On with Kara Swisher Can Yahoo Bring Back the "Good Internet"?
Apr 15, 2024
Jim Lanzone, CEO of Yahoo and a seasoned leader from Ask.com, CBS, and Tinder, discusses revitalizing Yahoo's legacy in the digital age. He shares his vision for modernizing Yahoo's products, focusing on AI integration and enhancing user experience. Lanzone also addresses challenges from industry giants while exploring potential mergers and an IPO. Nostalgically, he reminisces about the tech industry's evolution, reflecting on the promise of the early internet and the need for quality journalism amidst the digital landscape.
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Yahoo's Early Dominance
- In the 1990s and early 2000s, "Do You Yahoo?" was synonymous with search, similar to today's "Let me Google that."
- Kara Swisher has covered Yahoo for 30 years, since its founding by Jerry Yang and David Filo in 1994.
Yahoo's Value Proposition
- Despite facing challenges, Yahoo remains a valuable business with a large user base, revenue, and profit.
- Jim Lanzone saw the acquisition as a unique opportunity for a turnaround, given its potential and the relatively low purchase price.
Yahoo's Missed Turn
- Yahoo initially started as a web directory, not a search engine, and missed the significant turn towards search technology.
- This misstep led to Yahoo losing ground to Google, who they had initially partnered with for search functionality.