Yahoo gives prime Net real estate to Icahn-bashing site

Yahoo is using its home page to promote its site devoted to countering investor Carl Icahn's attempt to take over Yahoo's board.

(Credit: Yahoo)

Updated 9:16 a.m. PDT with Chief Executive Jerry Yang's comment about the site.

Yahoo is using its considerable Internet clout to promote its "proxy facts" Web site devoted to countering investor Carl Icahn's attempt to replace the company's board of directors with his own picks.

The company's main page includes a large link to the proxy fight site just below the main advertisement on the right side of the page, showing a purple panel that reads, "We have a couple of exclamation points to make." Given the heavy traffic to www.yahoo.com, that means a lot of people are going to see the link.

Yahoo Chief Executive Jerry Yang mentioned the site in an internal video available to employees Friday. "Today, I'm excited to tell you that we're launching an advertising campaign online on our home page as a way to continue to make our case to stockholders," Yang said, according to a transcript of the video included in a regulatory filing. "With one of the largest audiences on the Internet, we're taking full advantage of the power of our network to remind our stockholders why voting for Carl Icahn's board of directors is a bad choice."

The "proxy facts" site itself is devoted to Yahoo's continuing counteroffensive against Icahn, leading off with an unflattering quotation from Icahn himself, presumably intended to make him look like a poor choice to steer Yahoo's affairs: "It's hard to understand these technology companies."

It also includes a link where shareholders can vote for Yahoo's board and a list showing the declining stock value of several companies in which Icahn has become involved. The vote will be tallied at Yahoo's August 1 shareholder meeting.

Yang also said in the video the company will hold an all-hands meeting with employees on Wednesday.

[Vegaman_Dan]

To be fair to the stockholders, shouldn't Yahoo be making a site equally available for Icahn's presentation to be made? If this was for a government seat, the media would have to give equal time to all the candidates. Only giving your own point of view on it and denying anyone else seems kind of desperate on Yahoo's behalf, regardless of the intent.

[JCPayne]

Shouldn't Icahn spend his time trying to fix BlockBuster.

NetFlix is mopping the floor with them.

--
Blockbuster shakes up board; coup puts Ichan in power seat
DSN Retailing Today, May 23, 2005 by Doug Desjardins

http://findarticles.com/p/articles/mi_m0FNP/is_10_44/ai_n13795880

DALLAS -- Despite losing a shareholders vote to rival Carl Ichan, Blockbuster Entertainment ceo John Antioco is expected to stay at the helm of the rental chain and on its board. But the long-time Blockbuster chief may have to share power going forward with Ichan and others wanting the chain to reduce spending. [http:// . . . |http:// . . . ]

[someguy999]

Is it just me, or does this feel like the a campaign in grade school where instead of candidates talking about what they've successfully done instead of just a straight play attempting to discredit some one else.

It just looks bad... seriously, you've led the company for so many years and you can't defend your position based on your successes but rather merely based on attempting to discredit someone else? I felt bad for them before, but sense everything that somes out is an attempt to discredit as opposed to restore faith/hope... or cite the positive... at this point he's fighting a campaign like someone who was damaged goods would.

[cfj2222]

Now the link says "This could be the most important election before November!"