14 DAY TRIAL // Yahoo is still pretty much under the scope, as it tries to reinvent itself as an original-content company and focuses more on its homepage and core services, which Search apparently isn't. The company's outspoken CEO, Carol Bartz, addressed some of the general issues and plans at Yahoo and also some that have been discussed recently, like the Yahoo shares she sold since becoming CEO, in an interview on CNBC. She also touched on Yahoo's investment in China, Alibaba, denying any plans to sell its stake in the company.
A couple of regulatory filings surfaced this week, revealing that the CEO had sold around $2 million worth of Yahoo stock this year, not a very good sign for a company trying to build up trust. However, she claimed that she had since bought back the shares sold. What's more, Search Engine Watch notes that the shares were actually a very small part of the stock options she received as she came in, which are actually worth around $70 million.
She also made another interesting remark, in her trademark style, when asked if she would have taken Microsoft's offer if she were CEO last year, when the Redmont giant was prepared to offer $34 per share, a significant markup on the listing price for Yahoo shares at that moment. “Well sure. You think I’m stupid? I mean let me see, 15, 34. Yeah, I think so,” Bartz responded. Yahoo's CEO at the time, Jerry Yang, who refused Microsoft's offer, is still on Yahoo's board.
Finally, she also addressed some of the issues with the investment in the Alibaba, the Chinese Internet giant, which operates Yahoo China and in which Yahoo has a 40-percent stake. Bartz believes that it's best if Yahoo doesn't have a direct investment in China, as the country generally favors local businesses over international ones. But, despite growing criticism of how Alibaba is handling Yahoo properties in China, she said she had no plans to sell Yahoo's stake anytime soon.