Well, this is shocking: Noted Google VP Marissa Mayer, 37, was just anointed CEO of Yahoo. New York Times reports: "The appointment of Ms. Mayer, who was employee No. 20 at Google and was one of the few public faces of the company, is considered a surprising coup for Yahoo, which has struggled in recent years to attract top flight talent in its battle with competitors like Google and Facebook."
An interesting move, for sure. One has to wonder why she decided to make said move to a "bigger stage" and not stick with Google. Was she glass ceiling'd at the mammoth Mountain View, Calif.-based tech giant? NYT has more:
Still, at Google, Ms. Mayer did not have a clear path to the C-Suite.After years of heading-up its search business, Google’s most profitable unit, Ms. Mayer became vice president of the company’s local efforts in late 2010. The following year, Google then promoted another executive, Jeff Huber, to be the senior vice president of local and commerce, putting him one level above Ms. Mayer’s post. Although Google characterized her move as a promotion at the time, some wondered if she would be content with the reorganization.
Mayer's move should not only boost morale, but also put a dent (however minor) in Silicon Valley's increasingly disturbing brogrammer reputation. Yahoo's acquisition, if you will, will now make Mayer one of the most important women in Silicon Valley and corporate America. Let's hope she can save Flickr during her tenure at the troubled tech company.
In a press release issued today by Yahoo, Mayer had this to say: "I am honored and delighted to lead Yahoo!, one of the internet's premier destinations for more than 700 million users. I look forward to working with the Company's dedicated employees to bring innovative products, content, and personalized experiences to users and advertisers all around the world."
I'm incredibly excited to start my new role at Yahoo! tomorrow: pressroom.yahoo.net/pr/ycorp/23655
— marissamayer (@marissamayer) July 16, 2012