In 2007, Jobs famously told Yahoo it had to choose a path Yahoo needed to decide whether it would focus foremost on media or technology, Jobs told the

In 2007, Jobs famously told Yahoo it had to choose a path Yahoo needed to decide whether it would focus foremost on media or technology, Jobs told the small group of assembled executives, according to one executive who attended the meeting. -- BusinessWeek, 2009 I can't find the quote now, but one exec said they knew he was right, but they just couldn't decide. I think this conundrum continues to be at the heart of the Yahoo! problem -- they just can't decide. The SpringOwl proposal essentially says Yahoo should just get with the program and be a Media company. And, I like that pitch. The playbook is essentially: 1) Massively cut staff, and some other one-time things like real estate 2) Stop trying to compete on hard tech like search, because they can't beat Google or Facebook 3) re-monetize the home page and create a more walled garden by creating apps that kick ass over competitors (note these are now media competitors) and are directly fed by the media channels that are working: they like finance and sports to start. To me, this plan reads well, although I don't buy the austerity on top of layoffs angle -- who would continue to work there? One way or the other, you're going to have to provide a competitive comp, upside and lifestyle story unless they move to Kansas. I don't know if it really gets the value creation they say it will, but if well executed, I think this is a believable way for Yahoo! to carve out its best shot at a niche and audience. If I imagine a Yahoo Finance app made by truly great devs up against any number of competitors, I think it could be a win. Same with say fantasy sports apps, team-oriented apps, all those could tie together very well.