Yahoo Gets Its Gal as CEO

The Wall Street Journal is reporting that Yahoo will name Carol Bartz as its new CEO after a two-month long search.

Bartz comes to the Internet company from Autodesk, which she led from 1992-2006 before taking on the role of executive chairman.

At Yahoo, Bartz will be charged with reviving the company’s falling stock price, as well as competing with Google and the rest of the Web world.

Yahoo has been seeking a CEO since November when Jerry Yang announced he was stepping down.

How did the Web-watchers react to the news?

Techcrunch‘s Erick Schonfeld noted that both Bartz and Yang sit on Cisco’s board, but questioned whether her experience at Autodesk will translate to running an Internet company:

Bartz is a capable manager. She led Autodesk for 14 years between 1992 and 2006, keeping it from the PC software graveyard by focusing on CAD software for architects and builders. Autodesk, however, is an old-school software company. It is not exactly a great training ground for running an online advertising business attached to the most popular destinations on the Web.

Silicon Alley Insider‘s Nicholas Carlson also hears Bartz may have been picked for her ability to get along with top management.

A former Yahoo executive yesterday told us that inside the company, Bartz is consider an ally to Yahoo president Sue Decker and Yahoo ad sales boss Hilary Schneider — a sign that both top executives may stay with the company under the new boss.

Let’s just say if it were us, we wouldn’t exactly be burning down the etrade doors to purchase Yahoo stock.

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