Marissa Mayer, vice president, search products and user experience for Google, will be the new CEO of Yahoo. (Photo: Robert Galbraith / Reuters)
The move, which Yahoo officially announced late Monday, is a coup for the company, which has been embroiled in turmoil, both at an executive level and financially, for the past several years. The company has , making Mayer the search company's third CEO in a year.
"I'm incredibly excited to start my new role at ! tomorrow," Mayer tweeted, shortly after Yahoo announced her hiring.
The company has been searching for a new CEO ever since its last chief executive, Scott Thompson, in May, embroiled in an investigation over the legitimacy of his academic credentials. He had been with the company for only five months.
Thompson was brought on after his predecessor, Carol Bartz, in September 2011.
It's been a tough year for a company that was once a shining Internet pioneer but has struggled financially and fallen behind other Internet companies, including , and .
Stepping in to take over Yahoo will be a challenge for Mayer.
"I am honored and delighted to lead Yahoo, one of the Internet's premier destinations for more than 700 million users," Mayer said in a statement from Yahoo. "I look forward to working with the company's dedicated employees to bring innovative products, content, and personalized experiences to users and advertisers all around the world."
Sharon Gaudin covers the Internet and Web 2.0, emerging technologies, and desktop and laptop chips for Computerworld. Follow Sharon on Twitter at , on or subscribe to . Her email address is .
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