Yahoo! co-founder Jerry Yang has "resigned from its Board of Directors and all other positions with the company, effective today," Yahoo! said today.
Update 4:35 p.m. From Kara Swisher in AllThingsD:
According to sources close to the situation, Yahoo co-founder Jerry Yang is just the first shoe to drop in what is shaping up to be what looks like a large exodus of board members from the Silicon Valley Internet company.
Sources said four other directors will also step down soon. As I wrote last week, in a post suggesting Yang might also go, the prime candidates to go appear to be: Chairman Roy Bostock, Arthur Kern, Vyomesh Joshi, and Gary Wilson...
And the major impetus for the board cleansing, besides the obvious need to drastically shake up what might be the most dysfunctional board in all of tech? Worries about possible lawsuits, as well as a proxy fight that could spell disaster for the already troubled Yahoo...
Still, it does look like Yang still motored out of the company he co-founded — an accomplishment that should be feted, despite recent misses at Yahoo — on his own, even if he had few other good options in the end. Full article
By the way, a list of Yahoo! press releases includes this juxtaposition:
- 1-17: Yahoo! Announces Resignation of Jerry Yang
- 1-17: The Naked Truth: Exclusive Survey from FITNESS Magazine & Yahoo! Shine Reveals How Men & Women Really Feel about Their Bodies
Make of that what you will; in some hard-to-define way, it just seems sort of amusing.
Here's the official story from Yahoo!:
Yahoo! Inc., the premier digital media company, today announced that Jerry Yang has resigned from its Board of Directors and all other positions with the company, effective today. In addition, Yang resigned from the Boards of Yahoo Japan Corporation and Alibaba Group Holding Limited, effective today.
In a letter to the Yahoo! Board Chairman Roy Bostock, Yang wrote:
“My time at Yahoo!, from its founding to the present, has encompassed some of the most exciting and rewarding experiences of my life. However, the time has come for me to pursue other interests outside of Yahoo! As I leave the company I co-founded nearly 17 years ago, I am enthusiastic about the appointment of Scott Thompson as Chief Executive Officer and his ability, along with the entire Yahoo! leadership team, to guide Yahoo! into an exciting and successful future.”
Yang co-founded Yahoo! Inc. in 1995 with David Filo and served as a member of the Board of Directors since March 1995 and as Chief Executive Officer from June 2007 to January 2009. The Company went public in 1996.
“Jerry Yang is a visionary and a pioneer, who has contributed enormously to Yahoo! during his many years of service,” said Roy Bostock, Chairman of the Yahoo! Board. “It has been a pleasure to work with Jerry. His unique strategic insights have been invaluable. He has always remained focused on the best interests of Yahoo!’s stakeholders, including shareholders, employees and more than 700 million users. And while I and the entire Board respect his decision, we will miss his remarkable perspective, vision and wise counsel. On behalf of the Board, we thank Jerry and wish him all the very best in his future endeavors.”
Bostock concluded, “We appreciate Jerry’s comments and share his enthusiasm for the company’s prospects. With Scott Thompson leading an outstanding team of Yahoos to deliver innovative products and an engaging customer experience, Yahoo!’s future is bright.”
“I am grateful for the warm welcome and support Jerry provided me during my early days here,” said Scott Thompson, Yahoo!’s Chief Executive Officer. “Jerry leaves behind a legacy of innovation and customer focus for this iconic brand, having shaped our culture by fostering a spirit of innovation that began 17 years ago and continues to grow even stronger today. Jerry has great confidence in the future of Yahoo!, and I share his confidence in the enormous potential of Yahoo! in the days ahead.”