Monday, February 4, 2008
Where in the World Is Jerry Yang?
Over the last year, as he has sought to revive the flagging fortunes of Yahoo, CEO and Co-Founder Jerry Yang has ferreted himself away from the spotlight and has seldom made himself available to talk to investors or reporters about what he has been up to.
I dubbed it the “cave” strategy, mostly because that’s what many around Yahoo called it. Since Yang really didn’t have anything good to say about the troubled Internet giant, he didn’t say anything at all.
I always thought that a big mistake, since it was very insular and defensive. Like my politicians, I like my Internet execs able and willing to take on all critics (and for all the grief I have been giving Facebook, in stark contrast to Yahoo, its execs are very willing to go a round with anyone who questions their moves).
So you might have thought that the surprising unsolicited bid to grab Yahoo by Microsoft might have brought out the fighting spirit in Yang.
That’s especially true, since it has been widely reported (and entirely true) that he had rebuffed such advances many times and was actually not shocked (despite what has been reported, Yang had to know it was coming given the weak, stock-depressing quarter he turned in on Tuesday) by the $31 per share offer he received on Thursday.
But, no.
“So they are now deeper in their cave than ever,” reports one frustrated person close to the top execs at Yahoo yesterday, echoing a widespread sentiment at Yahoo’s Sunnyvale, Calif., HQ.
Deeper? Is that even possible? If so, Yang must now be living in the Mariana Trench of the Web world.
