SAN FRANCISCO (AP) _ Yahoo Inc. fired Carol Bartz as CEO Tuesday after more than 2{ years of financial lethargy that had convinced investors that she couldn't steer the Internet company to a long-promised turnaround.
To fill the void, Yahoo's board named Tim Morse, its chief financial officer, as interim CEO. Bartz lured Morse away from computer chip maker Altera Corp. two years ago to help her cuts costs. Yahoo, based in Sunnyvale, California, said it is looking for a permanent replacement.
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Former Yahoo CEO Carol Bartz (AP-Yonhap News) |
Yahoo Chairman Roy Bostock, also a target of shareholder frustration, informed Bartz about the move over the phone, according to an email the outgoing CEO sent from her iPad that was obtained by the All Things D technology blog. The blog first reported Bartz's ouster.
A Yahoo spokesman didn't immediately respond to a request for comment late Tuesday.
Macquarie Securities analyst Ben Schachter called the handling of Bartz's departure “unseemly” and interpreted it as a sign of even more drama to come at Yahoo.
In a research note late Tuesday, Schachter predicted there will be a wide range of conjecture about Yahoo's future, with the most likely speculation centering on Yahoo as a takeover target during a vulnerable time.
Alternatively, Yahoo could make a bold move itself by trying to buy the online video site Hulu.com, which is already talking to suitors, or trying to sell its 43 percent stake in the Alibaba Group, one of China's most prized Internet companies. Bartz's tense relationship with Alibaba CEO Jack Ma had fed investor dissatisfaction about her leadership.
In a Tuesday statement, Yahoo said it is undergoing a “comprehensive strategic review” in its latest effort to give investors a reason to buy its stock but didn't offer details.
Bartz, 63, led an austerity campaign that helped boost Yahoo's earnings, but the company didn't increase its revenue even as the Internet ad market grew at a rapid clip.
The financial funk, along with recent setbacks in Yahoo's online search partnership with Microsoft Corp. and the Alibaba investment, proved to be Bartz's downfall. Her ouster comes with 16 months left on a four-year contract that she signed in January 2009.
That contract entitles her to severance payments that could be two to three times her annual salary and bonus, along with stock incentives she received during her tenure. Bartz received a $2.2 million bonus to supplement her $1 million salary last year.
Yahoo has now replaced three CEOs in a little over four years. During that time, Yahoo has lost ground in the Internet ad race to online search leader Google Inc. and Facebook even though its website remains among the world's most popular.
Known for her no-nonsense leadership and sometimes gruff language, Bartz arrived at Yahoo as a respected Silicon Valley executive who had won praise for turning around business software maker Autodesk Inc. But she had no previous experience in Internet advertising, the main way Yahoo makes money.
<한글 관련 기사>
야후, 전화로 CEO 해고 통보
캐럴 바츠 야후 최고경영자(CEO)가 6일(현지시각) 이사회에 의해 전격 해고됐다.
월스트리트저널(WSJ) 등에 따르면 바츠는 이날 야후의 공동 창업자인 제리 양과 로이 보스토크 이사회 의장으로부터 "회사에 변화가 필요하다"는 통보를 전화로 받았다.
바츠의 뒤를 이어 야후의 최고 재무책임자(CFO)인 팀 모스가 임시로 CEO직을 수 행하게 됐다고 소식통들이 전했다.
한 소식통은 바츠가 이날 직원들에게 이메일을 보내 자신이 해고됐음을 알리고 작별인사를 했다고 설명했다.
소식통에 따르면 바츠는 이메일에서 "지금 막 이사회 의장으로부터 전화로 해고 통보를 받았다는 말을 전하게 돼 유감"이라며 "여러분 모두와 함께 일할 수 있어서 기뻤고 앞으로도 늘 전진하기를 희망한다"고 인사했다.
바츠는 지난 2009년 초 CEO에 임명된 뒤 경영진을 정비하고 온라인 검색 기능 위주였던 야후를 개인이 원하는 내용물을 저장하는 공간으로 탈바꿈시키는 등 체질 개선 노력을 해왔다.
그러나 그녀의 재임 기간이 내내 순탄하지만은 않았다.
실제 지난 6월 열린 연례 주주총회에서 한 투자자는 바츠에게 야후의 주가 약세 와 블로거들의 활동 감소에 대해 해명하라고 요구하면서 새 CEO를 물색 중이라고 주 장한 바 있다. (연합뉴스)
