5 ms·

> will take a while for her to get another CEO job Genuinely curious: Why would she get another CEO job (excluding startups and sinking ships)? There was no re

> will take a while for her to get another CEO job Genuinely curious: Why would she get another CEO job (excluding startups and sinking ships)? There was no reason to think she would do a good job at Yahoo, she has no track record of success as a CEO, she certainly can't point to anything she's done at Yahoo, and as far as I can tell, people don't like working for her.

w1ntermute 11y ago
Because CEO jobs (as with most other valuable things in life) aren't doled out solely based on merit or track record. Mayer is one of the few women in a high-profile position in the Valley, and hiring a female CEO can be good for optics.
- programmernews3 11y ago
  Agree. Judging her on her track record would just be sexist.
- throwaway021916 11y ago
  I had a trading idea: create and short a portfolio of tech companies that have female CEOs. Unfortunately shorting long term is nearly impossible- the horizon is 2-3 years.
- sremani 11y ago
  To be fair most of the male CEOs get hired because of their story rather than raw skills. Honestly, the dye has been cast before Mayer entered the fray, but she cashed the hype and that was my only point of criticism. She will live to be CEO of another company and it could be sooner than most of us expect.
  - cft 11y ago
    Was the die cast before Steve Jobs returned to Apple? I read it had less than 1 year of runway. I do not think Yahoo has ever been in such a dire position...
    - fweespeech 11y ago
      Steve Jobs was a rare talented individual who actually mattered in the CEO position. Many CEOs have negligible impact.
randycupertino 11y ago
It may be an arguable point, but I think at bare minimum she brings some value via bringing ton of cache and PR with her, so she may be a good fit for a small firm that could benefit from a lot of press and razzle dazzle. She seems absolutely obsessed with the fashion industry (why did Yahoo need to open an office in Milan and spend $3 million sponsoring the Met Fashion Gala) so perhaps some sort of online fashion store would be a good fit, like Net-A-Porter, Shop Bob or Poylvore.
- w1ntermute 11y ago
  It would be extremely amusing if Mayer ended up running Polyvore, a Yahoo! acquisition that she has been criticized for[0]. 0: http://www.businessinsider.com/eric-jackson-slams-yahoo-for-polyvore-acquisition-2015-12 http://www.businessinsider.com/eric-jackson-slams-yahoo-for-...
- SEJeff 11y ago
  Too bad Camille stepped down, but I'm sure Rent the Runway could use some serious new talent.
jblow 11y ago
Even if you think she failed, AND if you think this was her fault, she now has a LOT more experience at being a CEO than someone who has never been a CEO.
- rantanplan 11y ago
  That's like saying "bet all your money on that horse, because it has lost a race and knows more about racing than a horse that doesn't race." Seriously, it doesn't make sense. You can pick other people, who haven't been CEOs yet, but have shown potential. She never showed potential. Quite the contrary I'd say.
  - nulltype 11y ago
    Running a company and running around a race track might be different sorts of skills.
    - rantanplan 11y ago
      Hmmm. Yeah unfortunately this isn't one of those "I just learned 1000 ways of how not to make a lightbulb" kind of things. There aren't enough high profile companies for Mrs Mayers to expend until she acquires those skills, which we know she doesn't have. If for some reason she acquires them in the future, good for her. I wouldn't invest on that hope though, and you have no argument to convince anyone that they should.
  - charlesdm 11y ago
    In case you haven't noticed yet, CEOs and board members all appoint each other on various other corporate boards and in various companies. Once you're in the inner circle, unless you messed up MAJORLY (i.e. bankrupted a billion dollar company), you'll always be able to get a new gig at some point. Yes, it's not always a meritocracy - yes, that's how the world works. If I sit on a board, would I rather appoint my buddy, who will have my back? Of course. As much as I think Marissa did a terrible job, she didn't pick the easiest company to become CEO of. Some CEOs have it easier than other; certain companies run on autopilot and have just a few major competitors.

w1ntermute 11y ago

Because CEO jobs (as with most other valuable things in life) aren't doled out solely based on merit or track record. Mayer is one of the few women in a high-profile position in the Valley, and hiring a female CEO can be good for optics.

programmernews3 11y ago
Agree. Judging her on her track record would just be sexist.
throwaway021916 11y ago
I had a trading idea: create and short a portfolio of tech companies that have female CEOs. Unfortunately shorting long term is nearly impossible- the horizon is 2-3 years.
sremani 11y ago
To be fair most of the male CEOs get hired because of their story rather than raw skills. Honestly, the dye has been cast before Mayer entered the fray, but she cashed the hype and that was my only point of criticism. She will live to be CEO of another company and it could be sooner than most of us expect.
- cft 11y ago
  Was the die cast before Steve Jobs returned to Apple? I read it had less than 1 year of runway. I do not think Yahoo has ever been in such a dire position...
  - fweespeech 11y ago
    Steve Jobs was a rare talented individual who actually mattered in the CEO position. Many CEOs have negligible impact.

randycupertino 11y ago

It may be an arguable point, but I think at bare minimum she brings some value via bringing ton of cache and PR with her, so she may be a good fit for a small firm that could benefit from a lot of press and razzle dazzle. She seems absolutely obsessed with the fashion industry (why did Yahoo need to open an office in Milan and spend $3 million sponsoring the Met Fashion Gala) so perhaps some sort of online fashion store would be a good fit, like Net-A-Porter, Shop Bob or Poylvore.

w1ntermute 11y ago
It would be extremely amusing if Mayer ended up running Polyvore, a Yahoo! acquisition that she has been criticized for[0]. 0: http://www.businessinsider.com/eric-jackson-slams-yahoo-for-polyvore-acquisition-2015-12 http://www.businessinsider.com/eric-jackson-slams-yahoo-for-...
SEJeff 11y ago
Too bad Camille stepped down, but I'm sure Rent the Runway could use some serious new talent.

jblow 11y ago

Even if you think she failed, AND if you think this was her fault, she now has a LOT more experience at being a CEO than someone who has never been a CEO.

rantanplan 11y ago
That's like saying "bet all your money on that horse, because it has lost a race and knows more about racing than a horse that doesn't race." Seriously, it doesn't make sense. You can pick other people, who haven't been CEOs yet, but have shown potential. She never showed potential. Quite the contrary I'd say.
- nulltype 11y ago
  Running a company and running around a race track might be different sorts of skills.
  - rantanplan 11y ago
    Hmmm. Yeah unfortunately this isn't one of those "I just learned 1000 ways of how not to make a lightbulb" kind of things. There aren't enough high profile companies for Mrs Mayers to expend until she acquires those skills, which we know she doesn't have. If for some reason she acquires them in the future, good for her. I wouldn't invest on that hope though, and you have no argument to convince anyone that they should.
- charlesdm 11y ago
  In case you haven't noticed yet, CEOs and board members all appoint each other on various other corporate boards and in various companies. Once you're in the inner circle, unless you messed up MAJORLY (i.e. bankrupted a billion dollar company), you'll always be able to get a new gig at some point. Yes, it's not always a meritocracy - yes, that's how the world works. If I sit on a board, would I rather appoint my buddy, who will have my back? Of course. As much as I think Marissa did a terrible job, she didn't pick the easiest company to become CEO of. Some CEOs have it easier than other; certain companies run on autopilot and have just a few major competitors.