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Yahoo! CEO Logs Off

Semel leaves post as tempers flare over poor performance— and sky-high pay

By Dustin Lushing,  Newser Staff

Posted Jun 18, 2007 4:48 PM CDT

(Newser) – Yahoo CEO Terry Semel is out. In a surprise announcement, Yahoo said today that co-founder Jerry Yang will take over from Semel as CEO, who will step down immediately. The embattled Semel, who's been the target of recent shareholder ire, will stick around as non-executive chairman; Susan Decker, former head of advertising, is set to become Yahoo's new prez.

Shareholders at last week's annual conference hounded Semel over the company's sluggish growth—and his oversized $70M-plus paycheck—and many industry observers viewed it as a matter of time before the former Hollywood exec stepped down. Say blogger Rafat Ali: "This is a huge surprise, even though we knew it was imminent."

Yahoo CEO Terry Semel  delivers a speech in this file photo, Friday, Jan. 6, 2006 at the International Consumer Electronics Show, CES, in Las Vegas. Semel ended his six-year stint as chief executive officer Monday, June 18, 2007, and will hand over the reins to co-founder Jerry Yang in the...
Yahoo CEO Terry Semel delivers a speech in this file photo, Friday, Jan. 6, 2006 at the International Consumer Electronics Show, CES, in Las Vegas. Semel ended his six-year stint as chief executive officer...   (Associated Press)
P 500 companies to provide a full picture of executives' compensation - including stock options, bonuses and perks such as country club memberships. (AP Photo/Damian Dovarganes, File)
P 500 companies to provide a full picture of executives' compensation - including stock options, bonuses and perks such as country club memberships. (AP Photo/Damian Dovarganes, File)   (Associated Press)
The exterior of Yahoo Inc. headquarters in Sunnyvale, Calif., is shown Monday, June 18, 2007. Yahoo Inc. Chairman Terry Semel ended his six-year tenure as chief executive officer Monday and will hand over the reins to co-founder Jerry Yang in the Internet icon's latest attempt to regain investor confidence. (AP...
The exterior of Yahoo Inc. headquarters in Sunnyvale, Calif., is shown Monday, June 18, 2007. Yahoo Inc. Chairman Terry Semel ended his six-year tenure as chief executive officer Monday and will hand...   (Associated Press)
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