Maggie Wilderotter

Burkle to Leave Yahoo Board–Is Bartz Solidifying Control (And Is Bostock Next)?

Kara Swisher in News on February 16, 2010 at 1:53 pm PT

Like victims in the thriller, “Ten Little Indians,” the directors of Yahoo involved in its Microsoft takeover debacle are moving off its board. Today, it’s billionaire businessman Ron Burkle doing the leaving, after serving since 2001, when he was brought onto the Internet giant’s board by former CEO Terry Semel. He’s the third director to depart since CEO Carol Bartz took over a little more than a year ago.

Yahoo's Bartz Shuffles the Exec Deck, Filling Audience and Other Top Slot; Is the Board Next for a Makeover?

Kara Swisher in News on November 18, 2009 at 2:00 pm PT

Yahoo CEO Carol Bartz is making the most substantive changes in her exec ranks since she did a massive restructuring of its staff in late February, according to sources close to the situation. “She is continuing to clean the place up,” said one top exec about the moves, which are likely to be announced internally tomorrow. Will these changes also extend to Yahoo’s board?

Not With a Bang, but a Whimper: Icahn Leaves Yahoo Board (Plus His Entire Letter)

Kara Swisher in News on October 23, 2009 at 3:00 pm PT

Carl Icahn, the activist billionaire investor who made such a noisy fuss in his quest to force management and other changes at Yahoo, is taking a much quieter leave from the Internet giant’s board. He said “there was not a need at this time for an activist investor” on Yahoo’s board. That’s true, of course, but here’s BoomTown’s quickie analysis: Yahoo CEO Carol Bartz completely ignores him.

Yahoo Loses Board Member: Wilderotter to Resign

Kara Swisher in News on September 25, 2009 at 2:12 pm PT

Maggie Wilderotter, a Yahoo director who was once under consideration to be its CEO, has told the company she intends to resign from the board at the end of the year. She has served on the Yahoo board since mid-2007, during its most tumultuous period ever. Wilderotter is CEO of Frontier Communications, a large telecom services company. Her departure means Yahoo will only have one women on the board–CEO Carol Bartz.

New Prospect for Yahoo CEO: Carol Bartz

Kara Swisher in News on January 7, 2009 at 4:16 pm PT

How did BoomTown forget former Autodesk exec Carol Bartz for Yahoo CEO? Yahoo certainly hasn’t. According to several sources familiar with Yahoo’s search for a new leader to replace Co-founder Jerry Yang, the company is looking hard at the longtime and high-profile Silicon Valley executive. Bartz is certainly an experienced tech exec and was chairman, president and CEO for 14 years of a company that makes design software. She also serves on the board of Cisco with Yang and on the board of Intel with Yahoo President Sue Decker.

The Dark Horse Race for Yahoo's CEO: Sarin Emerges, but Who Else Fits the Bill?

Kara Swisher in News on December 9, 2008 at 4:39 am PT

Earlier this week, in a piece about Yahoo layoffs, BoomTown reiterated the notion that Yahoo would pick its next CEO to replace its current leader Jerry Yang from its own board or some dark horse CEO, rather than one of the Web’s more high-profile players. The Wall Street Journal raised such a name in a piece today–former Vodafone Group CEO Arun Sarin. It’s an intriguing idea, to be sure, since Sarin meets the list of six key criteria the board has created, including having public company CEO experience. But there are other dark horses who fit that bill.

Yahoo Moves Ahead With Layoffs on Wednesday: The Sad Details

Kara Swisher in News on December 8, 2008 at 12:00 am PT

While there are layoffs all over now, as evidenced by the dismal jobs reports last week, the long-planned Yahoo layoffs will definitely be taking place Wednesday. The layoff number was announced by its (eventually outgoing) CEO Jerry Yang on its last earnings call on Oct. 21. BoomTown wrote about the exact timing of the sad date a few weeks ago. Many Yahoos have emailed me to ask the particulars last week, since most at the company don’t know what’s up. Here’s what I found out.

Yahoo CEO Countdown, 26 Days to Go: As Chernin Declines, Will a Dark Horse Emerge?

Kara Swisher in News on December 5, 2008 at 7:24 am PT

With Yahoo board Chairman Roy Bostock reportedly assuring investors and others that the company will have a CEO in place by the end of the year, it seems prudent for BoomTown to initiate an official Yahoo CEO Countdown. After all, this column had a 100-Day No-Sacred-Cows Vision Quest to mark the time that Jerry Yang said he needed to give Yahoo a top-to-bottom look-see when he took over last summer as CEO. So here’s today’s update: No Peter Chernin and a lot of thorny issues for other candidates.

Yahoo Board Casts About for New CEO: No Committee, Six Criteria and AOL Merger-Ready!

Kara Swisher in News on December 3, 2008 at 5:00 am PT

Now let’s return from the land of fatuous deal schemes and half-baked plots to buy Yahoo and get to the most critical issue facing its board right now: Finding a new CEO to replace outgoing leader Jerry Yang. Sources tell BoomTown that board Chairman Roy Bostock has been asserting a new CEO will be named by the new year. Only 28 more shopping days until management clarity! Well, maybe not so much, given there is no formal search committee. But there is a list and a pending AOL deal, so let’s hope for a miracle on 701 First Avenue in Sunnyvale!

As Carl Icahn Buys More Yahoo Shares, Is It the Sign That a CEO Choice Is Near?

Kara Swisher in News on November 28, 2008 at 2:19 am PT

When everyone else has been selling, it seems Carl Icahn has decided to throw good money after bad–as in nearly $1 billion bad–by buying almost seven million more Yahoo shares, according to a regulatory filing. Why is he doing it? BoomTown is guessing that the billionaire investor thinks he can recoup some of his massive losses in Yahoo, as Jerry Yang prepares to step down and the board, on which Icahn sits, names a new leader. That’s why my guess is that the choice of a new CEO is likely to be sooner than later, much more Icahn-friendly and strong on operational skills. BoomTown’s new guesses: Yahoo board member John Chapple or perhaps an ops star like HP’s Todd Bradley.