Whose Yahoo?
After her two predecessors failed in recent years to counter Google’s (GOOG) conquest of Yahoo!’s (YHOO) once-dominant position in Internet search, or to win over investors, new CEO Bartz brings strong software-engineering and management skills to the job. At her previous post atop Autodesk (ADSK), she remade the business, sharply boosting margins, earnings and revenues and increasing the share price nearly tenfold.
Bartz, 60, is a sharp operator with a sharp tongue. She’s famous for dropping the f-word during conference calls with analysts and investors. (She brought down the house at a recent conference with her opening: “Do you want me to say something naughty now?”) More important, however, her first major initiatives at Yahoo! suggest where she’s headed.
