Yahoo CEO Jim Lanzone on reviving the web's homepage
Jim Lanzone is the CEO of Yahoo. It's basically impossible to sum up Yahoo's story over the last 25 years, but the short version is that once upon a time, Yahoo paid Google to run the search box on its website, and everything immediately went sideways. Jim calls it Yahoo's original sin.
But after a long series of mergers, spinouts, and a hot, weird minute as part of Verizon Yahoo is once again an independent, privately held company — and it's growing. But can Yahoo really take market share from Google?
Links:
Yahoo sells Engadget to Static Media | The Verge
Yahoo sells TechCrunch to Regent | The Verge
Yahoo Finance launches crypto partnership with Coinbase | Yahoo
Yahoo Scout looks like more web-friendly AI search | The Verge
Yahoo Finance launches crypto deal with Polymarket | Yahoo Finance
Yahoo resurrects Artifact inside AI-powered news app | The Verge
Yahoo Mail adds more AI to simplify desktop email | The Verge
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Credits:
Decoder is a production of The Verge and part of the Vox Media Podcast Network.
Decoder is produced by Kate Cox and Nick Statt and edited by Ursa Wright. Our editorial director is Kevin McShane.
The Decoder music is by Breakmaster Cylinder.
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Can Yahoo Bring Back the "Good Internet"?
Yahoo, the one-time "oracle of the internet", has had many iterations in its 30 year history - and private equity is betting that Yahoo CEO and digital media veteran Jim Lanzone can bring back its relevance. Kara has been covering Yahoo since its inception and has known Lanzone - who has had leadership stints at Ask.com, CBS and Tinder - almost as long. They discuss Jim's vision for the new Yahoo, what’s going on with search, how he’s integrating AI, and whether there could be another Yahoo merger or IPO on the horizon.
Questions? Comments? Email us at on@voxmedia.com or find us on social media. We’re on Instagram/Threads as @karaswisher
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The Yahoo Episode — With Jim Lanzone
Jim Lanzone is the CEO of Yahoo. He joins Big Technology Podcast for the long awaited Yahoo Episode, a deep dive into a company that remains one of the most visited and influential property on the web. Tune in as Lanzone describes how Yahoo's verticals operate, how the company thinks about generative AI for its search bar, and whether it's still possible to build a solid business on the web. Ranjan Roy joins us as well for a rare Wednesday appearance on the podcast. Tune in for a deep, engaging conversation with a CEO at the helm of a crucial internet cornerstone.
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#155 CEO Yahoo, Jim Lanzone: Brand Rejuvenation
Guest: Jim Lanzone, CEO of Yahoo
Jim Lanzone doesn’t waste time thinking about what other people think of him ... or the companies he has run. After helping to rejuvenate Ask.com in the early 2000s, he has more recently served as CEO of Tinder, and now Yahoo. As an expert in brand turnarounds, he says, “don’t worry about what the world thinks ... worry about your growth versus yourself.” With a focus on people and product, Jim believes, “not only can you accomplish a lot, you’re going to make a lot of money at doing it.”
In this episode, Jim and Joubin discuss being bicoastal, downtown San Francisco, supportive partners, Garret Camp and StumbleUpon, “co-opetition,” Walt Mossberg, Redpoint Ventures, Dave Goldberg, Clicker, taking punches, Apollo Global Management, loyalty to the cause, high-EQ people, and user goals vs. company goals.
In this episode, we cover:
Growing up in Silicon Valley (00:53)
Long-lasting marriages (07:26)
Jim’s first company, eTour (13:18)
The Web 1.0 boom (17:33)
Joining Ask.com & partnering with Google (20:40)
Rejuvenating a brand (24:11)
Back in the mud with Clicker (28:05)
CBS All Access (34:02)
14 months at Tinder (37:25)
What people get wrong about Jim (39:05)
Becoming the CEO of Yahoo (42:45)
How Jim hires great teams (49:54)
Top priorities and Yahoo’s verticals (55:10)
First principles & making decisions (01:02:26)
Hiring & what “grit” means to Jim (01:05:02)
Links:
Connect with JimLinkedIn
Connect with JoubinTwitter
LinkedIn
Email: grit@kleinerperkins.com
Learn more about Kleiner Perkins
This episode was edited by Eric Johnson from LightningPod.fm
20VC: Yahoo CEO Jim Lanzone on The Yahoo Turnaround Plan; What Needs To Happen | Leadership 101: The 4 Things To Look For When Hiring | Surviving a Crash; Biggest Advice on Cuts, Layoffs, Investor Communications
Jim Lanzone is the CEO @ Yahoo, a company that today reaches nearly 900 million people around the world and is the third largest property on the Internet. Prior to Yahoo, Tim was the CEO of Tinder, the world's most popular app for meeting new people, downloaded by more than 400 million people. Before Tinder, Jim spent a decade as President and CEO of CBS Interactive, a top 10 global Internet company with brands ranging from CBS All Access to CNET. He joined CBS Interactive in 2011 when CBS Corporation purchased Clicker Media, where he was founder and CEO. Before founding Clicker, Jim served as CEO of Ask.com (formerly Ask Jeeves).
In Today's Episode with Jim Lanzone
1.) Jim's Entry into the World of Startups:
How did Jim go from law school to founding his first tech startup in the dot com boom?
How did seeing the crash and the first company going bust, shape Jim's perspectives on great leadership?
What does Jim know now that he wishes he had known when he started way back in 1999?
2.) Leadership 101:
How does Jim define "high performance" in business today?
What are the 4 things Jim always looks for when hiring new people?
Why does Jim believe the standard interview process and questions are broken? How does he do it differently? What are his biggest lessons on how to hire effectively?
How does Jim know when to let someone go? How long do you give under-performers?
3.) Crashes and Turnarounds:
Jim has seen three crashes as a CEO, what are Jim's biggest lessons from 3 prior crashes?
How does Jim advise founders to be acting today? What should they focus on?
How can leaders maintain morale and optimism in the face of tough macro times?
How does Jim advise founders to communicate both with their investors and board when it comes to reduced performance in harder times?
4.) The Yahoo Turnaround:
What does Jim believe the 1-2 core things Yahoo needs to fix is? Why are they priorities?
How does Jim approach turning round the Yahoo brand? How does he plan to make it attractive?
What is the biggest misnomer that people have about Yahoo today?
How does Jim think about running a portfolio approach with Yahoo moving forward?
How has Jim changed the org structure and management of Yahoo most significantly?
Items Mentioned in Today's Episode:
Jim's Favourite Book: Team of Rivals: The Political Genius of Abraham Lincoln
How Gen Z Dates Online — With Tinder CEO Jim Lanzone
Jim Lanzone is the CEO of Tinder. He took over the world’s most popular dating app last summer, in the heart of the pandemic, and is starting to evolve its product to give people new ways to connect. Lanzone joins Big Technology Podcast to discuss how Gen Z wants to date online, how their behavior differs from millennials, and how that factors into his product vision. We also talk about the business of Tinder, whether Lanzone lets his kids use the app, and where its next challenger might come from.
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