Yang's First Year Leaves Many 'Disillusioned'

Microsoft fiasco most public of Yahoo's woes; '09 could be tougher

By Jim O'Neill, Newser Staff

Posted Jun 19, 2008 12:32 PM CDT

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Yang's First Year Leaves Many 'Disillusioned' — "Jerry needs to cut about half the VPs there," one analyst said of the challenges facing Yahoo's 39-year-old CEO. "But that's like asking him to cut off his own arm." (AP Photo)

Yahoo’s stock has slipped 16.5%, the company might as well be wearing a sign that says “take me over,” and there’s a line of shareholders waiting to sue for what they say was a mishandled non-deal with suitor Microsoft, Fortune reports—not quite the scenario Jerry Yang likely envisioned when he took over as CEO a year ago yesterday.

Though the company's president lauds Yang's "unwavering patience, passion, and energy," analysts have their doubts, and billionaire Carl Icahn is set to try to replace Yang, 39, at next month's shareholders meeting. "There was a lot of buzz and excitement that Jerry was going to do something and reveal new changes," a former exec says. "But after awhile nothing happened." (More Yahoo stories.)

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