TechWeek Readers Say Marissa Mayer Won’t Save Yahoo

Marissa Mayer, the former Google engineer who has become Yahoo’s fifth chief executive in the last year, is expected to have a massive clear out of senior executives, according to reports – but our readers think she won’t be able to save the troubled Internet giant.

Mayer, who could get $70 million (£45 million) if she stays with the company for at least five years, is rumoured to be planning a big shakeup – Business Insider quotes anonymous sources who say everyone who reports to her “expects to be replaced”. Once a mighty search giant, Yahoo has been eclipsed by other players such as Google and Facebook, and has shed senior executives rapidly before and after her appointment.

Marissa Mayer the slayer?

Mayer is expected to make a serious go of it – having stuck with Google since being one of its first employees. However, more than three-quarters of our readers (77 percent) believe the task of breathing life back into the giant is beyond her.

She was appointed after previous permanent CEO Scott Thompson was fired over false information in his CV. She replaced interim CEO Ross Levinsohn, who reportedly was hoping for the permanent job.

Yahoo has lost a lot of gloss, through losing out to Google in search, and failing to take the lead in social networking. However, it is still very far from being a basket case.

In 2008, Yahoo repelled a $28 billion acquisition bid from Microsoft. Although its value has tumbled since then, it’s current NASDAQ stock market value is $18 billion.

Next poll: are you holding out for an iPhone 5?

Gartner has reported that phone sales have slumped as people wait for the rumoured arrival of the iPhone. Our next poll asks the straightforward question: are you holding on for the new iPhone, or are you loyal to other platforms?

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