12 ms·

Yahoo CEO might have lied about having CS degree

282 points by loverobots 14y ago

gkoberger 14y ago
I'm curious as to why they made this document public. If I owned almost 6% of Yahoo!, I wouldn't do anything that would publicly make Yahoo! look even worse. I would discretely contact the company and have it dealt with quietly. Additionally, why bother lying? I doubt Mr. Thompson got the job due to his 20 year old CS degree at a tiny liberal arts college.
- deleted 14y ago
  [deleted]
- dchest 14y ago
  Internal politics? Maybe they'd like the CEO and some directors to leave.
- nicw 14y ago
  They may look to own more of the company - but at a lower price. A story like this could cause the stock to dip - especially if seen coming from a 5.8% minority owner. A large enough stake that it looks like they are concerned, but small enough that they don't have the direct access to Yahoo! to rectify.
  - nicw 14y ago
    Going further, a dark knight takeover strategy is to quietly pool the shares that multiple companies have -> into one company that then owns a majority stake or has enough votes to exert decisions in their favor. I'm not saying this is the intent here, but one of the first steps down the path.
    - TDL 14y ago
      This tactic will most certainly get the SEC on you. There is a reason why they (the SEC) force those who own or 'control' 5% or more of a publicly traded company to disclose that ownership or control.
  - damian2000 14y ago
    you can still make money when a stock is going down - its called shorting or short selling.
- loverobots 14y ago
  They might want Y! to sell chunks of it (Alibaba stake) just so the hedge fund sells their 6% out while the YHOO share price presumably jumps. But lying about the degree, and that's easily verifiable, just doesn't look good for him.
unreal37 14y ago
Note that they are in a proxy fight to get their nominations to the board of directors, opposed to the company's recommendations. So their motives are to increase the value of their stock through getting more control of Yahoo. A short term dip in the price will just get them to buy more.
- boxy_brown 14y ago
  Regardless of motive, the allegations are true. Yahoo has admitted so.
deleted 14y ago
[deleted]
klbarry 14y ago
This opinion is from someone who's been in charge of hiring a few times and will likely do so again: If you can actually do the job described, I don't give a damn about your credentials. I would not fire an employee who I found out fabricated credentials, if they had been working well for a while.
- slantyyz 14y ago
  So are you saying you'd hire a guy with an accounting background with a habit of stretching the truth to handle your finances?
- fusiongyro 14y ago
  That isn't the problem. The problem is, if they lied about this, what else are they lying about?
- gkoberger 14y ago
  I was with you right up until the last sentence. I have no problem with people being hired if they're skilled yet don't have a degree. However, lying about it shows a lack of integrity. I wouldn't want that person working for me.
  - kenrikm 14y ago
    Exactly, it's the lie that's bad. If he had not added on CS most likely he still would have gotten the job. I would bet he was just keeping up a lie he started earlier in his career.
- davidu 14y ago
  An employee who fabricates credentials is fabricating other things as well. Your statement is saying that you are making a conscious decision to continue employing a person who misleads and misrepresents. You might be okay with that, but there are enough people with character and integrity out there that I am not okay with it.
- dpark 14y ago
  > I would not fire an employee who I found out fabricated credentials What company do you work for? I'd like to steer clear of it in the future. It's one thing to say "I don't care about credentials". It's another thing entirely to say "I don't care about dishonesty".
zeteo 14y ago
"Might have"? Sounds like his college was only offering one CS class at the time... much less a degree.
- loverobots 14y ago
  Looks like he lied but then I had no time to check everything out, hence the "might have"
fear91 14y ago
Jobs didn't need a college degree to be a good CEO. In my opinion, college degree is not neccessary to be a competent CEO. Leaders are praised for different qualities than those which can be simply taught in a school.
- Alex3917 14y ago
  "Jobs didn't need a college degree to be a good CEO." Jobs didn't lie about having a degree either.
  - jacquesm 14y ago
    No, but he lied to his friend about a 50/50 split on work for $5000 claiming it was $750 and claimed he was sterile after fathering a child. http://www.jamesaltucher.com/2011/02/10-unusual-things-i-didnt-know-about-steve-jobs/ http://www.jamesaltucher.com/2011/02/10-unusual-things-i-did...
    - rehack 14y ago
      I remember seeing the story of SJ lying to Wozniak, sometime back. And, I think that along with the 'fathering a child' lie, make up for much bigger lies and actually hurting others much more. The kind of lie which Yahoo CEO made, is much softer in comparison. And its obviously a mistake which he made when he was young, and then got stuck with it. The strong reaction on HN, perhaps, is a result of too many young people out here who put a greater importance to degree. I think, it matters to them much more, being just out of college.
- CoffeeDregs 14y ago
  Agreed, but that wasn't the point... Would you approve of a CEO lying on public investor documentation?
- timwoj 14y ago
  It's less about whether he needed the degree, and more about whether he lied on a filing to the SEC about him having the degree.
maeon3 14y ago
His pay package for yahoo is 27 million dollars, i wonder how much of that he will keep after he gets the pink slip? Probably more than I'll ever earn in 5 of my lifetimes. It doesn't seem fair. But I guess demand for ceo's is high and quality ceo's are scarce.
- thematt 14y ago
  Stranger things have happened, but I'm not sure a golden parachute would deploy if he's indicted by the SEC.
- pavelkaroukin 14y ago
  He got to the CEO position not because he had a CS degree. So it is totally fair to get that kind of compensation. On the other hand - it might be totally fair to be prosecuted for doing this... :)
- ScottBurson 14y ago
  I'd wager that quality CEOs willing to take this particular job are especially scarce.
  - MartinCron 14y ago
    If I had a nickel for every time I said "I could have run that company into the ground for half the price they were paying that bozo" I would have... a bunch of nickels and not be much wealthier than I am. Alas.
- eli_gottlieb 14y ago
  Quality CEO's my ass. Salaries for CEOs are high because they work like the mob's "cleaners" a lot of the time, and because they come from an exclusive club who all hire each other.
  - ditojim 14y ago
    or because it is a very difficult, high stress job that very few people can actually handle?
smoody 14y ago
Sort-of off topic: That guy has nothing on some of the other infamous CEO career lies... take the ex-CEO of Lotus (former makers of 123, Lotus Notes, etc). He lied about being a fighter pilot, having a PhD, and being a black belt in tae kwon do. source: http://www.zdnet.com/news/background-of-lotus-chief-under-fire/95847 http://www.zdnet.com/news/background-of-lotus-chief-under-fi... I think people get to a point where they start to believe their made-up mythology. Or perhaps they reach a point where it's too late to turn back. That's what I learned while getting my PhD in Lying Studies at University of Fountainhead, anyway.
- tomkarlo 14y ago
  Or, the head of admissions at MIT: http://www.usatoday.com/news/education/2007-04-26-mit-admissions-dean-out_N.htm http://www.usatoday.com/news/education/2007-04-26-mit-admiss... No question she was good at her job, but it's a real problem when you're in charge of any kind of hiring to ask your applicants to be honest if you're not honest yourself.
  - sliverstorm 14y ago
    Maybe it isn't a problem, but actually something that makes her good at her job? I'd trust a long-time liar to recognize other liars better than an honest person, any day.
    - vijayr 14y ago
      by that logic, may be we should hire ex-cons for law enforcement? they'd probably make better cops than 'normal' people?
      - why-el 14y ago
        Not a very good analogy, as ex-cons already underwent punishment and hopefully some reflection. Also, if I follow your logic, then that will ruin Spielberg's Catch Me if You Can for me.
tomkarlo 14y ago
The issue here is not whether or not he's qualified for the CEO spot. It's whether he has been signing off on SEC filings that he knows contain falsehoods. In particular, there's information in the proxy statements that shareholders are supposed to use as the basis of their voting and their support for executive compensation. If he's lying about this, how are shareholders supposed to trust the rest of the SEC filings he signs off on as CEO? (Also, if it's ok for him to lie on his resume and keep his job, does that mean anyone applying to Yahoo should feel free to do so?) From the proxy statement: "Mr. Thompson has served as our Chief Executive Officer and President and as a member of our Board since January 2012. Mr. Thompson served as President of PayPal, a division of eBay, Inc., an internet auction and shopping company, from January 2008 until January 2012. [clipped prior jobs out] Mr. Thompson holds a Bachelor’s degree in accounting and computer science from Stonehill College. Mr. Thompson was selected as a director nominee principally because, as the Company’s Chief Executive Officer and President, he has in-depth knowledge of the Company’s operations, strategy, financial condition and competitive position. In addition, Mr. Thompson has a deep understanding of global online businesses, experience in transforming business models to deliver growth and increased value, and experience in integrating customer experience with innovative technology. Mr. Thompson also possesses strong organizational and operational skills." http://sec.gov/Archives/edgar/data/1011006/000119312512191515/d319086dprec14a.htm#toc319086_5 http://sec.gov/Archives/edgar/data/1011006/00011931251219151...
- MartinCron 14y ago
  Lying on your resume should get you fired. Lying on SEC filings should get you imprisoned.
  - jrockway 14y ago
    Lying on SEC filings should get you imprisoned. This costs me a lot of money, and I don't want to give free money to people just because they are dishonest. Ban the guy from being the CEO or a board member of a publicly traded company for 10 years. Inexpensive and an appropriate punishment for the crime. Let's reserve prison for people that absolutely cannot integrate with normal society.
vlad 14y ago
I have a B.S. in Computer Science and B.S. in Mathematics (a double degree). Had I taken fewer courses, I could have had a combined B.S. Computer Science and Mathematics (a double major). I haven't seen a double degree like mine very often, but I have seen the latter form on a LinkedIn profile where Googling for his name returned a university web site showing that the person actually had a minor, not a second major, in Mathematics. It's true that degrees are not comparable and colleges have different standards of difficulty. Students may be able to convince advisers to count one course for multiple majors. And degrees are not a great measure of applicable skill. However, if you want to get a degree, double degree, double major, or triple major, you should follow the procedures at your college before you graduate, rather than just adding it to resume many years later. As another example, a classmate created his own major to take more Business and Psychology courses and fewer C.S. courses; he lists the degree like a triple major, which is very misleading.
- felipemnoa 14y ago
  >>I have a B.S. in Computer Science and B.S. in Mathematics (a double degree). Had I taken fewer courses, I could have had a combined B.S. Computer Science and Mathematics (a double major). What is the difference between having them separate as opposed to saying it was a double major? You still have to meet the same requirements don't you?
  - ramLlama 14y ago
    I believe double majors do not functionally require as much due to a greater chance of being able to double-count a class. Also, a double major typically means you get one diploma that lists your two majors. A double degree means that you get two physically separate diplomas. This may matter to someone. Of course, I may be compeletely wrong with respect to the OP's university.
    - joeblossom 14y ago
      I have a double degree, B.S. Economics and B.S. Computer Science, however, my school did not mind me double counting classes, I just had to meet all of the requirements of both majors and accumulate 150 credits. Whereas a single degree would be just 120 credits. I could have received a double major, which is 120 credits (or more) and fulfilling all of the requirements of both majors. Since the CS program required 120 credits (with no wiggle room for classes that didn't fit the curriculum) adding on economics put me above 150 credits just to fullfil all of the requirements.
napierzaza 14y ago
I would love to know how many people (not just CEOs, though they are also people) do this sort of thing. I have totally honest resume and I'm sure it doesn't impress much compared to people that have degree multiplier powers. Also, I would never have imagined that Yahoo would hire someone who only has an undergraduate degree in accounting. He must be REALLY good.
jbigelow76 14y ago
Given his penchant for patent trolling I would have figured him for a law degree.
havemurci 14y ago
They actually said they used a Google search to find the info. That is quite entertaining.
- imjk 14y ago
  Funny thing is, there's another great article on the HN front page right now by a former Inktomi engineer who began to recognize Inktomi's demise, in part, when he saw that Intomi's engineers preferred to used Google's search over Inktomi's. Even more coincidental, Yahoo was the one who eventually bought Inktomi.
- gwern 14y ago
  That part made me wonder how exactly they went searching for it. Do they have some standard checklist for companies they own and they have interns go down the list - 'ok, I've checked the legal database and he has no bankruptcies on file, next, step 73: Google to see whether his college days are mentioned anywhere..."?
seldo 14y ago
I'm amazed that anybody gives a shit about this. It's a line on a résumé about a degree he earned 33 years ago. If he was 2 years out of college then lying about his degree would be material to his qualifications and compensation. After 30 years, what possible difference does it make? He is clearly qualified.
- sandieman 14y ago
  Its a sign of poor character. Lying on your resume is inexcusable for CEO of any public company.
  - excuse-me 14y ago
    Well lying about something that can be so easily checked is certainly silly - but lying convincingly to customers shareholders, regulators and investors is surely the whole point of being a CEO? Otherwise we would just let the engineers run the company!
- jasonwatkinspdx 14y ago
  You missed the part where the lie is also on SEC filings. This exposes the entire company to liability. In this case it also gave a bullet to one faction during a war for the board. These are not the situations you want a CEO creating, no matter how they do it. That it's all from a relatively petty lie makes it all the more aggravating I'm sure.
  - jasonwatkinspdx 14y ago
    Also, just to be clear: I think the breach of ethics should be a big deal. We've grown too used to the idea that if you profit it's ok to commit some small deceptions. It's an acceptance that harms us all.
- slantyyz 14y ago
  Hm, an accountant who lies. Running a public company. Even with strict accounting controls, investors are going to have trust issues with the financial statements.
sandieman 14y ago
How much of this should have been found out in a background check? Is the board responsible here as well? I have to imagine hiring a new CEO for a public company the background checks must be impeccable.
Tossrock 14y ago
For those unfamiliar, this is Daniel Loeb's MO [1]. When he first purchased his share in Yahoo he fired a similar round at the board of the time, headed by Roy Bostock. [2] Still, lying about your education is pretty serious, and Thompson should answer the charges. [1] http://nymag.com/nymetro/news/bizfinance/finance/features/10426/index1.html http://nymag.com/nymetro/news/bizfinance/finance/features/10... [2] http://www.scribd.com/doc/64278509/YHOO-20110908-SC13D-0 http://www.scribd.com/doc/64278509/YHOO-20110908-SC13D-0
- twoodfin 14y ago
  Seems like a useful sort of guy to have around. Certainly he's going to have more effectiveness than the SEC in keeping Yahoo's financial disclosures accurate.
pygorex 14y ago
It's such a stupid lie as well. He already has a degree in accounting and has loads of relevant experience. Why lie about an additional degree? What's happening here is liar's debt. Early in his career he must have made a decision to lie about his education, when no one was looking and when the chances of someone verifying the claim were low. He reused the lie on every subsequent job and it's stuck with him. It became encoded in the DNA of his professional reputation and he could not disabuse himself of it without making himself look the fool. Now if the lie is recent and was used to get the head job at Yahoo - well then it's an even stupider lie. Why risk your professional reputation over something so trivial?
- Angostura 14y ago
  Cutting him some slack, its possible that his accounting degree had a significant computing component and he decided to bring this significant aspect out. My degree is in Biological Sciences, but in my third year I specialised almost entirely in molecular biology. Informally I'm sure I've said 'I did molecular biology at university' - although on my CV I've always listed Biological Sciences.
  - oijaf888 14y ago
    Except it says that at the time he attended the college, they only offered 1 degree in computers, "Intro to Computer Sciences" and didn't start offering computer science degrees for another 4 years.
    - pygorex 14y ago
      Exactly. Only one introductory computer science course was offered. Which is strong evidence that it's a complete fabrication rather than an honest mistake.
    - Duff 14y ago
      Not necessarily indicative of anything -- maybe he spent his time working on the dats processing system sued by the accounting and finance departments.
jdavid 14y ago
I wonder who is trying to pull strings and get board votes. and for what i might add. Yahoo is going through a dark time and to have something like this brought to light is so low.
- TDL 14y ago
  Third Point is waging a proxy fight. They want three of their own people on the board. YHOO offered two & one that was mutually acceptable. There is much more (if you are interested) in YHOO's most recent DEF 14/A filed yesterday. http://sec.gov/Archives/edgar/data/1011006/000119312512204869/d342939ddefa14a.htm http://sec.gov/Archives/edgar/data/1011006/00011931251220486...
excuse-me 14y ago
If I had a CS degree I would lie about it as well ..... cue the downvotes ....
gavinlynch 14y ago
Would the degree have mattered?
- darkstar999 14y ago
  It's not so much about the degree, it's about the deception.
amykhar 14y ago
It's Nirav Tolia all over again. What's with these Yahoo people lying about their education?
ilaksh 14y ago
I think that unfortunately this type of lying is so common and accepted that this case isn't exceptional. Its a relatively harmless lie compared to most. I would assume that many top executives, including this one, make less harmless lies on a daily basis. What people fail to understand is that our entire way of life, the whole concept of business and finance, is based on deception and at the very least withholding of accurate information.
pbreit 14y ago
There do appear to be some precedents: http://msn.careerbuilder.com/Article/MSN-1154-Cover-Letters-Resumes-Infamous-R%C3%A9sum%C3%A9-Lies/ http://msn.careerbuilder.com/Article/MSN-1154-Cover-Letters-... But they don't necessarily support a resignation or firing. Thompson's other problem is that he has not made any friends (and for the wrong reasons)(patents, rebuffing Loeb, plan-less layoffs).
- mikescar 14y ago
  > But they don't necessarily support a resignation or firing. Thompson's other problem is that he has not made any friends (and for the wrong reasons)(patents, rebuffing Loeb, plan-less layoffs). In my view (as a Yahoo shareholder and until tomorrow an employee), it's just another distraction that Yahoos don't need. So many great people being sandbagged by issues out their control or knowledge. Particularly during a time when Thompson really needs to move Yahoo past the "will-they-or-won't-they" period that preceded layoffs by a month, and which still persists a month after the big 're-org' announcement. Though I guess this is just kind of what happens when you play hardball on this big a stage.
paulsutter 14y ago
Many posts mention that he lied on his resume, Dan Loeb's press release didn't mention that. Did I miss something? If it turns out -he- lied about his background, or knowingly let it slide, then I agree with all of you. But I'll wait for a response before forming an opinion. Not all the facts are in yet. CEOs rely on others to prepare documents. It is -possible- that the person at paypal who wrote his bio made a mistake, that someone at yahoo just copied the paypal bio, and that he never noticed the mistake.
jusben1369 14y ago
What I love about these lies - if this one in particular is indeed a lie - is it's a textbook exmample of why you don't lie. Everyone fixates now he's a CEO. However, he probably introduced that little "stretch" when he was a relative nobody. So you put it on there, get your first "Snr Manager" job. Then you get promoted to "Director" and someone says "Yeah, give it to Frank. He can talk to the business people and the engineer's because he has a Comp Sci degree - that's right right Frank?" "Yep, that's right" Just keeps snowballing. Fast forward 20 years and you're CEO of a large public company and they're crawling all over you. I think may of the the embellisher's started when they were relatively unknown and it's hard to get off the train.
wilfra 14y ago
They have a valid point on the CEO but when they call out a director for saying she had a degree in 'marketing and economics' and she actually has a degree in 'business administration' they make it pretty obvious this is nothing more than a smear campaign. How on earth could the difference between those degrees (from a 3rd tier school) impact her capability to be a good Yahoo board member? I don't even understand why one would lie about something like that. It's like lying and saying you here a high school lacrosse captain when you were actually a rugby captain.
crgt 14y ago
Question: if Yahoo weren't playing the part of patent troll with Facebook right now does this story still get the same hype? Seems like there are many folks with a vested interest in seeing a change of direction from Yahoo right now..
holdenc 14y ago
His Wikipedia article mentions he previously was "chief technology officer" at PayPal. Obviously the issue at hand is credibility, but I also wonder how someone with no tech credentials could become CTO of PayPal, where article also says he oversaw "architecture."
vorg 14y ago
> holds a Bachelor's degree in accounting and computer science" [...] degree is in accounting only [...] it 1) undermines his credibility as a technology expert and 2) reflects poorly on the character of the CEO who has been tasked with leading You can recognize them by what they _don't_ say publicly online. When a leader of an open source project bills himself with over half a dozen titles, but none of them are educational qualifications, then they lied about those quals to some current or previous employer/s.
taylorbuley 14y ago
If these allegations turn out to be true I'm going to lose some respect for tech journalism.
tomkin 14y ago
I wonder how differently this story would have played out if it was Steve Jobs, Bill Gates or Jeff Bezos? My inclination is that there would be a resounding ya, but he's doing a great job so why does it matter? So...does it matter any way?
- schandur 14y ago
  I think the difference here is that Scott Thompson was not a founder/co-founder but hired to the CEO position based on certain credentials.
- SimHacker 14y ago
  Steve Jobs had an honorary PhD in Reality Distortion from Miskatonic University, so he could put anything he wanted to on his resume.
known 14y ago
If he lied, then he is a good salesman.
ajsmith8 14y ago
Time for what, CEO #5 in the last 4 years?
SimHacker 14y ago
He should be forced to go back and get a CS degree. Imagine the CEO of Yahoo in a CS101 Introduction to Programming class!

282 points by loverobots 14y ago

I'm curious as to why they made this document public. If I owned almost 6% of Yahoo!, I wouldn't do anything that would publicly make Yahoo! look even worse. I would discretely contact the company and have it dealt with quietly. Additionally, why bother lying? I doubt Mr. Thompson got the job due to his 20 year old CS degree at a tiny liberal arts college.

deleted 14y ago
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dchest 14y ago
Internal politics? Maybe they'd like the CEO and some directors to leave.
nicw 14y ago
They may look to own more of the company - but at a lower price. A story like this could cause the stock to dip - especially if seen coming from a 5.8% minority owner. A large enough stake that it looks like they are concerned, but small enough that they don't have the direct access to Yahoo! to rectify.
- nicw 14y ago
  Going further, a dark knight takeover strategy is to quietly pool the shares that multiple companies have -> into one company that then owns a majority stake or has enough votes to exert decisions in their favor. I'm not saying this is the intent here, but one of the first steps down the path.
  - TDL 14y ago
    This tactic will most certainly get the SEC on you. There is a reason why they (the SEC) force those who own or 'control' 5% or more of a publicly traded company to disclose that ownership or control.
- damian2000 14y ago
  you can still make money when a stock is going down - its called shorting or short selling.
loverobots 14y ago
They might want Y! to sell chunks of it (Alibaba stake) just so the hedge fund sells their 6% out while the YHOO share price presumably jumps. But lying about the degree, and that's easily verifiable, just doesn't look good for him.

unreal37 14y ago

Note that they are in a proxy fight to get their nominations to the board of directors, opposed to the company's recommendations. So their motives are to increase the value of their stock through getting more control of Yahoo. A short term dip in the price will just get them to buy more.

boxy_brown 14y ago
Regardless of motive, the allegations are true. Yahoo has admitted so.

deleted 14y ago

[deleted]

klbarry 14y ago

This opinion is from someone who's been in charge of hiring a few times and will likely do so again: If you can actually do the job described, I don't give a damn about your credentials. I would not fire an employee who I found out fabricated credentials, if they had been working well for a while.

slantyyz 14y ago
So are you saying you'd hire a guy with an accounting background with a habit of stretching the truth to handle your finances?
fusiongyro 14y ago
That isn't the problem. The problem is, if they lied about this, what else are they lying about?
gkoberger 14y ago
I was with you right up until the last sentence. I have no problem with people being hired if they're skilled yet don't have a degree. However, lying about it shows a lack of integrity. I wouldn't want that person working for me.
- kenrikm 14y ago
  Exactly, it's the lie that's bad. If he had not added on CS most likely he still would have gotten the job. I would bet he was just keeping up a lie he started earlier in his career.
davidu 14y ago
An employee who fabricates credentials is fabricating other things as well. Your statement is saying that you are making a conscious decision to continue employing a person who misleads and misrepresents. You might be okay with that, but there are enough people with character and integrity out there that I am not okay with it.
dpark 14y ago
> I would not fire an employee who I found out fabricated credentials What company do you work for? I'd like to steer clear of it in the future. It's one thing to say "I don't care about credentials". It's another thing entirely to say "I don't care about dishonesty".

zeteo 14y ago

"Might have"? Sounds like his college was only offering one CS class at the time... much less a degree.

loverobots 14y ago
Looks like he lied but then I had no time to check everything out, hence the "might have"

fear91 14y ago

Jobs didn't need a college degree to be a good CEO. In my opinion, college degree is not neccessary to be a competent CEO. Leaders are praised for different qualities than those which can be simply taught in a school.

Alex3917 14y ago
"Jobs didn't need a college degree to be a good CEO." Jobs didn't lie about having a degree either.
- jacquesm 14y ago
  No, but he lied to his friend about a 50/50 split on work for $5000 claiming it was $750 and claimed he was sterile after fathering a child. http://www.jamesaltucher.com/2011/02/10-unusual-things-i-didnt-know-about-steve-jobs/ http://www.jamesaltucher.com/2011/02/10-unusual-things-i-did...
  - rehack 14y ago
    I remember seeing the story of SJ lying to Wozniak, sometime back. And, I think that along with the 'fathering a child' lie, make up for much bigger lies and actually hurting others much more. The kind of lie which Yahoo CEO made, is much softer in comparison. And its obviously a mistake which he made when he was young, and then got stuck with it. The strong reaction on HN, perhaps, is a result of too many young people out here who put a greater importance to degree. I think, it matters to them much more, being just out of college.
CoffeeDregs 14y ago
Agreed, but that wasn't the point... Would you approve of a CEO lying on public investor documentation?
timwoj 14y ago
It's less about whether he needed the degree, and more about whether he lied on a filing to the SEC about him having the degree.

maeon3 14y ago

His pay package for yahoo is 27 million dollars, i wonder how much of that he will keep after he gets the pink slip? Probably more than I'll ever earn in 5 of my lifetimes. It doesn't seem fair. But I guess demand for ceo's is high and quality ceo's are scarce.

thematt 14y ago
Stranger things have happened, but I'm not sure a golden parachute would deploy if he's indicted by the SEC.
pavelkaroukin 14y ago
He got to the CEO position not because he had a CS degree. So it is totally fair to get that kind of compensation. On the other hand - it might be totally fair to be prosecuted for doing this... :)
ScottBurson 14y ago
I'd wager that quality CEOs willing to take this particular job are especially scarce.
- MartinCron 14y ago
  If I had a nickel for every time I said "I could have run that company into the ground for half the price they were paying that bozo" I would have... a bunch of nickels and not be much wealthier than I am. Alas.
eli_gottlieb 14y ago
Quality CEO's my ass. Salaries for CEOs are high because they work like the mob's "cleaners" a lot of the time, and because they come from an exclusive club who all hire each other.
- ditojim 14y ago
  or because it is a very difficult, high stress job that very few people can actually handle?

smoody 14y ago

Sort-of off topic: That guy has nothing on some of the other infamous CEO career lies... take the ex-CEO of Lotus (former makers of 123, Lotus Notes, etc). He lied about being a fighter pilot, having a PhD, and being a black belt in tae kwon do. source: http://www.zdnet.com/news/background-of-lotus-chief-under-fire/95847 http://www.zdnet.com/news/background-of-lotus-chief-under-fi... I think people get to a point where they start to believe their made-up mythology. Or perhaps they reach a point where it's too late to turn back. That's what I learned while getting my PhD in Lying Studies at University of Fountainhead, anyway.

tomkarlo 14y ago
Or, the head of admissions at MIT: http://www.usatoday.com/news/education/2007-04-26-mit-admissions-dean-out_N.htm http://www.usatoday.com/news/education/2007-04-26-mit-admiss... No question she was good at her job, but it's a real problem when you're in charge of any kind of hiring to ask your applicants to be honest if you're not honest yourself.
- sliverstorm 14y ago
  Maybe it isn't a problem, but actually something that makes her good at her job? I'd trust a long-time liar to recognize other liars better than an honest person, any day.
  - vijayr 14y ago
    by that logic, may be we should hire ex-cons for law enforcement? they'd probably make better cops than 'normal' people?
    - why-el 14y ago
      Not a very good analogy, as ex-cons already underwent punishment and hopefully some reflection. Also, if I follow your logic, then that will ruin Spielberg's Catch Me if You Can for me.

tomkarlo 14y ago

The issue here is not whether or not he's qualified for the CEO spot. It's whether he has been signing off on SEC filings that he knows contain falsehoods. In particular, there's information in the proxy statements that shareholders are supposed to use as the basis of their voting and their support for executive compensation. If he's lying about this, how are shareholders supposed to trust the rest of the SEC filings he signs off on as CEO? (Also, if it's ok for him to lie on his resume and keep his job, does that mean anyone applying to Yahoo should feel free to do so?) From the proxy statement: "Mr. Thompson has served as our Chief Executive Officer and President and as a member of our Board since January 2012. Mr. Thompson served as President of PayPal, a division of eBay, Inc., an internet auction and shopping company, from January 2008 until January 2012. [clipped prior jobs out] Mr. Thompson holds a Bachelor’s degree in accounting and computer science from Stonehill College. Mr. Thompson was selected as a director nominee principally because, as the Company’s Chief Executive Officer and President, he has in-depth knowledge of the Company’s operations, strategy, financial condition and competitive position. In addition, Mr. Thompson has a deep understanding of global online businesses, experience in transforming business models to deliver growth and increased value, and experience in integrating customer experience with innovative technology. Mr. Thompson also possesses strong organizational and operational skills." http://sec.gov/Archives/edgar/data/1011006/000119312512191515/d319086dprec14a.htm#toc319086_5 http://sec.gov/Archives/edgar/data/1011006/00011931251219151...

MartinCron 14y ago
Lying on your resume should get you fired. Lying on SEC filings should get you imprisoned.
- jrockway 14y ago
  Lying on SEC filings should get you imprisoned. This costs me a lot of money, and I don't want to give free money to people just because they are dishonest. Ban the guy from being the CEO or a board member of a publicly traded company for 10 years. Inexpensive and an appropriate punishment for the crime. Let's reserve prison for people that absolutely cannot integrate with normal society.

vlad 14y ago

I have a B.S. in Computer Science and B.S. in Mathematics (a double degree). Had I taken fewer courses, I could have had a combined B.S. Computer Science and Mathematics (a double major). I haven't seen a double degree like mine very often, but I have seen the latter form on a LinkedIn profile where Googling for his name returned a university web site showing that the person actually had a minor, not a second major, in Mathematics. It's true that degrees are not comparable and colleges have different standards of difficulty. Students may be able to convince advisers to count one course for multiple majors. And degrees are not a great measure of applicable skill. However, if you want to get a degree, double degree, double major, or triple major, you should follow the procedures at your college before you graduate, rather than just adding it to resume many years later. As another example, a classmate created his own major to take more Business and Psychology courses and fewer C.S. courses; he lists the degree like a triple major, which is very misleading.

felipemnoa 14y ago
>>I have a B.S. in Computer Science and B.S. in Mathematics (a double degree). Had I taken fewer courses, I could have had a combined B.S. Computer Science and Mathematics (a double major). What is the difference between having them separate as opposed to saying it was a double major? You still have to meet the same requirements don't you?
- ramLlama 14y ago
  I believe double majors do not functionally require as much due to a greater chance of being able to double-count a class. Also, a double major typically means you get one diploma that lists your two majors. A double degree means that you get two physically separate diplomas. This may matter to someone. Of course, I may be compeletely wrong with respect to the OP's university.
  - joeblossom 14y ago
    I have a double degree, B.S. Economics and B.S. Computer Science, however, my school did not mind me double counting classes, I just had to meet all of the requirements of both majors and accumulate 150 credits. Whereas a single degree would be just 120 credits. I could have received a double major, which is 120 credits (or more) and fulfilling all of the requirements of both majors. Since the CS program required 120 credits (with no wiggle room for classes that didn't fit the curriculum) adding on economics put me above 150 credits just to fullfil all of the requirements.

napierzaza 14y ago

I would love to know how many people (not just CEOs, though they are also people) do this sort of thing. I have totally honest resume and I'm sure it doesn't impress much compared to people that have degree multiplier powers. Also, I would never have imagined that Yahoo would hire someone who only has an undergraduate degree in accounting. He must be REALLY good.

jbigelow76 14y ago

Given his penchant for patent trolling I would have figured him for a law degree.

havemurci 14y ago

They actually said they used a Google search to find the info. That is quite entertaining.

imjk 14y ago
Funny thing is, there's another great article on the HN front page right now by a former Inktomi engineer who began to recognize Inktomi's demise, in part, when he saw that Intomi's engineers preferred to used Google's search over Inktomi's. Even more coincidental, Yahoo was the one who eventually bought Inktomi.
gwern 14y ago
That part made me wonder how exactly they went searching for it. Do they have some standard checklist for companies they own and they have interns go down the list - 'ok, I've checked the legal database and he has no bankruptcies on file, next, step 73: Google to see whether his college days are mentioned anywhere..."?

seldo 14y ago

I'm amazed that anybody gives a shit about this. It's a line on a résumé about a degree he earned 33 years ago. If he was 2 years out of college then lying about his degree would be material to his qualifications and compensation. After 30 years, what possible difference does it make? He is clearly qualified.

sandieman 14y ago
Its a sign of poor character. Lying on your resume is inexcusable for CEO of any public company.
- excuse-me 14y ago
  Well lying about something that can be so easily checked is certainly silly - but lying convincingly to customers shareholders, regulators and investors is surely the whole point of being a CEO? Otherwise we would just let the engineers run the company!
jasonwatkinspdx 14y ago
You missed the part where the lie is also on SEC filings. This exposes the entire company to liability. In this case it also gave a bullet to one faction during a war for the board. These are not the situations you want a CEO creating, no matter how they do it. That it's all from a relatively petty lie makes it all the more aggravating I'm sure.
- jasonwatkinspdx 14y ago
  Also, just to be clear: I think the breach of ethics should be a big deal. We've grown too used to the idea that if you profit it's ok to commit some small deceptions. It's an acceptance that harms us all.
slantyyz 14y ago
Hm, an accountant who lies. Running a public company. Even with strict accounting controls, investors are going to have trust issues with the financial statements.

sandieman 14y ago

How much of this should have been found out in a background check? Is the board responsible here as well? I have to imagine hiring a new CEO for a public company the background checks must be impeccable.

Tossrock 14y ago

For those unfamiliar, this is Daniel Loeb's MO [1]. When he first purchased his share in Yahoo he fired a similar round at the board of the time, headed by Roy Bostock. [2] Still, lying about your education is pretty serious, and Thompson should answer the charges. [1] http://nymag.com/nymetro/news/bizfinance/finance/features/10426/index1.html http://nymag.com/nymetro/news/bizfinance/finance/features/10... [2] http://www.scribd.com/doc/64278509/YHOO-20110908-SC13D-0 http://www.scribd.com/doc/64278509/YHOO-20110908-SC13D-0

twoodfin 14y ago
Seems like a useful sort of guy to have around. Certainly he's going to have more effectiveness than the SEC in keeping Yahoo's financial disclosures accurate.

pygorex 14y ago

It's such a stupid lie as well. He already has a degree in accounting and has loads of relevant experience. Why lie about an additional degree? What's happening here is liar's debt. Early in his career he must have made a decision to lie about his education, when no one was looking and when the chances of someone verifying the claim were low. He reused the lie on every subsequent job and it's stuck with him. It became encoded in the DNA of his professional reputation and he could not disabuse himself of it without making himself look the fool. Now if the lie is recent and was used to get the head job at Yahoo - well then it's an even stupider lie. Why risk your professional reputation over something so trivial?

Angostura 14y ago
Cutting him some slack, its possible that his accounting degree had a significant computing component and he decided to bring this significant aspect out. My degree is in Biological Sciences, but in my third year I specialised almost entirely in molecular biology. Informally I'm sure I've said 'I did molecular biology at university' - although on my CV I've always listed Biological Sciences.
- oijaf888 14y ago
  Except it says that at the time he attended the college, they only offered 1 degree in computers, "Intro to Computer Sciences" and didn't start offering computer science degrees for another 4 years.
  - pygorex 14y ago
    Exactly. Only one introductory computer science course was offered. Which is strong evidence that it's a complete fabrication rather than an honest mistake.
  - Duff 14y ago
    Not necessarily indicative of anything -- maybe he spent his time working on the dats processing system sued by the accounting and finance departments.

jdavid 14y ago

I wonder who is trying to pull strings and get board votes. and for what i might add. Yahoo is going through a dark time and to have something like this brought to light is so low.

TDL 14y ago
Third Point is waging a proxy fight. They want three of their own people on the board. YHOO offered two & one that was mutually acceptable. There is much more (if you are interested) in YHOO's most recent DEF 14/A filed yesterday. http://sec.gov/Archives/edgar/data/1011006/000119312512204869/d342939ddefa14a.htm http://sec.gov/Archives/edgar/data/1011006/00011931251220486...

excuse-me 14y ago

If I had a CS degree I would lie about it as well ..... cue the downvotes ....

gavinlynch 14y ago

Would the degree have mattered?

darkstar999 14y ago
It's not so much about the degree, it's about the deception.

amykhar 14y ago

It's Nirav Tolia all over again. What's with these Yahoo people lying about their education?

ilaksh 14y ago

I think that unfortunately this type of lying is so common and accepted that this case isn't exceptional. Its a relatively harmless lie compared to most. I would assume that many top executives, including this one, make less harmless lies on a daily basis. What people fail to understand is that our entire way of life, the whole concept of business and finance, is based on deception and at the very least withholding of accurate information.

pbreit 14y ago

There do appear to be some precedents: http://msn.careerbuilder.com/Article/MSN-1154-Cover-Letters-Resumes-Infamous-R%C3%A9sum%C3%A9-Lies/ http://msn.careerbuilder.com/Article/MSN-1154-Cover-Letters-... But they don't necessarily support a resignation or firing. Thompson's other problem is that he has not made any friends (and for the wrong reasons)(patents, rebuffing Loeb, plan-less layoffs).

mikescar 14y ago
> But they don't necessarily support a resignation or firing. Thompson's other problem is that he has not made any friends (and for the wrong reasons)(patents, rebuffing Loeb, plan-less layoffs). In my view (as a Yahoo shareholder and until tomorrow an employee), it's just another distraction that Yahoos don't need. So many great people being sandbagged by issues out their control or knowledge. Particularly during a time when Thompson really needs to move Yahoo past the "will-they-or-won't-they" period that preceded layoffs by a month, and which still persists a month after the big 're-org' announcement. Though I guess this is just kind of what happens when you play hardball on this big a stage.

paulsutter 14y ago

Many posts mention that he lied on his resume, Dan Loeb's press release didn't mention that. Did I miss something? If it turns out -he- lied about his background, or knowingly let it slide, then I agree with all of you. But I'll wait for a response before forming an opinion. Not all the facts are in yet. CEOs rely on others to prepare documents. It is -possible- that the person at paypal who wrote his bio made a mistake, that someone at yahoo just copied the paypal bio, and that he never noticed the mistake.

jusben1369 14y ago

What I love about these lies - if this one in particular is indeed a lie - is it's a textbook exmample of why you don't lie. Everyone fixates now he's a CEO. However, he probably introduced that little "stretch" when he was a relative nobody. So you put it on there, get your first "Snr Manager" job. Then you get promoted to "Director" and someone says "Yeah, give it to Frank. He can talk to the business people and the engineer's because he has a Comp Sci degree - that's right right Frank?" "Yep, that's right" Just keeps snowballing. Fast forward 20 years and you're CEO of a large public company and they're crawling all over you. I think may of the the embellisher's started when they were relatively unknown and it's hard to get off the train.

wilfra 14y ago

They have a valid point on the CEO but when they call out a director for saying she had a degree in 'marketing and economics' and she actually has a degree in 'business administration' they make it pretty obvious this is nothing more than a smear campaign. How on earth could the difference between those degrees (from a 3rd tier school) impact her capability to be a good Yahoo board member? I don't even understand why one would lie about something like that. It's like lying and saying you here a high school lacrosse captain when you were actually a rugby captain.

crgt 14y ago

Question: if Yahoo weren't playing the part of patent troll with Facebook right now does this story still get the same hype? Seems like there are many folks with a vested interest in seeing a change of direction from Yahoo right now..

holdenc 14y ago

His Wikipedia article mentions he previously was "chief technology officer" at PayPal. Obviously the issue at hand is credibility, but I also wonder how someone with no tech credentials could become CTO of PayPal, where article also says he oversaw "architecture."

vorg 14y ago

> holds a Bachelor's degree in accounting and computer science" [...] degree is in accounting only [...] it 1) undermines his credibility as a technology expert and 2) reflects poorly on the character of the CEO who has been tasked with leading You can recognize them by what they _don't_ say publicly online. When a leader of an open source project bills himself with over half a dozen titles, but none of them are educational qualifications, then they lied about those quals to some current or previous employer/s.

taylorbuley 14y ago

If these allegations turn out to be true I'm going to lose some respect for tech journalism.

tomkin 14y ago

I wonder how differently this story would have played out if it was Steve Jobs, Bill Gates or Jeff Bezos? My inclination is that there would be a resounding ya, but he's doing a great job so why does it matter? So...does it matter any way?

schandur 14y ago
I think the difference here is that Scott Thompson was not a founder/co-founder but hired to the CEO position based on certain credentials.
SimHacker 14y ago
Steve Jobs had an honorary PhD in Reality Distortion from Miskatonic University, so he could put anything he wanted to on his resume.

known 14y ago

If he lied, then he is a good salesman.

ajsmith8 14y ago

Time for what, CEO #5 in the last 4 years?

SimHacker 14y ago

He should be forced to go back and get a CS degree. Imagine the CEO of Yahoo in a CS101 Introduction to Programming class!