Comments on: Yahoo rebuts Icahn: You have no plan

Yahoo Chairman Roy Bostock lashes back at Carl Icahn, saying the investor misinterprets facts and has no plan beside selling the company to Microsoft.

[dbargen]

Why debate?

I don't see why Yahoo doesn't just ignore this guy and let him fume in silence. By addressing him, they say his ideas are worth notice. The execs can do whatever they want, so why should one shareholder, whatever his reputation, get to keep on badgering them like this when they've made it clear that they don't have any plans to do what he wants them to.

On the upside, iCon has no real logical backing in his argument for selling out, as this article clearly points out. Yahoo's response was too cordial by half.

[Renegade Knight]

You got it. If they did need to respond a simple form letter signed by the Chair would do. "Dear Stockholder: Thank you so much for your thoughts and ideas. We will consider your suggestion and appreciate your support."

[Renegade Knight]

You got it. If they did need to respond a simple form letter signed by the Chair would do. "Dear Stockholder: Thank you so much for your thoughts and ideas. We will consider your suggestion and appreciate your support."

[flickrz]

Very fitting reply from Yahoo! board chairman. Carl Icahn is not shareholder activist; he is a corporate raider interested in short term profit by putting companies on the chopping block.

[nzamparello]

All Carl is interested in is his own pocketbook. He really could care less about yahoo as a company... In fact if you look at his record of what he's done, he reminds me of an old school 1980's corporate raider, kinda like Richard Gere in pretty woman.. In fact, you really have to applaud yahoo for continuing to run a business and keep moving forward... You really have to put yourself in some of these guys shoes.. Some of these people who WORK and make a LIVING at yahoo have been there since day 1 have pride in what they've achieve.. That's like someone hanging a nice stained glass door at a church and then you have people like Carl Icahn, who would rather take an axe to the door and sell it for firewood.. The man is really a sad excuse..

[Im-Not-TED]

Dear Roy and Jerry,
You want a plan, here is a plan. Let the stock price of your publicly traded organization drop to say 20 then take it private for around 25 Billion. Then, both of you can continue to play with investors' money at your leisure. Today however, Yahoo is a public company and should be managed as such. If you are not capable of managing to derive the greatest shareholder value, you should step down. It would appear that you have demonstrated managerial incompetence by allowing a freak like Carl to manage the organization from the outside. Yahoo is not your toy, you lost, Google over it and move on.

[Renegade Knight]

There are two versions of "Shareholder Value"
The GM model. "Only look at the next quarter"
The Toyota model "We are in this for the long haul".
Sure GM had some great quarters and Toyota had a rough haul here and there. But the better result in the long run is clear. Based on how Yahoo is acting they seem closer to Toyota and are having a rough spell because others are trying to force the GM model on them.

[Renegade Knight]

There are two versions of "Shareholder Value"
The GM model. "Only look at the next quarter"
The Toyota model "We are in this for the long haul".
Sure GM had some great quarters and Toyota had a rough haul here and there. But the better result in the long run is clear. Based on how Yahoo is acting they seem closer to Toyota and are having a rough spell because others are trying to force the GM model on them.

[Bill_I]

I think the management of Yahoo is painfully aware of what happened when AOL bought Netscape. A lot of people quit, they were called Netscapees. Much later, we have Firefox.

[fredtheviking]

Carl Icahn has a great of leverage and I think that what this letter is for. The Board is trying to woo shareholders with this letter and also making a statement about employee plan. But the tone of the letter seems quite personal. It seems to me that there is too many egos on the board. The problem is if Carl Icahn takes over he will not get as good deal as Microsoft before. I love to see Carl Icahn to be holding a company he can't get rid of.

[onlyauser]

GO CARL!

[cardonamartha]

All I can say is you know in Texas they say, "Remember the Alamo", well, then "Remember what he did to TWA". research and beware!! :(

[cardonamartha]

In response to by nzamparello earliers blog, I totally agree with you and Mr. Icahn's interest. IWhenever I fly and I talk to former TWA employees, not one former employee has a positive comment to say. Cuz, now they r working for American Airlines and other former empoyees retired, health care benefits has been subject to cut backs. Wow, Icahn really sleeps well at night.