Yahoo has announced a major company wide reorganization that basically ditches it’s existing corporate structure for one that focuses strictly on three key customer segments – “audiences, advertisers, and publishers.”
The company press release also reveals that Dan Rosensweig, Yahoo’s COO will leave the company by the end of March and Reuters is reporting that Yahoo Media Group chief and former ABC TV exec Lloyd Braun will be leaving as well.
In addition, CFO Susan Decker will take control of the the newly created Advertiser and Publisher Group. The groups function is to “lead the transformation of how advertisers connect with their target customers across the Internet, with the goal of driving more value for more advertisers and publishers than any other company.”
Other new groups include:
- The Audience Group: “Focused on building the largest and most valuable audiences and relationships on and off the Yahoo! network, creating more unique, tailored and engaging experiences for Yahoo!’s valuable users.”
- The Technology Group: Will continue to support the entire organization but will take on more individual responsibilities. “For example, the group will be chartered with leveraging Yahoo!’s platform investments in community to create the technology platforms for new social media environments. In addition, it will have a mandate to speed the development of innovative, next generation advertising platforms beyond Project Panama to support the expansion of Yahoo!’s global advertising network.”
The stripped down Yahoo strategy has four key objectives: “expanding customer-centric culture, creating leading social media environments, leading in next-generation advertising platforms, and driving organizational effectiveness and scale.”
The move should come as no surprise to anyone who read Yahoo VP Brad Garlinghouse’s recent “Peanut Butter Memo” that called out the company for lacking a “focused, cohesive vision.” The question now is will this lead to further restructuring, downsizing, or even the departure of CEO Terry Semel?
