Hacker News Reader

Comment by yo-mf | Hacker News Reader

I doubt that even 6 months is enough time given the issues at Yahoo. May Yahoo shareholders show some restraint and patience to see this out as the long-term challenge that it is before jettisoning yet another CEO.

View on HN

You have a most excellent point. I'm sure we won't see significant changes for a while, and this is a very long game that must be played. The critical adversaries Mayer will have is the flip floppish board at its head and the shareholders, as you say. Do you know if there were any changes in the board with her hiring? It would be interesting to know which members supported her and which didn't.

I don't think the board can be called floppish anymore, unless we see it again some time soon. We have to keep in mind that when Daniel Loeb came into the picture, he not only forced Thompson out, he forced the board to change members. It's not the same board as it used to be. And THEN they brought in Mayer.

I doubt it. They've shown questionable judgement merely by hiring Mayer, whose accomplishments at Google are not especially respected among those with inside knowledge, and whose priorities will shift wildly after she gives birth in October. The board will terminate her in 2013 after 7-8 lackluster months. Then they'll start shopping Yahoo to be broken up and sold as parts.

"and whose priorities will shift wildly after she gives birth in October."

Are you insinuating that she'll focus more on her family than her job?

For the baby's sake, let's hope so!

As a parent myself, I know that the first few months of parenthood are difficult and life-changing, regardless of how many nannies one might afford.

Surely you're not suggesting that she will be less capable to head Yahoo after she becomes a mother? The first few weeks / months are difficult, but after she adjusts to the 'new normal' that is parenthood, she should be right on track.

And yet I have never seen anyone post their concerns when a Male CEO becomes a father. I wonder why that is...

They should. There are indications that becoming a parent lowers testosterone levels in men.

If you want to pretend, for political correctness' sake, that we're not largely slaves to our hormones, have fun with that.

You'll need to offer studies establishing a causal relationship between testosterone levels and technical/business success for the difference to mean anything.

For all we know lower testosterone levels may lead to a heightened business acumen.

It obviously does not affect everyone in the same way, but as a generalization, I would say that becoming a parent clearly makes one a more responsible person.

I wrote some of the best, most creative code of my life in the first 6 months after my son was born. I was focused, and yet could work on multiple project simultaneously very effectively.

I got hardly any sleep, so if that is "being a slave to my hormones" I'm all for it!

Either way, I think it is fair to say that the effects or parenthood are very unpredictable.

Having a baby doesn't seem have slowed down Sarah Lacy. If anything, she's turned it up a notch.

Reply on news.ycombinator.com