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Should Yahoo’s Jerry Yang Resign?

posted on November 6, 2008


If Jerry Yang were a college football coach, his athletic director would likely have already asked him to step down, or else. Just ask Tommy Bowden (formerly of Clemson) what happens when you promise much, but deliver zip.

Of course, Jerry Yang is not solely responsible for Yahoo’s current woes, but in light of the fact that Yahoo failed to get a deal done with Microsoft (at $31 a share) and bet big on a partnership with Google–a deal even Google didn’t believe would be approved–is it time for him to resign?

I ask because of the sorry state Yahoo is now in. Even if Yang is somehow able to entice Microsoft back to the negotiating table, the company would likely fetch less than $15 a share–compare that to the $31 the company previously turned down.

Yang seems like a great guy–the very essence of what it means to be a Yahoo–but I’ve known plenty of nice guys and they don’t all make great CEOs (or football coaches).

What do you think? Should Yang stay on, or step down?


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  • http://www.codeandcoffee.com Matthew R. Miller

    Yes, if he was not one of the founders and largest stock holders he would have already been let go. He is too stubborn with his “baby” to do what is best for the company, and stock holders, and that is what he should be doing.

    Matthew R. Miller’s last blog post..Yahoo Is Doomed, Was Google Evil?

  • http://www.saadkamal.com Saad Kamal

    certainly.. I think this is the right time for him to step down. In fact i think the whole board needs to be reshuffled and yahoo should spend some good money to bring in new guns…

    Saad Kamal’s last blog post..Top SEO Mistakes Video

  • http://www.dallasseoblog.com paisley

    i think yang should do what he needs to do and not worry about trying to sell.

    paisley’s last blog post..MySpace MyAds Enters Public Beta

  • http://freeipodsetc.co.uk iPod

    I too think it is the right time for him to step down. Yahoo have again made it clear to Microsoft that they would welcome a bid for them. I can see Microsoft coming back and getting Yahoo! for a much lower price than before. They’re a sinking ship in my eyes.

  • http://www.jozsoft.com/blog/ Joe Hall

    What difference would it make if he left now? I mean the only two companies that have the ability to buy Yahoo, don’t look like they care to anymore. And if Yahoo ever gets in a place to get bought by someone smaller, then they shouldn’t even be in business anymore.

    But the thing that surprises me, is how under valued Yahoo is. This is the same company that owns Delicious, Flickr, and MyBlogLog, Not to mention a whole host of Search APIs that should allow developers to widen their brand base.

    And they happen to still retain one of the largest landing pages on the web.

    Joe Hall’s last blog post..Backlink Analysis Made Simple and Fun!

  • http://www.hsbc.co.uk/1/2/personal/savings savings

    I really don’t know why everyone is laying the blame on yang. He must had thought long and hard deciding – Not a good deal- Like You said, it was a footbal him, he would have gone long time.

  • http://www.dstudiobali.com/webdesign/busby-seo-test-page/ Busby SEO

    How to make the founder and largest stock holders step down from his kingdom ? ;) )

    Busby SEO’s last blog post..By: edtechguide

  • http://www.amiohayon.com Ami Ohayon

    It’s such a lousy time to try and find a buyer now … if they can grit their teeth and hang on, I think Yahoo would be better off trying to weather the upcoming storm. Sure, it will mean layoffs, but so will being bought by Microsoft.

  • http://www.paystolivegreen.com go green

    You cannot blame the entire thing on Yang, but just as in college football, the coach hires the entire staff and has to take the blame if all the parts are not work as they should. It’s tough to say though…

    go green’s last blog post..Green Renewable Energy Certificates

  • Frustrated YHOO shareholder

    If Yang had any honor he would have resigned a long time ago. He seems to forget that YHOO ceased being “his baby” a long time ago when he accepted the billions of dollars that came along with going public. From that moment on his obligation was to his shareholders, not his egominical desire to be a stand alone company. He spent $70m on advisors to keep FIFTY BILLION DOLLARS out of our hands, he adopted a draconian posion pill in terms of severance plans and fought Carl Icahn tooth and nail. Yang should have been gone a long time ago.

  • Jerry

    Jerry should step down if he wants his company to “survive” to what HE did.

  • http://www.adoperationsonline.com Otilia @ AdOperationsOnline.com

    Yang was played and it appears he had virtually no executives to rely on. Surely, he should do the honourable thing and step down but the last straw, the Google deal, I don’t believe it can held against him entirely.

    Otilia @ AdOperationsOnline.com’s last blog post..SES Chicago: Interview with Cindy Krum, Director of New Media Strategies for Blue Moon Works

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  • http://itsoke.com brandon alan scofield

    i THINK YANG should step down, and retired … or maybe he should build new start-up .. I don’t think he will … Yahoo is his kingdom :) and he is the king ..

    brandon alan scofield’s last blog post..First post

  • http://criscohen.typepad.com/ Cris Cohen

    If Yahoo! is still as impressive as Yang says it is, the company should just put itself up for sale on its own auction site.

    Cris Cohen’s last blog post..Post Election Dress Analysis

  • http://www.netage.co.za Goran Web Design

    Well he managed to bring Yahoo this far from start, so he’s the most well experienced and knowledgeable person with the Yahoo! product. As much as he might seem to be losing his grip now, he’s also the one person who can turn it around.

    So it’s quite a tricky one ;-)

  • http://www.greatpriceshere.com Nicole Price

    Remember what happened to Steve Jobs? He was sacked and then came back. See what he has done to Apple. Perhaps something like this can happen at yahoo too!

    Nicole Price’s last blog post..Ideas for a Mother-to-be

  • http://www.seoresults.co.za/pages/seo-tips/ SEO Tips South Africa

    Steve at least had something substantial to fall back on. Yahoo seems like a dead horse to me!

  • http://www.jordankasteler.com/utah-seo-pro-blog/ Utah SEO Pro

    Ya, his time is up.

    Utah SEO Pro’s last blog post..The Future of SEO

  • http://solinkable.com SoLinkable

    This is not just about the share price falling, this should be about his failure to inspire. He seems to have lost all hope for his company – and that’s when you know its time to move on.

    SoLinkable’s last blog post..Blizzard pummels South Dakota, stranding motorists

  • http://www.cats-breeds.com/ cat

    I don’t like people like that who talk a lot and do nothing

  • http://www.ultimateblackhat.com/ Ultimate Blackhat

    I don’t know. Who would be the best replacement for him? Fair enough, we all make mistakes but its all in the past now and they need to concentrate on their future.

  • http://www.overalia.com Oscar Del Santo

    We definitely believe he should stay on. He is a credit to his company even if his decisions are not always right.

  • http://www.facebook.com/pages/YouGov-Surveys/28215144078 YouGov

    I think regardless of his degree of fault it really is time for him to go.

  • Pingback: Yahoo CEO Jerry Yang Decides to Step Down

  • Phill Barufkin

    Absolutely. He should step down as CEO, but selling is another matter. He has caused a tremendous amount of perceptual damage that is going to take a very long time to repair. He took the company as far as he is capable and already should have handed over the reins to a new leader with fresh ideas. This zigzagging with selling or entering into a joint venture illustrates is uncertainty about where to take the business next.

  • http://intersindo.com/seo-contest/ Seotest

    it’s hard decision if you become a Mr. Yang..

    Seotest’s last blog post..Busby SEO Test My Opinion

  • http://www.osyme.net OSYM

    I really don’t know why everyone is laying the blame on yang. He must had thought long and hard deciding – Not a good deal- Like You said, it was a footbal him, he would have gone long time.

    OSYM’s last blog post..Aralıktaki Sınav için Son Gün

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