I figure Mayer was brought on to do one thing: sell the firm, at the best possible price. The Alibaba stake serves as a barrier against hostile takeovers (21B

I figure Mayer was brought on to do one thing: sell the firm, at the best possible price. The Alibaba stake serves as a barrier against hostile takeovers (21B is a lot of capital), but when the firm really does need a buyer, they don't have one. Presumably Mayer's goal is to attract a bid from either Google or Microsoft. She has contacts within Google, and should have a decent understanding of how the firm values acquisitions. Hence the layoffs, constructive dismissal of remote workers, the Firefox bid, and such.