Marissa Mayer is not shy about making changes to make sure Yahoo gets its groove back. I am in the “not buying it” camp because I don’t think it is easy for tech companies, especially ones like Yahoo that have been eaten from inside by a systematic rot. Still, she like the Greek god Sisyphus, she is trying to push the rock up the hill.
Her moves, including buying new talent, are one way to graft new cells into the old cancerous host. And recently she put a kibosh on the company’s work-from-home policies and expects people to come to office nearest to them. The move has come under a lot of criticism. Many who have never managed folks who work remotely have been quick to criticize Mayer’s decision. Our own Mathew Ingram too isn’t a fan of her decisions.
Now, I am a big, big fan of remote work. Remember, it has been something I have been talking about since 2004 and even started a blog dedicated to this cultural shift. GigaOM itself was a remote worker powered startup. So I totally understand the benefits and shortcomings of remote work.
Still, I can understand why she is making such a move. She is trying to revitalize the company culture and it means bringing back the folks into the Yahoo offices. I don’t know if that will be enough to save the company from its actual fate, but in her attempts for cultural overhaul, it is a gamble worth taking.
Also there is an upside of all this hand wringing — people are talking about Yahoo. When was the last time did you have people even talking about Yahoo other than the constant changes in the executive suite?
Related research and analysis from GigaOM Pro:
Subscriber content. Sign up for a free trial.
- The state of cross-platform media measurement
- Social third-quarter 2012: analysis and outlook
- How social discovery is transforming entertainment
 |
 |