Yahoo for sale as bidders line up; CEO Marissa Mayer is likely toast
“Yahoo is for sale, and bidders are lining up to grab their own, ever-shrinking piece of Internet history. The once-great Internet pioneer is entertaining offers…reluctantly. CEO Marissa Mayer would like to see Yahoo through its struggles, but impatient investors are looking for a way to cash out,” David Goldman reports for CNNMoney. “Yahoo has reportedly given interested parties until April 18 to make their offers. The company is expected to fetch something like $8 billion for its core Internet business.”
“Media companies, such as the Daily Mail and Time Inc., are reportedly thinking of making an offer,” Goldman reports. “Technology companies, such as Google and Microsoft, are also reportedly looking into bidding for other pieces… Verizon could also be a player… Private equity firms General Atlantic, TPG and KKR are also widely reported to be considering buying Yahoo.”
“What will happen to Marissa Mayer?” Goldman reports. “Either way, Mayer is probably toast. Mayer has led the fight to keep Yahoo on its current path, butting heads with Starboard and other investors pushing for a sale. She’ll almost certainly be ousted, regardless of the outcome. If Mayer is fired as a result of a sale, she could get a golden parachute exit package worth about $37 million. If Yahoo isn’t sold, and she’s given the boot, she would take home about $12.5 million.”
Yahoo CEO Marissa Mayer (photo by Brigitte Lacombe)MacDailyNews Take: Mayer took on an impossible job and deserves credit for staying with the thing when it would have been easy to simply walk away from the mess she inherited.
Marissa Mayer would be a wonderful CEO with the right company.
