Cowed Yahoo board members' wishlist of Yang and Decker replacements

Yahoo shares are almost below $20 in morning trading and as the company approaches its August 1 annual meeting, Yahoo's directors have finally begun to fear for their jobs and their reputations. They're negotiating with Yahoo's major shareholders and, along with agreeing to renew talks with Microsoft and approach AOL for acquisition, some on the board are offering to promote CEO Jerry Yang into a non-executive chairmanship and fire Yahoo president Sue Decker. Reporter's reporter Kara Swisher reports that shareholders and some board members have already come up with a wish list of names for the top jobs. More »

Arrogant Googlers tempt the gods

Whom the gods would destroy, they first make mad. I'm not sure if Euripides, the Greek playwright, had Google's management team in mind when he wrote that, but it sure fits. Google, despite the occasional lost deal, billion-dollar lawsuit, and PR black eye, continues to succeed spectacularly as a business. "Somehow they continue shitting more money than you or i could realistically comprehend," writes one Valleywag reader. Indeed. And that money is driving the people who run Google insane. CEO Eric Schmidt's cosseting of girlfriend Marcy Simon with a plum PR job is just the latest, most blatant sign of that madness. More »

Pick the Googlers who have to go, part two

Despite CEO Eric Schmidt's promises during Google's most recent earnings call, his company continues to metastasize. This time, it's threatening to swallow up all of New York's Chelsea neighborhood. I have an idea: Rather than lease expensive new real estate, why not boot some current Googlers to make room for new ones? Which brings us to this, the second edition of Toogle Many Googlers! Want to nominate a Googler for toogling? Send in a name and pic. More »

How Tim Armstrong's startup profits from Google

Associated Content, the startup backed by top Google sales executive Tim Armstrong, is controversial because of accusations — hardly denied by CEO Geoff Reiss — that the company is gaming AdSense, Google's system for placing advertisements on other websites. Specifically, Associated Content pays bloggers to write articles on niche topics designed to attract lucrative ads. The problem with the scheme, of course, is that Google's advertisers are interested in placing ads on relevant, high-quality websites, not pages ginned up solely to make a buck. But what's most suspicious about AC is how well, and how quickly, it pays people to gin up those articles. More »

Google executive's startup admits to "gaming AdSense"

We're starting a countdown: How long before Google ad-sales executive Tim Armstrong either leaves the search engine, or leaves the board of Associated Content, the startup he's helping to launch? In his day job, Armstrong sells ads which appear on Google's own websites, as well as sites in its AdSense ad-distribution network. Associated Content, meanwhile, pays bloggers to write lightweight articles on niche topics, in what most observers believe is a cynical attempt to reap profits from Google's AdSense advertisers. AC CEO Geoff Reiss, whom Armstrong hired, admits as much to News.com. Read on for the damning quote which may end Armstrong's cozy arrangement for good. More »