Nothing says it’s time for the next challenge like being passed over for CEO twice in a matter of months, especially in favor of people with very different skill sets. As expected, faced by just that — and by a board that has a tech-centric view of Yahoo, Ross Levinsohn has negotiated his exit. Levinsohn was left hanging when the board opted for Marissa Mayer as CEO earlier this month; some held out hope that he might stay, particularly given that media is not part of Mayer’s expertise, but that was unlikely from the start.
Levinsohn, who stepped in as interim CEO in May when Scott Thompson was ousted for claiming a degree he didn’t have, is credited with recharging Yahoo’s media business and upgrading the view from Madison Avenue. As interim CEO he undid the damage Thompson wreaked when he sued Facebook over patents, instead settling the patent issue and forging a broader content deal with the social network. His departure was reported first by Kara Swisher.
Here’s what he had to say in a brief farewell note:
“It has been an incredible journey for me and I could not be prouder of what we accomplished over the past few years helping define Yahoo as a leader in digital media and advertising. Yahoo is an amazing brand and company, and I leave knowing we did all we could to help inform and entertain more than 700 million users each month. Leading this company has been one of the best experiences of my career, but it is time for me to look for the next challenge.”
More to come.
