Another Yahoo Techie to Go–Venkat Panchapakesan on His Way Out
by Kara Swisher
Posted on March 31, 2009 at 8:59 AM PT
At least he’s not going to Microsoft (MSFT)!
But nonetheless, sources said another major Yahoo tech exec and a longtime company veteran, Venkat Panchapakesan (pictured here), EVP of the Audience Technology Group, is readying his departure from the company.
This time, it’s to return to India, where he has long told colleagues he wanted to return.
Sources said Panchapakesan will not be leaving until the end of the summer, but “his departure is well along the road.”
At Yahoo (YHOO), Panchapakesan has most recently been responsible for the company’s overall product technology and platform strategy, such as its open efforts.
He’s an old-timer at Yahoo, having arrived in 1998, and has been involved in the development and execution of technologies for lots of Yahoo products, such as Mail, Flickr, Answers, Groups, Messenger and its content properties.
But recent reorganization of the tech unit, along with Panchapakesan’s interest in working in India, hurried along his leaving.
According to his profile on LinkedIn, Panchapakesan moved to Bangalore, India, to become the CEO of the Yahoo India R&D in 2003, returning in 2006.
Previous to Yahoo, he worked at Hewlett-Packard (HPQ).
