Around the time he spoke, a Yahoo spokesman confirmed that Stata has been replaced as CTO by Ash Munshi and will take on a newly created role at Yahoo as "entrepreneur in residence." The news was by the All Things D website.

As Americas executive vice president, Levinsohn oversees Yahoo's North, Central and South American business, including advertising sales, partnerships and media. "I have an incredible job right now," he said.

As Yahoo executives routinely do, he talked at length about the massive reach the company has through its websites and advertising platforms, emphasizing in particular the company's focus on professionally produced video content.

Still, Yahoo remains in a financial funk, having problems recently even with its U.S. display business, a core and traditionally strong market for the company, and with its wide-ranging search engine and search advertising partnership with Microsoft.

It is also perceived as having lost its technology edge and having to react to hot products other companies produce, such as Facebook and Twitter.