Yahoo's Levinsohn leaves company
Yahoo's former interim CEO, Ross Levinsohn, has confirmed his departure on Monday after being passed over for the top spot by the company in favor of Marissa Mayer.
According to a report by New York Times, Levinsohn sent out an e-mail to friends confirming his departure but did not say where he was heading to next. In it, he described Yahoo as "an amazing brand and company" and "leading the company has been one of the best experiences" of his career but it was time to look for a new challenge.
He was running Yahoo's media, business development, and sales operations before being asked to take over former CEO Scott Thompson, who left in May after his academic credentials were called into question.
An unnamed Yahoo executive told NYT that as recently as mid-June, Levinsohn was recruiting people for senior positions at the company and telling them he expects the permanent CEO position to be given to him.
Another anonymous source said employees were hoping he would stay and help Mayer turn Yahoo's fortunes around. "That would have been the best-case scenario--Ross is great at running businesses and delivering value to shareholders and Marissa is a product visionary--together those two could be a powerful combination," the Yahoo employee, who declined to be named, said in the article.
Mayer officially joined Yahoo on Jul. 17 as its President, CEO, and member of the Board of Directors. The Web company said her appointment signals a renewed focus on product innovation to drive user experience and advertising revenue.