by Stacey Thompson
Many of us would prefer to take up major life challenges one at a time, but for Marissa Mayer, the lady who always made sure that every Google page was clean, intuitive, and responsive, decided that she could take on two epic undertakings at once: giving birth to her first baby and becoming the president and CEO of one of the Internet's most iconic companies.
The Woman's Recent Past
Marissa Ann Mayer left Google after thirteen very productive years with the internet search engine giant. Her last position in that company was Vice President of Local, Maps, and Location Services. Thirteen years back, she was the first female engineer to come on-board the little search engine that could, and there is little doubt that the success Google is enjoying at present is due in part to her contributions.
Marissa and Google parting ways didn't appear to be to be marred with any ill will.
Diminished Glory
Since 1994, Yahoo! has been one of the cornerstones of the public internet experience. They offer a web search engine, web directories, news, electronic mail, instant messaging, newsgroups, website hosting, answers to life's many questions, and just about everything else. Through most of the 90s, Yahoo! was _the_ Internet for most of the world's web pedestrians. The beginning of the 21st century saw Yahoo! losing prominence due to the rise of other internet companies like Microsoft, Google and Facebook. In the past five years, the company has gone through several massive layoffs. They couldn't even keep a CEO on-board for more than a year. Times are hard for the once-illustrious Internet icon.
It Begins
On July 16, 2012, Yahoo! Publicly announced that Marissa Mayer will be taking the reins as CEO and President. Some internet pundits (and obviously, Yahoo!'s board of directors) believe that she has the potential of reversing Yahoo's gradual descent into irrelevancy. On that same day, Mayer also tweeted that she was expecting her first child with her husband, commercial real estate investor Zachary Bogue, this coming October.
My Take
Let me state this predicament in a blunter manner: “Brilliant Lovely Pregnant Geek Woman becomes Great Leader of one of the Internet's Foundational Companies. Said company is dying a slow death, and they believe she can save it.” Thisfeels like is the beginning of an epic adventure in which the courageous heroine will face formidable obstacles (sexism, work-family time management, the growing ambitions of other corporate empires, breastfeeding in public, etc.).
This legendary tale is still in the process of unfolding; many an internet journalist/blogger/pundit/local boob will keep their ear to the ground for any news and updates regarding this riveting topic. As a single female geek making her living on the internet who loves kids (I have the privilege of being an emergency nanny to half a dozen little nieces and nephews), I think I just found another modern-day paragon of woman power.
I'm rooting for you, Marissa Mayer. I'll be watching with great interest, and I hope you will succeed in all your noble undertakings!
About the Author: Stacey Thompson is a professional writer, marketer, entrepreneur, and a lover of weird little animals. She is based in San Diego, California, and works with many up-and-coming and successful companies like Rock & Dirt.
The Woman's Recent Past
Marissa Ann Mayer left Google after thirteen very productive years with the internet search engine giant. Her last position in that company was Vice President of Local, Maps, and Location Services. Thirteen years back, she was the first female engineer to come on-board the little search engine that could, and there is little doubt that the success Google is enjoying at present is due in part to her contributions.
Marissa and Google parting ways didn't appear to be to be marred with any ill will.
Diminished Glory
Since 1994, Yahoo! has been one of the cornerstones of the public internet experience. They offer a web search engine, web directories, news, electronic mail, instant messaging, newsgroups, website hosting, answers to life's many questions, and just about everything else. Through most of the 90s, Yahoo! was _the_ Internet for most of the world's web pedestrians. The beginning of the 21st century saw Yahoo! losing prominence due to the rise of other internet companies like Microsoft, Google and Facebook. In the past five years, the company has gone through several massive layoffs. They couldn't even keep a CEO on-board for more than a year. Times are hard for the once-illustrious Internet icon.
It Begins
On July 16, 2012, Yahoo! Publicly announced that Marissa Mayer will be taking the reins as CEO and President. Some internet pundits (and obviously, Yahoo!'s board of directors) believe that she has the potential of reversing Yahoo's gradual descent into irrelevancy. On that same day, Mayer also tweeted that she was expecting her first child with her husband, commercial real estate investor Zachary Bogue, this coming October.
My Take
Let me state this predicament in a blunter manner: “Brilliant Lovely Pregnant Geek Woman becomes Great Leader of one of the Internet's Foundational Companies. Said company is dying a slow death, and they believe she can save it.” This
This legendary tale is still in the process of unfolding; many an internet journalist/blogger/pundit/local boob will keep their ear to the ground for any news and updates regarding this riveting topic. As a single female geek making her living on the internet who loves kids (I have the privilege of being an emergency nanny to half a dozen little nieces and nephews), I think I just found another modern-day paragon of woman power.
I'm rooting for you, Marissa Mayer. I'll be watching with great interest, and I hope you will succeed in all your noble undertakings!
About the Author: Stacey Thompson is a professional writer, marketer, entrepreneur, and a lover of weird little animals. She is based in San Diego, California, and works with many up-and-coming and successful companies like Rock & Dirt.
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