3 ms·

I think the (possible) acquisition means a lot more for Yahoo's ability to attract talent than it does for the business bottom line. Probably the same thing, b

by mbell 13y ago

I think the (possible) acquisition means a lot more for Yahoo's ability to attract talent than it does for the business bottom line. Probably the same thing, but only in the longer term. If they acquire tumblr and shut it down, or make changes that result in a receding of the user base, then they are unlikely to acquire talent. If they acquire tumblr and improve it, they will improve they position in the talent acquisition market.

hkmurakami 13y ago
even better would be to keep tumblr a separate entity like slideshare and LinkedIn and really sell that fact to recruits. slide share stresses their small company dynamic +big company resources, and I think that's an attractive proposition for many.
- w1ntermute 13y ago
  But is it more cost-effective to use Tumblr for signaling for HR purposes, or to just pay the recruits more to get them anyway?
  - hkmurakami 13y ago
    I'd hypothesize that Yahoo can (potentially) get hires who they wouldn't have been able to hire with just money by having a different value proposition subset through Tumblr.
    - w1ntermute 13y ago
      Will those hires really be that good if they don't see through the fact that Yahoo is simply using Tumblr for signaling and isn't actually integrating it into their core business? And if Yahoo does integrate Tumblr, they'll probably destroy their investment. That puts them between a rock and a hard place. If HN is any indicator, the tech industry can already see that Marissa Mayer is just trying to use all these acquisitions to make Yahoo look hip agian. I, for one, am not falling for that crap. I want to see some real innovative shit coming out of Yahoo before I change my (decidedly negative) opinion of them.
jcampbell1 13y ago
I think it would be smart for Yahoo to do things to attract talent, but Tumblr is probably the wrong company. Tumblr is adored by people with zero tech talent and is based in New York* . That being said, your comment has made me conflicted. MM has made a ton of insane acquisitions, but the net result is that I would actually now consider Yahoo as an employer. I suppose a series of decisions that I find stupid leading to a positive impression of Yahoo is simply cognitive dissonance that I must live with. * I live in New York, thus don't mean this as slight.
- yuhong 13y ago
  The acquisitions are not the only thing Marissa did.
  - jcampbell1 13y ago
    That is cryptic. What else are your referring to? Dismissing the remote employees, or free lunches, or something else?
    - yuhong 13y ago
      The free lunches, no longer requiring BlackBerries, and other things Marissa did to change the culture.
      - jcampbell1 13y ago
        > other things Marissa did to change the culture. equally cryptic. Care to explain further? I am curious.
        mtrimpe 13y ago
        Not cryptic but vague, which I can imagine if he's an employee. If yuhong is indeed a Yahoo employee and could give an inside view in the changes Marissa is making, I'd love to read a blog post with more details on that. If he can make Marissa sign off on it, that would bode even better for Yahoo as an employer.

by mbell 13y ago

hkmurakami 13y ago

even better would be to keep tumblr a separate entity like slideshare and LinkedIn and really sell that fact to recruits. slide share stresses their small company dynamic +big company resources, and I think that's an attractive proposition for many.

w1ntermute 13y ago
But is it more cost-effective to use Tumblr for signaling for HR purposes, or to just pay the recruits more to get them anyway?
- hkmurakami 13y ago
  I'd hypothesize that Yahoo can (potentially) get hires who they wouldn't have been able to hire with just money by having a different value proposition subset through Tumblr.
  - w1ntermute 13y ago
    Will those hires really be that good if they don't see through the fact that Yahoo is simply using Tumblr for signaling and isn't actually integrating it into their core business? And if Yahoo does integrate Tumblr, they'll probably destroy their investment. That puts them between a rock and a hard place. If HN is any indicator, the tech industry can already see that Marissa Mayer is just trying to use all these acquisitions to make Yahoo look hip agian. I, for one, am not falling for that crap. I want to see some real innovative shit coming out of Yahoo before I change my (decidedly negative) opinion of them.

jcampbell1 13y ago

I think it would be smart for Yahoo to do things to attract talent, but Tumblr is probably the wrong company. Tumblr is adored by people with zero tech talent and is based in New York* . That being said, your comment has made me conflicted. MM has made a ton of insane acquisitions, but the net result is that I would actually now consider Yahoo as an employer. I suppose a series of decisions that I find stupid leading to a positive impression of Yahoo is simply cognitive dissonance that I must live with. * I live in New York, thus don't mean this as slight.

yuhong 13y ago
The acquisitions are not the only thing Marissa did.
- jcampbell1 13y ago
  That is cryptic. What else are your referring to? Dismissing the remote employees, or free lunches, or something else?
  - yuhong 13y ago
    The free lunches, no longer requiring BlackBerries, and other things Marissa did to change the culture.
    - jcampbell1 13y ago
      > other things Marissa did to change the culture. equally cryptic. Care to explain further? I am curious.
      - mtrimpe 13y ago
        Not cryptic but vague, which I can imagine if he's an employee. If yuhong is indeed a Yahoo employee and could give an inside view in the changes Marissa is making, I'd love to read a blog post with more details on that. If he can make Marissa sign off on it, that would bode even better for Yahoo as an employer.