Just read with incredulity the CNN Money interview from hell given by Carol Bartz – she bemoans the over the phone manner of her dismissal but frankly I wouldn’t have had the balls to face her off given the exuberantly aggressive style of the lady.
Most of Linkedin users would shape up better in the aftermath of this Yaboohoo saga – read an extract and post yr view.
I just sat with the former head of Yahoo iFrame implementation and I have to say the word clunk was shared at the table faster than the wine. What Bartz fails to realize is the real failure of the product: ON the handset its handling, button functionality and format sucks badly.
The design issue stands out – I believe the product would fly again if it had a better grasp of reality – what the user likes and needs.
The user needs have not been met and the slide has continued rather like the Nokia story. Bartz saw the numbers only and not the writing on the wall posts.
Extract below…
Sometimes it’s difficult to know when Bartz is being serious. As I prod her to tell me what she might do next, I mention her age, 63—”fuck you, yeah,” she replies. And when I ask her if she’s on any other public company boards besides Cisco (CSCO), where she is lead independent director, she says, “I’m on Yahoo’s board.” She tells me that she plans to remain a Yahoo director—which might be unlikely since she has now called her fellow directors “doofuses.”
“I want to make sure that the employees don’t believe that I’ve abandoned them. I would never abandon them,” Bartz says. Besides, she adds, “I have way too many purple clothes.”
She’s referring to the color of Yahoo’s logo. “I wish the Yahoo people the best,” she adds, “because it’s a fantastic franchise.”
Update: Did this interview just cost Bartz $10 million? Yes, she had a non-disparagement clause…
Nick Garrett 