Bradley Horowitz bids Yahoo farewell

Bradley Horowitz, who headed up Yahoo's Advanced Technology division, bid adieu to the company in a blog entry posted on Valentine's Day.

He praised Yahoo for creating circumstances that allowed him to stay for four years, running the division dedicated to fostering and creating innovative products. In the posting, Horowitz settles the question of how he left. No, he wasn't laid off, but walked out voluntarily. Why did he leave the week Yahoo laid off an estimated 1,100 people?

"The timing is a bit unfortunate. I wish I were leaving with Yahoo on top of the world...it'd still be the right thing for me personally. So while the timing may look "suspicious," please don't project your own assumptions onto my decisions. I thought that since so many people were leaving on Tuesday, it'd be a good day for me to slip out unnoticed too," he writes.

He didn't have much to say about the Microsoft proposed takeover of Yahoo beyond: "I have faith that Yahoo's board and management will optimize for the best possible outcome."

And he is mum on what his responsibilities will be at Google, his new employer. "I'm excited about my next step, and thrilled I'll be working with a stellar team that I'm sure will teach me a lot."

Google's gain is Yahoo's loss.