Marissa Mayer says she’ll stay with Yahoo following Verizon’s US$4.8 billion acquisition of the tech giant, but has called out ‘gender charged reporting’.
In a statement to employees shared on her Tumblr page, the heavily scrutinised CEO said she loves Yahoo and that, “It’s important to see Yahoo into its next chapter.”
But a large severance package could be more likely, with reports it could be as high as US$55 million, following the around $100 million already earned since taking the job four years ago. Not a bad deal considering Mayer was unable to turn the struggling company around (which would have been a difficult feat for anyone, Mayer became the fourth CEO in five years to be given the opportunity).
Before she goes, expect Mayer to undergo more scrutiny regarding her suitability for Yahoo’s top job, and reminders that Microsoft once offered to pay ten times as much for Yahoo as the Verizon deal.
TheStreet claims Mayer was “not inspirational enough”. The LA Times says that despite all the “glitz and glamour” that gave the company a jolt following her appointment, her habit of micromanaging unimportant tasks (such as logo design) got in the way of her success as a leader. “Was she worth the money? Only in a world where failure is measured in eight figures,” Michael Hiltzik writes.
Meanwhile, Mayer claims she’s been on the end of “gender charged reporting” in an interview following the sale announcement.
“I’ve tried to be gender-blind and believe tech is a gender-neutral zone but do think there has been gender-charged reporting,” she told the Financial Times.
“We all see the things that only plague women leaders, like articles that focus on their appearance, like Hillary Clinton sporting a new pantsuit. I think all women are aware of that, but I had hoped in 2015 and 2016 that I would see fewer articles like that. It’s a shame.”
Mayer was appointed to the role in 2012 from Google. Since then she’s made 53 internet company acquisitions and managed to have three kids, including twins.