
Carol Bartz: Yahoo "f---ed me over" - taylorbuley
http://postcards.blogs.fortune.cnn.com/2011/09/08/carol-bartz-fired-yahoo/
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wccrawford
Any (ex) CEO that doesn't know why they got fired by someone reading a
lawyer's script obviously doesn't have a clue how things work. A firing of
that magnitude has to go by the book, and they have to close every legal
loophole they can. No personal messages, no teary goodbyes... Just a lawyer's
letter.

The phonecall method seems horrible, but what was the alternative? You don't
want them in the building because you don't want a scene, either from their
being hysterical, or from the guards escorting them to the door. A letter
could only be worse.

No, they played this by the book, and she's upset about them doing things
correctly. And badmouthing them over it.

The personal insult during the phone call really shows her character.

~~~
danilocampos
> Any (ex) CEO that doesn't know why they got fired by someone reading a
> lawyer's script obviously doesn't have a clue how things work.

I want to be clear, here: you're telling me that it is your position that
someone who was CEO of Autodesk – not exactly a shareware developer or
anything – served in that role for 14 years and oversaw its rise to dominance
over its space... doesn't "have a clue" how things work?

Is it possible that she simply expected a little better than a phone call,
given that she's _the CEO of the company_?

> The personal insult during the phone call really shows her character.

It does. It shows me she's a straight talker and the sort of person who
expects the same from others. I like those kinds of people – with them, I
always know where I stand. Fuck the phonies.

~~~
wccrawford
I love straight talkers.

Insults like that are not 'straight talk'. She could easily have said, "I
expected better than this." It's just as straight without the personal insult.

Edit: I keep thinking about this and getting more incensed. Being abusive is
not straight talking. There's no need to attack him personally. Ever. She can
say that the entire company has let her down... But she can't attack him
personally. Abuse like this is simply not acceptable.

And a CEO should know better.

~~~
cbs
>Insults like that are not 'straight talk'. She could easily have said, "I
expected better than this."

Self-censoring is still self-censoring.

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rbanffy
I see a mess where there should be none. What's the problem with these people?
Firing over the phone, seeking out media attention and badmouthing your former
employer... It really doesn't matter if you are the chairman of the board or
the CEO, there are things you really shouldn't do.

~~~
ddw
I can't imagine even a lowly temp warrants being fired over the phone. It's
just common decency. If there are security or legal concerns then film it and
have a lawyer and security guard there. But doing it over the phone doesn't
make Yahoo! look good, not that much of anything does anymore.

Additionally, why wasn't this one of those "resign or we'll get rid of you"
situations? That's how I've seen it worked at companies I've worked at in the
past. Doing it over the phone seems purposefully spiteful.

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hammock
_why wasn't this one of those "resign or we'll get rid of you" situations?_

It was: "After Tuesday's call from Bostock, Bartz says, she had two hours to
let Yahoo know whether she would resign or allow the board to fire her"

~~~
ddw
My bad!

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ZipCordManiac
I have seen a whole lot of this woman cussing in the news lately. The image
she puts out is low class, and she didn't make the company money. It's no
mystery why she was fired. There is a time and place for profanity, and it's
very rarely in the professional setting.

~~~
earl
Low class? That's sexist bullshit. There's plenty of men that speak exactly
the same way -- starting with Larry Ellison, and go read about his behavior
sometime -- yet don't get the same opprobrium. It's because she's a woman.

~~~
ZipCordManiac
I wouldn't treat a male any differently. It's low class. I don't recall any
major CEO's on the front page of tech sites cussing before this. Ever. It
shows a poor lack of control. What is said behind doors, not to the press, is
something else entirely. That's not even touching on the professionalism of
publicly calling out a previous employer. Talk about burning bridges and
ruining a reputation.

~~~
Causalien
Joe Biden: It's a big fucking deal.

~~~
ZipCordManiac
You probably should have chosen somebody who wasn't a complete douche bag to
make your example. Joe Biden cussing like that makes him look like a complete
fool. I am all for cussing when situation is right, but this (and Biden's
mockery) is just vulgar for the sake of being vulgar. There is a time and a
place for vulgarity, press releases is not one of them. It just makes you look
foolish, easily manipulated emotionally, and unprofessional in my eyes.

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jtchang
The situation is sour to begin with. A lawyer script though? This isn't a
cover your ass situation. This is about respect.

I think she honestly spoke what was on her mind. She was insulted that they
would do it via an impersonal lawyer script and said as much.

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grannyg00se
She was asked whether she would like to resign or be fired if she refused. Can
someone clarify what advantage there would be to one option over the other? I
imagine resignation would provide less financial compensation than letting
them fire you.

