talk to Jerry, since it is difficult to tell a founder tough things he probably needs to hear."