In tapping Carol Bartz as Yahoo’s new chief executive, the company’s board has selected a seasoned manager and tough-minded technology executive who established Autodesk, the maker of design software, as a market leader and successfully steered it through a boom and bust cycle.
Bartz, who is well regarded in Silicon Valley, where she has a reputation as a decisive leader, will most likely need all the skills she developed during her 14 years as chief executive of Autodesk to turn Yahoo around.
The Internet company is reeling after a turbulent year in which it failed in merger negotiations with Microsoft, saw its position in the search and online advertising business deteriorate and suffered two rounds of layoffs and a string of defections from its executive ranks.
In a conference call with analysts, Bartz, 60, who is executive chairman of Autodesk, acknowledged Tuesday that Yahoo faced significant challenges but said she believed the company’s strong brand and market position gave it a ‘‘huge opportunity.’’ Bartz also delivered some of the colorful rhetoric she has become known for. ‘‘I think Yahoo has unfortunately been battered in the last year and that has caused it to look internally and be protective,’’ Bartz said. ‘‘That’s nonsense for such a great company and such a great franchise.’’ She said that after reviewing the business, she planned to turn Yahoo’s focus outward. She also said that Yahoo had some great assets that ‘‘frankly, could use a little management.’’ With the appointment of Bartz, the board appears to be signaling that Yahoo may finally undergo the kind of drastic change that many investors have been clamoring for. Bartz is succeeding the co-founder, Jerry Yang, who in his 18-month tenure as chief executive was criticized as indecisive and ultimately ineffectual. He was blamed in the collapse of negotiations with Microsoft.
Along with the announcement of Bartz’s hiring, Yang’s top deputy, Yahoo’s president, Susan Decker, resigned. She will be leaving the company after a transition period, Yahoo said. Decker was also a candidate for the chief executive position, according to people with knowledge of the situation, who agreed to speak on condition of anonymity because of the confidentiality surrounding the search process.
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