yahoo crisis

Thank you, Marissa Mayer. Now don't mess this up

commentary I am going to make you uncomfortable. I'm going to make myself uncomfortable. I'm going to talk about the intersection of leadership, gender, motherhood, and personality. More specifically, I'd like to talk about Marissa Mayer, who is a new breed of woman in technology and business and -- as a pregnant CEO -- a role model of the highest order.

I've been lucky enough to meet Mayer, the newly appointed Yahoo CEO and hopeful savior, twice. The first time made a lasting impression. I had just been promoted to editor-in-chief of CNET Reviews, and I … Read more

Levinsohn's status uncertain at Yahoo after Mayer appointment

Ross Levinsohn, Yahoo's former interim CEO, has found himself in a difficult employment situation in the wake of Marissa Mayer's appointment to lead the Web pioneer.

Levinsohn, who filled in as the company's chief for two months after Yahoo's board of directors booted Scott Thompson for padding his resume, was considered a front-runner for the job until the board tapped Mayer, a key vice president at Google, for the position today.

Yahoo has not made an official statement on Levinsohn's status with the company. CNET has contacted Yahoo for comment and will update this report … Read more

Marissa Mayer won't be immediately replaced at Google

Google has no immediate plans to replace Marissa Mayer, who was named Yahoo's chief executive today.

Mayer's duties as Google's VP of local, maps, and localization services will be picked up by members of her team, sources with knowledge of the organization told All Things D. Her former lieutenants will now report to Jeff Huber, Google's SVP of commerce and local, the sources said.

Google declined to comment on the report.

Mayer, Google's first female engineer and the No. 20 employee hired overall, announced her departure today for the top job at struggling Web pioneer … Read more

Google's Marissa Mayer becomes Yahoo CEO

Yahoo has named Marissa Mayer, one of Google's top execs, as its next CEO, ending a hunt that began after Scott Thompson was forced out in May for padding his resume. Ross Levinsohn, who has been the interim CEO, had been considered the top candidate for the job.

"I am honored and delighted to lead Yahoo, one of the internet's premier destinations for more than 700 million users," Mayer said in a statement. "I look forward to working with the company's dedicated employees to bring innovative products, content, and personalized experiences to users and … Read more

Yahoo calls off patent battle with Facebook

As expected, Yahoo is dropping its patent lawsuit against Facebook and engaging with the social network in a new partnership.

Yahoo originally filed a lawsuit in March at the U.S. District Court in San Jose, arguing that "Facebook's entire social network model" was based on patented Yahoo technology. Facebook struck back with a countersuit in April over 10 more patents.

The truce comes comes as Yahoo is getting close to naming a permanent replacement for its former CEO, Scott Thompson, whose 4-month tenure at the beleaguered search giant came to an abrupt end after it was … Read more

Inside Yahoo, word is that Levinsohn's the one

Updated at 4:23 PM ET

Wishful thinking or loose lips? It's impossible to know for certain, but word inside Yahoo is spreading that the board intends to officially appoint Ross Levinsohn as CEO, perhaps as early as next week.

A shocker? Hardly.

The shocker would be if Yahoo's board chose someone other than Levinsohn, who has been the interim grand poobah since Scott Thompson stepped down as CEO this past spring. After a week of leaks floating the names of other possible candidates, Yahoo's board can claim to have done due diligence, and thus avoid criticism … Read more

Yahoo, Facebook reportedly near patent peace deal

The legal battle between Yahoo and Facebook is moving closer to a more amicable ending.

AllThingsD reported exclusively this morning that the two Silicon Valley giants are hammering out a peace deal that would possibly not only settle up any disputes over their respective patent infringement lawsuits, but also strengthen their partnership through cross-licensing on certain patents and cross-advertising deals.

Yahoo originally filed a lawsuit in March at the U.S. District Court in San Jose, arguing that "Facebook's entire social network model" was based on patented Yahoo technology. Facebook struck back with a countersuit in April … Read more

Yahoo hires former Google exec as revenue chief

Yahoo has hired Michael Barrett as executive vice president and chief revenue officer.

Barrett will lead Yahoo's ad revenue and operations worldwide, the company announced today. In his new role, Barrett will report directly to Yahoo interim CEO Ross Levinsohn. He will start in his new position in July.

All Things Digital was first to report the news.

Barrett was the chief executive of online-advertising firm Admeld before joining Google last year after the search giant acquired his company for $400 million. Since then, Admeld has continued to operate as it did before. The company's Web site, in … Read more

Facebook, Yahoo close to burying patent hatchet?

Top executives at Facebook and Yahoo are in advanced talks to settle their patent fight, and an agreement could be announced in the next couple of weeks, sources tell All Things D.

Terms of the settlement, meant to resolve the patent infringement lawsuits each has filed against the other, could include cross-licensing of patents between the one-time partners and deeper integration of their respective tools, according to the report.

Yahoo declined to comment. CNET has contacted Facebook for comment and will update this report when we learn more.

Yahoo fired the first salvo in the battle in March when it … Read more