
Yahoo SEC Filing: Name change to Altaba Inc and director resignations - patmcguire
https://investor.yahoo.net/secfiling.cfm?filingID=1193125-17-5897&CIK=1011006&soc_src=mail&soc_trk=ma
======
riemannzeta
For those confused, this filing is reporting a name change because the
operating business (including its brand, domain name, etc.) is being acquired
by Verizon out of what is now Yahoo! Inc. So the Yahoo business, its name,
domains, and so on are not going anywhere as a result of this announcement.
Altaba is just the name of of the company that will hold the investments that
Verizon didn't acquire, including Alibaba shares.

~~~
sperglord
Haha, Verizon owns America Online as well. Perhaps they're going to collect
all relics of the 90's internet into some kind of Voltron monster.

~~~
LeoPanthera
I hope someone at Verizon cares about history and is preserving things for
future museums.

------
stanleydrew
Rather than the inevitable bashing of Marissa that will undoubtedly unfurl on
this thread, I'd like to put in a little reminder that we usually celebrate
taking on big projects and big risks and that we should commend her for taking
on the immense challenge of steadying the Yahoo ship.

Yes, she wasn't able to keep the ship from sinking. But I do think she put in
a good-faith effort.

~~~
akjainaj
I think there is absolutely no indication that anybody, other than Jesus
Christ himself descending from the skies mounted on a Harley Davidson in
flames, could have saved Yahoo.

So, bashing Marissa here would be really, really pointless and sad.

~~~
nikcub
I don't think that is true. In 2012 Yahoo had $5B a year in revenue and was
the second most visited property on the web.

When Thompson stepped down the board were given two proposals. The first,
revive Yahoo as a premium tech firm lead by someone like Mayer, or 2. admit
that Yahoo is now a media co and double down on the verticals where Yahoo is
winning - especially those where you can sell premium ads (Finance, Sport)

The board had delusions of grandeur and saw Yahoo's as still being on the same
level as Google rather than taking the safer bet and building out the media
company.

Being a media company isn't as interesting - but there are a lot of public,
medium sized tech media co's out there who get along just fine (and some even
have an innovative breakthrough every now and then - like IAC) - and Yahoo,
with the later plan, would have been the best of this bunch.

~~~
sperglord
I was surprised to learn at a conference in October that America Online still
exists(!), and this (media) is the route that they took. Apparently they own
the Huffington Post and Engadget now.

~~~
gnicholas
AOL was acquired by Verizon, so in a sense they still exist, but in another
sense not. They did own/operate HuffPo, Engadget, and other properties for
some time prior to the Verizon acquisition.

~~~
empath75
Yahoo is more or less going to be folded into aol, actually.

~~~
bastardoperator
I also heard the recent AOL layoffs had much to do with duplicate positions at
Yahoo and that Yahoo will fall under the AOL umbrella.

------
coderholic
The only mention of Mayer I can find is

> Each of David Filo, Eddy Hartenstein, Richard Hill, Marissa Mayer, Jane Shaw
> and Maynard Webb has indicated that he or she intends to resign from the
> Board effective upon the Closing, and that his or her intention to resign is
> not due to any disagreement with the Company on any matter relating to the
> Company’s operations, policies or practices.

Which indicates that she'll resign from the board, but doesn't say anything
about her resigning as CEO. Is that just left off here because it doesn't
require SEC disclosure, or is it a possibility that she'll stay?

~~~
SonOfLilit
If she stays, it should be with Verizon Yahoo, not with Altaba (shell
containing Alibaba shares formerly known as Yahoo), which is a kind of company
Mayer has no experience managing (and also not a managerial challenge worth
the kind of salary she can get elsewhere)

------
interknot
Well, at least they _registered_ Altaba.com. No IP address as of now, though
it looks like their mail is handled by Google Apps!

~~~
logicallee
You're kidding. Tell me you're kidding.

~~~
akjainaj
And that's not everything because this is the TXT record

altaba.com. 1800 IN TXT "google-site-verification=vO3De5z6qb-
AeM1GmHkcC5dlWA_cw-7WKN5xhcyFFPM"

~~~
stanleydrew
That's required for Google's domain ownership verification, which is a pre-
requisite to enabling G Suite (formerly known as Google Apps for Domains).

------
reid
This says Marissa will not be involved with Altaba Inc. (RemainCo) after
Yahoo's operating business is sold to Verizon. Which makes sense, since any
future of her leadership is with the operating business instead of the
investment company Altaba.

------
folz
Key takeaways from this filing: Yahoo CEO Marissa Mayer is resigning and the
company is changing its name to "Altaba Inc."

(The article link was changed from
[https://twitter.com/BuzzFeedNews/status/818589759320637440](https://twitter.com/BuzzFeedNews/status/818589759320637440)
at around 50 points)

~~~
bmuon
For the record, this is incorrect. The SEC filing does not indicate she is
resigning as CEO. See other comments for explanations about what's actually
going on.

------
djsumdog
I wish there was a real alternative to search. I use DuckDuckGo, but I believe
they run on AWS and purchase index data from Yandex et. al.

At this point, is it even feasible for anyone to enter the general search
market, or has Google simply set the barrier to entry too high? Are there any
niche search engines that focus on things Google has either removed or doesn't
index? Are there other alternatives besides DDG, StartPage, Yandex and Bing?

~~~
hoorayimhelping
_" At this point, is it even feasible for anyone to enter the desktop computer
market, or has Microsoft simply set the barrier to entry too high?"_

-Us, 1999

One thing I've observed in tech over the past 25 years is that change comes
from unexpected places and often very quickly.

~~~
Cyph0n
Uhhh how has the answer to that question changed though? Windows remains the
undisputed king of the desktop.

~~~
tomhoward
Mac has a much more significant market share than it did then, there are
several viable alternatives to MS Office, and iOS and Android have kept
Windows from having any significant market share in mobile.

That last point is the most significant here: sure, you might not be able to
beat Google at Google-like search, but you can try to start building the thing
that will become more important than Google-like search in the next 5-10
years.

~~~
Cyph0n
Mac has increased in market share yes, but it's still not even close to a
threat.

MS Office is, like Windows, still the king of office productivity application
suites. Yes, there are competitors, but they are not a threat to MS as far as
I know.

I'm not entirely sure that mobile will be replacing desktop in the near
future. People have been shouting "fire!" for years now when it comes to
tablets vs. desktop. Regardless, the original comment was talking specifically
about desktop.

~~~
tomhoward
> Regardless, the original comment was talking specifically about desktop.

Yes but that's the point. Microsoft may still be the most dominant player on
the desktop, but they're no longer the most important company in tech, because
the desktop is no longer the only important platform.

Google, Amazon, Facebook and Apple are all now as important or more important
than Microsoft, because they all run platforms that are as important or more
important than Windows.

It was hard to imagine that ever happening in 1999, yet it had started
happening, and it became clearly apparent that it was happening within just a
few years.

Similarly, whilst Google might seem hopelessly dominant now due to their
dominance in search, their dominance over tech will subside when the next
important new platform emerges.

~~~
lorenzorhoades
I think the OP was talking specifically about search, not tech in general.
It's rather obvious that unless companies constantly reinvent themselves that
the new tech will replace old methods. His question was directed toward the
possibility of someone coming in and taking over search as it is today. Which
i'm curious of other opinion on this question as well, because frankly I think
unless a radical innovation happens in the field, that modern day search is
going to be forever relegated to google.

~~~
tomhoward
> I think the OP was talking specifically about search, not tech in general.

Yeah fair enough, so they were.

> It's rather obvious that unless companies constantly reinvent themselves
> that the new tech will replace old methods.

It's obvious in theory/hindsight, but not so much in the real world, as it's
impossible to predict exactly what the next important thing will look like -
which is why it's pretty much always a new upstart that invents it rather than
an incumbent.

> His question was directed toward the possibility of someone coming in and
> taking over search as it is today. Which i'm curious of other opinion on
> this question as well, because frankly I think unless a radical innovation
> happens in the field, that modern day search is going to be forever
> relegated to google.

Well, for what it's worth, and if it isn't already clear from my previous
comments, I'm pretty sure Google will always dominate search-as-we-know-it,
but that's not that big a deal, because search-as-we-know-it won't always be
as important as it is now.

------
ubercow
I wonder what's going to happen to Flickr. I still haven't found a replacement
place to host my pictures that I want to show off to others.

~~~
uptown
Check out Koken. Self-hosting but it's pretty great.

~~~
scott_karana
Looks nice, but for some of us, Flickr is also about externalizing management
of TBs of redundant storage ;)

------
Apocryphon
Etymology of that name - AltaVista + Ali Baba?

~~~
larkinrichards
I figured it is pronounced "alt tabba"; it's so handy that you keep it an alt-
tab away.

Perhaps Ogden Nash wrote a poem about it?

~~~
voidz
"T'alt-tab or _not_ t'alt-tab?"

Wait, that wasn't Nash's. Never mind, carry on.

------
Animats
Altaba is just a investment company. The operating business will be sold to
Verizon (if Verizon doesn't back out), and the money from the sale goes to
Altaba. At that point Altaba ought to liquidate and divide the money among the
shareholders, but the management may try to invest in other things to justify
their jobs.

------
CydeWeys
Is this like Google's move to be under Alphabet as a parent company? Altaba is
for the holding group that controls that substantial overseas investments
while Yahoo becomes just a brand used for some of their web properties that
can be sold off if necessary?

~~~
harryh
That's exactly right except for the "if necessary" part. A deal to sell off
all of the web properties to verizon has already been made.

~~~
CydeWeys
That deal may have gone pear-shaped following the latest and greatest breach,
though. Maybe "if possible" would have been wording on my part.

------
user982
Altabax is a skin cream for bacterial infections.

------
protomyth
Was Marissa Mayer expected to stay with the investment company, move over to
Verizon with the Yahoo property, or leave entirely?

~~~
harryh
She was expected to leave entirely. This is not a surprise.

~~~
praneshp
Source? She has said repeatedly she will be with the unit that is going to
Verizon, and I didn't see anything different yet.

~~~
harryh
Ah yes, you appear to be correct. As of now she's going to Verizon with the
sale. Personally I can't imagine her lasting very long there but I suppose you
never know.

------
powera
"In light of the fact that following the Closing the Company will operate as
an investment company under the Investment Company Act of 1940" \- this is
why. It will let Verizon save billions of dollars on Alibaba stock if it can
get Yahoo out of the way.

[http://fortune.com/2016/02/08/verizon-yahoo-alibaba-
taxes/](http://fortune.com/2016/02/08/verizon-yahoo-alibaba-taxes/)

~~~
harryh
It won't let verizon save anything. Verizon is purchasing the operating
companies and has nothing to do with the alibaba shares.

------
gigatexal
end of an era -- I wonder what Jerry Yang is thinking right now?

~~~
petercooper
I'd like to imagine the multi-billionaire has taken a nostalgic moment out to
reminisce, but I doubt he will be too cut up :-)

~~~
gigatexal
right, i bet he's laughing a lot.

------
thinkloop
What's the verdict on Marissa, did she do a bad job, or was yahoo simply
unsaveable?

~~~
chmaynard
All of the above.

------
akvadrako
I wish Yahoo would make more great series like...

[https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Other_Space](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Other_Space)

------
shuri
I'm guessing the brand doesn't need to change.

------
wbsun
Probably shouldn't laugh at the new name, but "altaba" really sounds like
"ali(baba)'s father" in Chinese...

------
gm-conspiracy
Will they sell the broadcast.com domain (or will it 301 to altaba)?

I have a great idea to use that domain to host streaming of live youth sports.

~~~
harryh
broadcast.com (as well as all the rest of Yahoo's domains) is undoubtedly part
of the sale of assets to Verizon.

------
mdekkers
Altaba? Because a rebrand is certainly going to rescue the company. I can see
the meetings now. "we need to do something" "....." "Let's do a rebrand! It
will all give us the feeling we are doing something"

------
rabboRubble
Alta Vista + Alibaba = Altaba?

This new name is a confusing mishmash.

------
oh_sigh
Is Altaba etymologically related to Alibaba?

------
jpswade
Yahoo should focus on discussion.

------
voidz
Should have called it Yooha!

~~~
tyingq
I'd have gone with an semi-anagram like: Oh,Hay!

------
beedogs
What an absolutely TERRIBLE new name. Why do they think this is a good idea?

~~~
dpark
Because it doesn't matter. It'll be a holding company for people who basically
want to own Alibaba shares. From that perspective, it's a great name, because
it reads a lot like "alternate alibaba".

------
LeoPanthera
The headline was changed but the new one reveals nothing. For those who don't
want to dig through the filing: Meyer has resigned from the board and Yahoo is
renaming to "Altaba".

Edit: It changed again. That's better.

~~~
cheald
The document says that Mayer is resigning from the Board of Directors, not
necessarily as CEO.

> Marissa Mayer ... has indicated that he or she intends to resign from the
> Board effective upon the Closing,

~~~
ec109685
Will resign. She hasn't resigned yet.

------
goldfishcaura
When all else fails, try renaming the business...

------
meowschwitz
the name is not the problem.

~~~
ryanlol
now it might be!

------
devopsproject
this is dumb

------
meesterdude
It makes perfect sense if you look at it from the perspective of deliberate
ship sinking.

~~~
voidz
Altabandon Ship?

Alt-A, Backspace?

All t'abort, aaaah!

 _(OK, I 'll show myself out.)_

 _Sneaks in edit:_ ah of course: _Altabasta!_

------
Crito
I'm surprised she lasted this long.

~~~
throwaway91111
Nobody cares.

~~~
Crito
Sounds like you might. ;)

------
inetsee
Does this mean that my email addresses will change to "@altaba.com"?

~~~
bmuon
No. Yahoo as a brand will continue to exist. Verizon will own the brand.

~~~
voidz
Sounds contradictory though, doesn't it?

~~~
bmuon
No. It doesn't.

------
vthallam
I understand the recent security failures of Yahoo must have weakened the
company brand name to certain extent, but it's a 2 decade old web company
almost every know off, not sure what made the decision in favor of the new
name.

------
shshhdhs
Changing the brand under these circumstances doesn't make sense to me. Brands
take years to build, and Yahoo dominates as a brand in Japan. It seems sloppy
PR to pick a name like "Altaba" within mere weeks/months of deciding to buy
Yahoo.

~~~
tlackemann
This is what I'm confused about. Yahoo is a big brand with a lot of companies,
is Tumblr now owned by Altaba? Altaba Weather?

~~~
bmuon
No. Nothing changes for the products. Altaba is a new company that just owns
stock in Alibaba and Yahoo Japan. Tumblr will be owned by Yahoo Holdings,
which will be owned by Verizon. Yahoo Weather will still be Yahoo Weather.

------
wopwopwop
Around 4 years too late.

------
mkaziz
Yeesh, that name sounds like something a fifth grader would come up with.

~~~
dingaling
It has been registered for 15 years but it looks like it was purchased by
Yahoo within the last three months:

Creation Date: 2001-10-09T04:22:42-0700

Updated Date: 2016-10-25T09:47:51-0700

Appears to have previously been owned by a Barcelona-based furniture supplier:

[https://www.google.co.uk/search?q=site:altaba.com](https://www.google.co.uk/search?q=site:altaba.com)

who are now on altaba.cat.

But the new owners have quickly modified the robots.txt and hence locked-out
public access on archive.org

------
erickhill
Changing a company name is one thing. Google did the same, essentially, with
the formation of Alphabet. But please, dear God, don't tell me they are
changing their domain. It's like the Eddie Murphy joke about falling down the
stairs - for what seems like an eternity. ["My shoe!"]

It's hard to believe what's become of the mighty Y! brand.

~~~
BinaryIdiot
Yahoo will still be around. Essentially the assets / pieces sold to Verizon
will be "Yahoo". The rest of this company will be under "Altaba".

------
cowardlydragon
I would like yahoo to go screw itself for one specific reason:

Microsoft had offered its war chest to buy them, and yahoo turned them down.
It had a good chance of bringing down Microsoft in the long run, and yahoo
would have done a solid for the world.

But they turned them down. The ONE TIME I want a goddamn company executive
leadership to take the money and run, and they didn't.

------
PaulRobinson
First scan read I thought they were changing their name to "Alberta Inc." and
thought to myself "well, that's one way to deal with the inauguration..."

"Alt + Tab" is the only reasonable thing I can think of it being rooted in.
But even that sucks like a sucky thing.

~~~
TallGuyShort
I wondered if it was related to Alibaba, which has been closely linked with
Yahoo.

