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Yang's Yahoo Exit May Help Co.

Amid a circus of SOPA protests, Web watchers are still taking time to ruminate on Jerry Yang’s departure from Yahoo, and what it means for the Web giant. 

Reports AllThingsD: “As it turns out, according to numerous sources, Yang had had enough, and had finally realized that perhaps the many players in the ongoing Yahoo drama inside and outside the company had also had enough of him.”

“Did Yang hang around too long for his own good?” Answering his own question, CBSNews’ Charles Cooper writes: “It's a subjective question but to be fair, only a handful of entrepreneurs made their marks in the technology business and then got out while their companies were still riding high.”

"Although a popular figure among Yahoo employees, Yang had alienated the company's shareholders by turning down a $47.5 billion takeover offer from Microsoft Corp. in 2008," writes the AP.

Noting Yang’s mixed legacy, Citi analyst Mark Mahaney told USAToday.com that Yahoo "missed some pretty key trends, including social, mobile and video.”

According to Reuters: “Wall Street views the exit of ‘Chief Yahoo’ Yang as smoothing the way for a major infusion of cash from private equity, or a deal to sell off much of its 40 percent slice of China's Alibaba, unlocking value for shareholders.”

Is time finally running out for Yahoo?

Since 2007, Yahoo has had four CEOs, eWeek reminds us.  “All four of the chief executives failed to restore Yahoo's sagging brand and business results after Google soared past the company in search and passed it for the first time in display advertising early in 2011.”

Despite naming its latest CEO at the beginning of the year, AllThingsD suggests that all hell could soon break loose inside Yahoo. Based on fourth quarter earnings -- to be announced on January 24 -- the company could undergo a dramatic board shakeup, along with a possible selloff of key shares back to Alibaba Group and Softbank, Yahoo's major partners in Asia. 

“With a proxy war looming, Yahoo’s board has tried to strengthen its ranks,” reports The New York Times’ DealBook blog. Along with naming former PayPal exec Scott Thompson as Yahoo’s new CEO, “The board has also discussed which members could potentially step down to make room for new directors that might be more palatable to investors.”

 

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