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New Yahoo CEO (And BoSox Fanboy) Scott Thompson Speaks: It's Still "Early Innings"

Kara Swisher — Wed, 04 Jan 2012 17:28:27 +0000

Yahoo actually let me talk with its new CEO Scott Thompson this morning, after the company announced it had hired him as its latest leader.

In an interview, the man who is leaving a job running eBay’s large and lucrative PayPal online payments unit was affable and — dare I say it — seemed very sweet, as well as gung ho on Yahoo’s prospects going forward.

Joking about how he took the job only because eBay and Yahoo are located close by each other in Silicon Valley and the commute was just as easy, Thompson opened by noting that those working at the online commerce giant have always had a “keen appreciation for what each other was doing.”

He said that when he was approached in November about the Yahoo job, although sources said it was just offered this week and took eBay by surprise.

Still, soon after being contacted by Yahoo’s exec recruiters, Thompson said he began “exploring in more detail what’s actually here.” As he did so, he added, he “became progressively more fascinated” that Yahoo had more promise than has been assumed in recent years.

“Its potential is still enormous, but the dialogue has not been about what the company is,” Thompson said. “I want to get this wonderful brand to where it could be again … so, as a starting point, this is a great starting point.”

Thompson’s premise is based on his belief that we are still in the early days of the Internet. And, because he is a Boston native — making him, of course, an ardent fan of its beloved Red Sox — he used baseball as a metaphor.

“It’s early innings, and there are the next eight innings in front of us,” he said, noting that he was in the stands with his father when catcher Carlton Fisk hit that famous game-winning home run in the 12th inning of the sixth game of the World Series in 1975.

Note to everyone who is not an obsessive fan like Thompson (and also, I might add, Walt Mossberg): It did take the Red Sox from 1918 to 2004 to actually finally win the Series again, so maybe Yahoo has a chance!

“This remains a great business, and I have no doubt its best days are ahead of Yahoo,” said Thompson, in that same hopeful spirit of this-year’s-gonna-be-the-one.

Thompson noted that he is fully cognizant of the major troubles at the company recently, and had a “real sense of urgency, but not by moving at breakneck speed, because you just do bad stuff faster.”

Instead, he said, he hopes to focus Yahoo the same way he did PayPal, by innovating, making commitments and keeping them, and overperforming.

None are easy tasks, and all have stymied Yahoo in the recent past. Thompson said that he thinks it might be because of not focusing equally on both consumers and Yahoo’s partners and advertisers.

He admitted that his lack of advertising experience was clear — it could be problematic, because it’s Yahoo’s biggest business — but said, “I readily admit what I don’t know, and am ready to learn and rely on Yahoo’s great team.”

While he would not go into deep specifics — Thompson does not start until next week — he said he planned to get some basic grounding, noting, “I have no preconceived notions.”

One thing is clear, said Thompson: “I can assure you I am going to be completely different.”

If that means doing what Fisk did, that would certainly be a home run for Yahoo.

SB Nation Sacks AOL in Raid of Former Engadget Team for Competing New Tech Site, As AOL Zeroes in on New EiC

Kara Swisher — Mon, 04 Apr 2011 02:34:40 +0000

Jim Bankoff, the fomer AOL exec responsible for buying Engadget for the Internet portal, has grabbed eight staffers who had recently left the huge tech site amid tensions, in order to start a new gadget property.

The site–which is still unnamed and will be run by outgoing Engadget Editor-in-Chief Josh Topolsky–will debut sometime in the fall. It is the first content expansion at the Washington, D.C. sports news site SB Nation, which is helmed by Bankoff.

“The technology we built is applicable beyond sports,” said Bankoff, in an interview with BoomTown tonight. “It was an opportunity to apply our model…into another content category where there was an overlap in demographics.”

That would be fanboys and, well, boys-who-will-be-boys.

UPDATE: In related news, sources said that AOL has zeroed in on Tim Stevens, Engadget’s automotive editor to replace the outgoing Topolsky. The New York-based company had already named Darren Murph as its new managing editor.

Now Stevens will be competing with Topolsky, as well as managing editor Nilay Patel, who will also lead the Engadget tech-exodus (techxodus?). The others include former Engadget staffers Paul Miller, Joanna Stern, Ross Miller, Chris Ziegler, Justin Glow and Dan Chilton.

Stern and Ziegler are still on Engadget’s editors site as current employees.

All of the above had left Engadget in a series of departures of late, all due to increasing unhappiness with AOL’s management and content strategy.

Paul Miller and Ross Miller, who are not related, both stated publicly that they did not like the editorial direction AOL was going in, especially a controversial content strategy document titled “The AOL Way.”

In his blog post, Topolsky threw another smackadoo at AOL, noting “SB Nation believes in real, independent journalism and the potential for new media to serve as an answer and antidote to big publishing houses and SEO spam–a point we couldn’t be more aligned on.”

New AOL content head Arianna Huffington has shifted toward a more journalistic path, but the talent bleed began before AOL’s $315 million purchase of the Huffington Post.

In a blog post, which is embedded below, Topolsky said the new SB Nation gadget site will be similar in pace and topic, but it will be broader than Engadget.

The move is an interesting one for SB Nation, which completed a $10.5 million Series C round, led by Khosla Ventures, in the fall.

It had already raised about $13 million in total venture funding from Accel Partners, Allen & Company and Comcast Interactive Capital, as well as from angel investors such as Ted Leonsis and others in Silicon Valley.

In related news, also restarting tomorrow will be a popular gadget podcast that Topolsky, Patel and Paul Miller had done for Engadget.

The New York Times’ David Carr mentioned the new site in the middle of a column earlier tonight.

Here is Topolsky’s blog post on the move, titled “This Is My Next Project”:

As you may have already heard (or read), there’s some activity going on in the world of Joshua Topolsky. Earlier this evening, David Carr published a piece in the New York Times about a new project that I’m embarking on…and I want to just say a few things about it.

Firstly: yes, this is happening. I’ve decided to join the team at SB Nation to build something brand new in the tech space. Now I know it might seem odd to some that I would be partnering with a sports publisher to build a technology news site, but that’s only half the story. This isn’t just about sports, or tech, or lone silos. What we will build together at SB Nation is a new media company–buoyed by the absolutely incredible work SB Nation has already done in publishing–and part of that new media company will be the as-yet-unnamed gadget and technology site that I’ll be working over the next few months to create. When we launch (hopefully in the fall), I will be editor-in-chief of a property that I hope will inform, entertain, and engage fans of technology in whole new ways.

I should say that I wouldn’t want to build something like this alone, and thankfully, I won’t have to. I’ll be joined by some very good friends at this new venture–people like Nilay Patel, for instance.

Of course, the natural question I’m sure a lot of people have is: why SB Nation? The easy answer is that the people at SB Nation share my vision of what publishing looks like in the year 2011. They think that the technology used to create and distribute news on the web (and mobile) is as important as the people who are responsible for the content itself. And that’s not just pillow talk–SB Nation is actively evolving its tools and processes to meet the growing and changing needs of its vast editorial teams and their audience communities. They’re building for the web as it is now. From the perspective of a journalist who also happens to be a huge nerd, that’s a match made in heaven. SBN isn’t just another media company pushing news out–it’s a testbed and lab for some of the newest and most interesting publishing tools I’ve ever seen. In short, I was blown away when I saw what kind of technology they’re using to get news on their front page and engage audiences, and even more blown away when I started talking to them about what could come next.

But beyond the technology (and possibly more important than the technology), there’s another factor here that’s driving my decision. It’s that SB Nation believes in real, independent journalism and the potential for new media to serve as an answer and antidote to big publishing houses and SEO spam–a point we couldn’t be more aligned on. This is a group of people that not only think independent media works, but are reaping the rewards of new publishing done right. As the fastest growing online sports publisher, they’re seen as a source for credible and honest journalism, which is why industry stalwarts like Rob Neyer have recently joined their ranks (ranks which include hundreds of talented sports experts). This isn’t tabloid page grabbing or content farming–it’s news and insight by and for a passionate and informed group of people. And that’s exactly where I want to be.

So, what happens next? We get to work.

In the coming months I’m going to be laser focused on one thing: building the best tech site in the world–and I would love to hear what you guys think the next phase in technology and gadget news should look like. Ping me with ideas, gripes, or even better–come and work here! SB Nation is looking for new developers as we speak, and as we ramp up to launch, we’ll be bringing on lots of talent to work both on the front page and behind the scenes.

I couldn’t be more excited and enthusiastic about what we can build right now, and I can’t wait to share what we’re going to make with the rest of the world. The months ahead are going to be filled with lots of early mornings and sleepless nights, intense debates, triumphs, and trials–and I can’t wait.

Upscale Nerd Newsletter GeekChicDaily Raises $2 Million

Peter Kafka — Tue, 25 Jan 2011 13:00:51 +0000

Yep, you can still raise money for email newsletters in 2011. GeekChicDaily, aimed at the fanboy contingent that spends heavily on movies, action figures and the like, has raised $2 million in a round led by Hollywood producer Joe Roth and Microsoft veteran Mike Slade. Also on board: Clear Channel/Pilot Group’s Bob Pittman, a newsletter kingpin (Daily Candy, Thrillist, etc.) who helped the company raise $1.5 million last year.

Ayn Rand Fan Writes Tribute Viewable Only Using Google Earth

Beth Callaghan — Fri, 13 Aug 2010 19:35:31 +0000

Never underestimate the power of self-determination. Ultimate fanboy Nick Newcomen drove 12,238 miles and recorded his path with a GPS device to write the words “Read Ayn Rand” across 30 states. Much like a skywriter would do, he mapped his route, then turned on the logger when he wanted to “write” a letter. When the data was loaded into Google Earth, it produced his message.

President Clinton Talks About His Internet Legacy (BTW, He's an iPhone Dude, While the GOP's #41 Is a BlackBerry Teen)

Kara Swisher — Thu, 18 Mar 2010 07:38:51 +0000

Here is a video I did of former President Bill Clinton talking at an event related to the 25th anniversary of the first .com domain registration.

Clinton gave a keynote speech first–which was, inexplicably, about health-care legislation and global warming.

But after Clinton was done, he sat down with VeriSign (VRSN) CEO Mark McLaughlin to talk about a range of Web-related topics, in a very amusing interview exchange.

They included what devices he uses, broadband access and the dire state of traditional media.

Clinton talked about what sites–largely political–he likes. He mentioned Politico, Daily Beast and the Huffington Post for their analysis and outlook, as well as far-right ones, to keep track of his opposition.

Interestingly, he did not mention the Washington Post (WPO) or the New York Times (NYT) online, although he said their deep reporting was valuable.

Still, Clinton noted, “It’s almost impossible, given the economics of the modern world for newspapers to continue.”

And the 42nd President of the United States is an Apple (AAPL) fanboy, naming his iPhone as his fave gadget (although he said he also has a BlackBerry).

Clinton joked that his predecessor, No. 41, former President George H.W. Bush, is a maniac user of the Research in Motion (RIMM) BlackBerry, likening him to a teenager.

Also, no Kindle from Amazon (AMZN), since Clinton said he still likes books.

Here’s the video (sorry about his shiny watch, but you can hear him!):

[ See post to watch video ]

Countdown to Ecstasy? Apple iPad Pre-Orders Begin at 5:30 am PT Today (Post-It Note for Now!).

Kara Swisher — Fri, 12 Mar 2010 11:07:08 +0000

BoomTown is always up at 5:30 am PT, but now I will apparently be joined by twitch-fingered Apple fanboys waiting for the iPad pre-order rush to begin this morning.

Currently, the Apple Store online has this note of heady anticipation (A Post-It? Katie, surely you could do better!):

Getting the actual magic tablet into your grubby mitts will have to wait three more weeks until April 3, when the Wi-Fi-only version comes out, followed soon by the 3G iPad.

Meaning it will be a month of me doing videos of overstimulated dudes in line at Apple (AAPL) stores.

Until then, here are a couple of my videos from the iPhone debut in late June 2007 in Palo Alto and San Francisco:

Invasion of the iPad Snatchers: My First Jobs Keynote Ever

Kara Swisher — Mon, 25 Jan 2010 20:06:51 +0000

After all these years of covering tech, after too many words on Apple and its CEO Steve Jobs, after even interviewing the tech icon several times onstage at various D: All Things Digital conferences over the years, BoomTown is a little embarrassed to admit that I have never attended in person one of the legendary keynote speeches delivered by him.

What ho? Never seen the man–who is known for blowing the doors off any room he headlines–work his apparent magic on the enthralled crowd? Never seen him handle that presentation clicker like Mozart conducting one his operas? Never heard him utter the immortal phrase, “one more thing,” to be immediately followed by much audience oohing and ahhing?

No. I have not. And, as much as I like to ooh and ahh, nope!

We always send a crack team from All Things Digital to these various Apple (AAPL) events, but I have not been part of that thus far, opting to watch the proceedings online at ATD HQ.

But this year I finally said yes to an invite and will apparently get to see Jobs unveil one of the more anticipated and potentially innovative new devices from the Silicon Valley computer icon. It will most certainly be the long-expected tablet that I predicted will be called the iPad.

“You are going to love it and want to come to all our events,” wrote one Apple exec to me about the Wednesday gathering in San Francisco, which immediately made me think of the iPods, oops, pods, in the sci-fi movie classic, “Invasion of the Body Snatchers.”

Note to self: Do not fall asleep.

All joking aside, I will be curious to be at this event, since the level of media hype–which is typical–seems to have reached even higher than I ever thought possible, including one report today about how people have “overheard” Jobs saying that the tablet is the most important thing he has ever done.

Ooh. Ahh. How about we all wait and see first?

Until then, send your advice as to the do’s and don’ts of attending the Jobs revival meeting, especially tips on whether I need to set my phaser on “stun” for disabling fervent Apple fanboys if they get too excited.

Also, what should I wear? A black mock turtleneck, jeans and sneakers too much?

Video to come, as usual, along with all of our terrific coverage from ATD.

And, finally, I really hope it is not as cheesy as this bizarre video about how to present like Steve Jobs. My two cents as an expert-to-be on how to do that: Be Steve Jobs.

Yes, BoomTown Will Overpay for Apple's Pretty Version of the Kindle (Twice!)

Kara Swisher — Fri, 08 May 2009 13:00:14 +0000

Oh dear, I always forget that the camera is turned on 24/7 these days, knows all and sees all and then sticks it on YouTube.

Like this moment for me that came during a speech I gave last week at the Software & Information Industry Association’s NetGain conference in San Francisco, which was titled, “How I Stopped Worrying and Learned to Love the Tweet: What Interactivity Really Means for Real Businesses.”

While I talked about a lot of key trends, from persistent data to ubiquitous screens to the importance of voice, touch and gesture in future computing to the always-on state of online presence, it was this moment in the Q&A part at the end that got most noticed.

Someone had asked me what devices I use and also wondered if I had bought a Kindle from Amazon (AMZN).

Indeed not, as you will see, as I admitted that I was waiting to overpay for any similar and doubtlessly overpriced e-reader Apple (AAPL) will foist on me someday.

Here’s the video (please ignore my itchy ear thing and haggard look):