Comments on: Yahoo? http://cultureby.com/2009/01/yahoo.html This Blog Sits At the Intersection of Anthropology and Economics Wed, 23 May 2012 20:32:12 +0000 hourly 1 http://wordpress.org/?v=3.3.1 By: Mary Walker http://cultureby.com/2009/01/yahoo.html/comment-page-1#comment-1070 Mary Walker Tue, 20 Jan 2009 03:35:47 +0000 http://localhost/wp_culture/?p=146#comment-1070 Well, I'm adopting a wait-and-see stance. First off, thank god they got *somebody* in there. The drift during the wait was spiraling downwards. As you mention -- Yahoo is a true online media company -- it brings together both leading edge tech (and yes, it does take good tech to serve up some of their offerings) and media/content. It's a hybrid in a new cojoint industry space. But there aren't yet many (any?) executives who have credentials in both spaces. Traditional media and traditional tech are very different in many ways -- industry structures, skill sets valued, career paths, organizational cultures. Yahoo's tried bringing in media veterans (Semel being the prime example, but there have been others) and as a rule, they've failed (with a few exceptions). Many old-school media veterans just don't seem to be able adapt their formidable knowledge/skills to the online world. Likewise, people from the tech world have struggled with the media piece -- yet Yahoo has become one of the most successful companies in the world at monetizing online media properties. Yeah, they could be better...but a lot of Yahoo's problems seem to stem from poor operational leadership. People there have good ideas, but they struggle to get implemented due to internal BS/politics/whatever. So even if all Bartz does is clear the runways so that good ideas can fly and instill greater operational discipline, better decision making methods, etc (rather like Hurd has done at HP) -- that alone will be very valuable. Well, I’m adopting a wait-and-see stance. First off, thank god they got *somebody* in there. The drift during the wait was spiraling downwards.

As you mention — Yahoo is a true online media company — it brings together both leading edge tech (and yes, it does take good tech to serve up some of their offerings) and media/content. It’s a hybrid in a new cojoint industry space. But there aren’t yet many (any?) executives who have credentials in both spaces.

Traditional media and traditional tech are very different in many ways — industry structures, skill sets valued, career paths, organizational cultures. Yahoo’s tried bringing in media veterans (Semel being the prime example, but there have been others) and as a rule, they’ve failed (with a few exceptions). Many old-school media veterans just don’t seem to be able adapt their formidable knowledge/skills to the online world.

Likewise, people from the tech world have struggled with the media piece — yet Yahoo has become one of the most successful companies in the world at monetizing online media properties. Yeah, they could be better…but a lot of Yahoo’s problems seem to stem from poor operational leadership. People there have good ideas, but they struggle to get implemented due to internal BS/politics/whatever.

So even if all Bartz does is clear the runways so that good ideas can fly and instill greater operational discipline, better decision making methods, etc (rather like Hurd has done at HP) — that alone will be very valuable.

]]> By: srp http://cultureby.com/2009/01/yahoo.html/comment-page-1#comment-1069 srp Sat, 17 Jan 2009 00:58:46 +0000 http://localhost/wp_culture/?p=146#comment-1069 I think Bartz is their best chance. She is far less likely to be wedded to the founders' fixed ideas about Yahoo and far more likely to ask unpleasant but necessary questions such as "how is this initiative likely to pay off?" and "why are we spending money on this?" and "why do people use Yahoo?" and "why do people not use Yahoo?" Those seem like the kinds of questions that need to be asked to get their ship righted whether or not a sale of the company occurs. As for popular culture, I don't see why that's a big issue for a company that basically is a content aggregator and bolt-on front end for users. Google isn't making lots of money because of its agility with popular culture. I think Bartz is their best chance. She is far less likely to be wedded to the founders’ fixed ideas about Yahoo and far more likely to ask unpleasant but necessary questions such as “how is this initiative likely to pay off?” and “why are we spending money on this?” and “why do people use Yahoo?” and “why do people not use Yahoo?” Those seem like the kinds of questions that need to be asked to get their ship righted whether or not a sale of the company occurs.

As for popular culture, I don’t see why that’s a big issue for a company that basically is a content aggregator and bolt-on front end for users. Google isn’t making lots of money because of its agility with popular culture.

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