It’s interesting to note that all the bullet points mentioned in my Yahoo interview are being reiterated on KQED FM this morning “Forum discusses that question with a panel of experts including Michael Kanellos, editor-at-large for CNET; and Sarah Lacy, author and columnist for Business Week Magazine” – Dylan Sweeny is also a panelist.
What is the consensus:
- Yahoo never pulled its properties together into a coherent whole
- Yahoo never took full advantage of its Web 2.0 acquisitions
- Yahoo shied away from pursuing a more aggressive acquisition strategy when it counted
- Putting Semel at the helm steered Yahoo onto an ill-begotten road towards becoming a quasi entertainment portal
- Semel and Decker greatly expanded the upper level management of Veeps and do-nothing directors
- Semel continued (probably did not initiate, though) the slide from a technology meritocracy, to an agency business model
So, they agree that there has been a bungling at Yahoo. Many callers also expressed that vehement “Purple Culture”, that is boiling over at the thought of serving a Microsoft Master.
Now, whoever pays your check gets your loyalty, but I am reminded of a quote from the interview I conducted that was intentionally omitted due to its Inflammatory tone:
“If the Redmond management clones think they are going to muscle us and change our user driven culture, I will do all in my power to thwart their efforts, short of insurrection”
Sounds like insurrection to me. Such different cultures, such divergent targets.
