Marissa Mayer named CEO of Yahoo!
Marissa Mayer—also known as “Google’s 20th employee” and the force behind many of Google's most recognizable products, including Google Maps, Google Earth, Zagat, Street View, and local search for desktop and mobile—has been named president and Chief Executive Officer and Member of the Board of Directors of Yahoo! effective July 17, 2012.
According to a press release from Yahoo!, the appointment of Mayer signals a renewed focus on product innovation to drive user experience and advertising revenue. Yahoo! is one of the world's largest consumer Internet brands, whose leading properties include Yahoo! Finance, Yahoo! Sports, Yahoo! Mobile, Yahoo! Mail, and Yahoo! Search.
Last year, Mayer was the youngest woman to make the Forbes’ 2011 list of the “50 Most Powerful Women in Business,” and she has become one of the most prominent women in Silicon Valley.
Mayer, 37, received her bachelor’s degree in symbolic systems and her master’s in computer science, specializing in artificial intelligence, from the Stanford University School of Engineering. She also holds an honorary Doctorate of Engineering from Illinois Institute of Technology.
Yahoo! has deep roots in Stanford Engineering. Founders David Filo and Jerry Yang were doctoral candidates in electrical engineering in February 1994 when they started their guide in a campus trailer as a way to keep track of their personal interests on the Internet.
