Friday, June 01, 2007

What Would You Ask Yahoo! CEO Terry Semel If You Could?


I'll be attending the Yahoo! annual meeting in Santa Clara on June 12th.

Every shareholder there will be given the opportunity to ask some questions to Terry Semel.

This morning, I asked users on LinkedIn and Yahoo! Answers: "What would you ask him as a shareholder if you were there?"

The responses have been great. Here are a few. Keep them coming - and, if you're going to the meeting, feel free to use any of these.


  1. What are Yahoo's most valuable strategic assets and how do you plan to leverage them to strengthen your strategic position?
  2. If there were one asset or competency (that you don't have) that you wish Yahoo had, what would it be?
  3. What do consider Google's weakness (Achilles' heel)?
  4. What are the 3 reasons I should be a shareholder of Yahoo rather than Google ?
  5. Why is Yahoo perpetually afraid to innovate and would rather follow then lead?
  6. Why is Zod leaving?
  7. Why did you not buy Google all those years ago when you had the chance?
  8. What is the plan to beat Google? Is there even a plan?
  9. When are you going to return the $50,000,000 million you owe the company as a result of the March 10, 2004 backdated spring loaded grant of 2,900,000 options?
  10. If you could put one corporation, anywhere in the world, out of business, effective today, which would it be, and why?
  11. How Dow, Braun now?
  12. What capacity and resource planning is underway to move Yahoo! from a reactive, outmaneuvered position to a strategic, flexible advantage?
  13. Where does Yahoo plan to claim its own space online for its groundbreaking developments once again, amid constant speculation of its eventual acquisition (or demise) and scrutiny of the "catch up" it must do on search, ads, and content?
  14. Why don't you step down already?
  15. How are you concretely engaging your management team around defining an inspiring vision and strategy that will not only stop the brain drain out of Yahoo but also attract key talent away from Google and other competitors?

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7 comments:

Jay_in_OK said...

My question(s) for Yahoo mamagement is: Why do you make it hard for users to make suggestions and comments on your web pages, and why do you ignore suggestions that would improve Yahoo???

Google asks and listens!!!

Anonymous said...

When are you getting rid of all the deadweight middle management?

When are you killing your failed Hollywood adventure?

Why did you stop investment in Yahoo Local / Maps?

Dan Schawbel said...

"how do you plan on competing with google and what companies will you acquire in the process"

Dan Schawbel

www.personalbrandingblog.com

Anonymous said...

A question for Terry Semel:

Why has Yahoo Mail become such a cluttered and undesirable product that it drove me over to Gmail?




The answer is probably indicative of why Yahoo has struggled in the rest of the company.

Anonymous said...

Before the first quarter earnings, you said you were "all smiles", and Panama would show "very exciting numbers" for the first quarter earnings:

http://www.reuters.com/article/ousiv/idUSN2142328620070321

and yet:

http://www.nytimes.com/2007/04/18/business/18yahoo.html?ex=1334548800&en=04405589f77cc4e3&ei=5088&partner=rssnyt&emc=rss

Did you know what you were talking about or did you intentionally lie to the shareholders?

Unknown said...

Thanks for all the additional suggestions.

R said...

Yahoo, Why do you continue to launch ridiculous "products" like omg! (launched this week). The Web really needs another pre-teen focused, celebrity obsessed, crap fest meeting place (a.k.a social networking site). And, the rumor is that Yahoo may sell a property that is actually better (much better) than Google's -- its news aggregation site. Who is in charge there and what are you thinking?!