Carol Bartz

January 2009-September 2011: When it came to speaking her mind, Carol Bartz wasn't a shrinking violet. In fact, she was the sort of down home #$%! bad*&$ who let you know where she stood -- any time, anywhere, and on any particular issue.

Along with her extensive tech industry resume, Bartz's unusual frankness helped convince the board that Bartz indeed had what it took to get Yahoo back on track. But Bartz, a former Autodesk CEO, had no background in media and advertising - and here she was appointed to run a company build around media and advertising. Hello?

The strange denouement came when she announced the news in an all-staff email from her iPad: "To all, I am very sad to tell you that I've just been fired over the phone by Yahoo's Chairman of the Board. It has been my pleasure to work with all of you and I wish you only the best going forward."