Yahoo – “Despite choppy waters at the moment, I really enjoy working here now and look forward to winning the challenges ahead.”

Pros

There are not a lot of companies out there where just about any new product gets 50+ PR mentions and thousands of users on Day 1 of its release. That's just the coolest thing in the world. And I love the challenge of coming up with pretty broadly appealing mass market products - how am I going to make something that works for at least half the Internet?

Cons

Though I feel it is reversible, Yahoo was on a decline before the economy turned sour - and with two rounds of layoffs in under a year, it's had the effect of shoving a lot of good people out the door before they get caught unawares. That's created an above average level of churn, which really cuts out a lot of momentum towards changes.

I also think Yahoo! can be a bit hidebound at times, depending on the management above you. Sometimes shipping a lite version is better market insight than a market study.

Advice to Senior Management

Yahoo's got good bones, and passionate people - but we need to quickly (<1 year) get to a few key initiatives and start getting clear wins. Don't sell Search - the insights are too valuable to so many other products.