fox@fury
Why I like Marissa Mayer as Yahoo!'s new CEO
Tuesday, Jul 17, 2012

I've had the pleasure of working with Marissa for four years helping shape Google's user experience, but to find the root of my belief that she's the best possible choice for Yahoo!'s top spot, you just need to look at my archives.

When Carol Bartz was ousted in late 2011, I wrote my own prescription for Yahoo!'s next leader:

Hire a CEO who has experience building consumer web properties. Someone who has experience working with engineers and product designers and is eager to do so. Someone who's claim to fame isn't schmoozing, swearing, or otherwise leading a company in a different industry.

Take a look at the companies where your talented engineers, product managers, VPs and designers have gone, and consider that maybe those guys know what they're doing. You might find a leader from within one of those companies.

Your problem is making and maintaining compelling products, not media partnerships. You'll have a better chance choosing a leader who knows more about that stuff than making movies or CAD software.

Though the subsequent appointment of Scott Thompson was a small step in the right direction (hiring someone who had worked in a leadership position in a consumer internet company) it didn't go nearly far enough, CS degrees notwithstanding.

I don't recall if I had Marissa specifically in mind when I wrote my description of the ideal Yahoo! CEO, but I might as well have. She's exactly what Yahoo! needs.

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aboutme

Hi, I'm Kevin Fox.
I've been blogging at Fury.com since 1998.
I can be reached at .

I also have a resume.

electricimp

I'm co-founder in
a fantastic startup fulfilling the promise of the Internet of Things.

The Imp is a computer and wi-fi connection smaller and cheaper than a memory card.

Find out more.

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I post most frequently on Twitter as @kfury and on Google Plus.

pastwork

I've led design at Mozilla Labs, designed Gmail 1.0, Google Reader 2.0, FriendFeed, and a few special projects at Facebook.

©2012 Kevin Fox