Yahoo CEO Jerry Yang to step down

　　美国互联网巨头雅虎公司的首席执行官杨致远１７日晚宣布，鉴于公司陷入困境，他将辞去首席执行官职务。

　　Yahoo CEO Jerry Yang announced Monday that he is stepping down after a turbulent year and a half of running the Internet giant.

　　Yang, 40, told employees in a memo that he will continue as CEO until a replacement is found, then will go back to his old job as " Chief Yahoo." He will remain on the board.

　　Yang, who briefly served as CEO early in the company's history, returned to that job in June 2007 when Terry Semel resigned.

　　Analysts said Yang's resignation was due to growing anger among Yahoo investors who say Yang made a serious mistake by rejecting Microsoft's bid for 33 U.S.dollars a share to buy out Yahoo.

　　Yahoo's stock has slid in value since the rejection. It closed Monday at 10.63 dollars per share.

　　In addition, the company reported three quarters of declining sales and announced a 10-percent staff cut, of 1,500 employees, in October.

　　There was immediate speculation as to whether Yang's departure signals the possibility that a Microsoft deal may be revived. But Microsoft chairman, Steve Balmer, has said he is not interested in buying all of Yahoo.

　　Microsoft declined to comment on Monday's development.

　　Yahoo, which became an Internet powerhouse almost overnight after being founded in 1994, was created by David Filo and Yang, who as Stanford graduate students developed a new way of searching the Web.

　　The business grew rapidly and after a brief stint as CEO, Yang stepped aside to become "Chief Yahoo," an advocate for the company and a source of creative thinking.

　　In the past few years, however, Yahoo has stumbled and been overshadowed by new rival Google. But in fending off the Microsoft takeover attempt, it tried to forge a new search deal with Google. That deal fell apart earlier this month after the U.S Justice Department said it would file a lawsuit to stop the deal.

　　"I have always sought to do what is best for our franchise," Yang said in the statement.

　　"When the board asked me to become CEO and lead the transformation of the company, I did so because it was important to re-envision the business for a different era to drive more effective growth. Having set Yahoo! on a new, more open path, the time is right for me to transition the CEO role and our global talent to a new leader."

　　Yang said he would continue to focus on global strategy and do everything he could to help Yahoo! " to realize its full potential and enhance its leading culture of technology and product excellence and innovation".

　　美国互联网巨头雅虎公司的首席执行官杨致远１７日晚宣布，鉴于公司陷入困境，他将辞去首席执行官职务。

　　杨致远在致员工的一份声明中说，他自去年担任雅虎首席执行官以来，公司历经坎坷，因此他决定辞去公司首席执行官的职务，但他近期内仍将留在现在的位置上，直到
　　公司找到合适的继任者。他还表示，辞职后他将继续留在雅虎董事会。

　　业内人士称，杨致远的辞职与雅虎最近遭遇的两次打击有关：一是拒绝微软公司的收购方案；二是与网络搜索巨头谷歌公司的合作受挫。

　　为打破谷歌在网络广告领域一家独大的局面，微软今年初曾提出以每股３１美元、总价４４６亿美元收购雅虎，后来又提出将收购价格提高至每股３３美元、总价为４７５亿美元，但均遭到雅虎拒绝。雅虎的股东对雅虎此举深表不满，认为雅虎错过了出售的好时机。在１７日的纽约股票市场上，雅虎的股票已跌至每股１０．６３美元。

　　为了扭转被动局面，雅虎曾寻求与谷歌在互联网搜索广告方面进行合作，但雅虎与谷歌的合作却遭到了美司法部和广告商等的强烈反对，原因是双方联手会导致谷歌对互联网广告市场的垄断。本月初，谷歌宣布退出与雅虎的合作计划，以避免引起“长期的法律纠纷”。

　　此外，雅虎连续３个季度销售额下降。今年１０月，公司还宣布裁员１０％，达１５００人。鉴于此，雅虎内部要求杨致远“下课”的呼声日益高涨。