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Yahoo CEO Wrongly Claimed To Have Degree In Computer Science

Posted by samzenpus on from the was-that-wrong? dept.

jmcbain writes "Scott Thompson, Yahoo!'s CEO who was hired on January 4 of this year, was found to have lied about his CS degree from Stone Hill College. Investigation from an activist shareholder revealed that his degree was actually in accounting, and apparently Thompson had been going with this lie since the time he served as president of PayPal's payments unit."

19 of 363 comments (clear)

  1. I would've went with accounting by outsider007 · · Score: 5, Funny

    Yahoo needs an accounting CEO more than a cs one lately.

    --
    If you mod me down the terrorists will have won
    1. Re:I would've went with accounting by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 5, Funny

      No, it's redundant.

    2. Re:I would've went with accounting by Black+Parrot · · Score: 5, Funny

      Yea... an accountant. He already said that.

      To retread an old joke about politicians:

      Q: How do you know an accountant is lying?

      A: His pencil is moving.

      --
      Sheesh, evil *and* a jerk. -- Jade
    3. Re:I would've went with accounting by Greyfox · · Score: 5, Funny

      Obviously not a very good one. He seems to be having trouble accounting for a CS degree...

      --

      I'm trying to teach myself to set people on fire with my mind... Is it hot in here?

    4. Re:I would've went with accounting by Billly+Gates · · Score: 5, Interesting

      Sadly that is the problem with Corporate America today.

      You laugh it off, but why do you think corporate America still prefers IE 6 & XP and only looks at IT as a cost center and sales as profit centers and everything else as a un necessary cost?

      The reason why is accountants run the show and follow GAAP rules and know little about the business. Wall Street just wants someone to fudge numbers so they can pump and then short the stock within a 6 - 9 week window.

      Accountants make the claim I made x amount of money therefore I can raise your stock price etc.

      Is there any CEOs who were former engineers or designers left? A CEO with an IT background would be actually nice for an IT company! Who would ahve thought!

      --
      http://saveie6.com/
  2. Doesn't that make him a better CEO? by JoeMerchant · · Score: 5, Funny

    Pathological disregard for others makes a more ruthless and efficient leader, isn't that what shareholders want?

  3. So? by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 5, Insightful

    Was he able to do the job well? Does it REALLY matter? If he got away with it that long I say good for him, if his employers aren't smart enough or care enough to verify they weren't really that concerned about his credentials.

    1. Re:So? by J+Story · · Score: 5, Insightful

      Was he able to do the job well? Does it REALLY matter? If he got away with it that long I say good for him, if his employers aren't smart enough or care enough to verify they weren't really that concerned about his credentials.

      Maybe this is an indication that degrees are over-rated. Or to be charitable, that it isn't particularly important exactly what you learn.

  4. firstly by NemoinSpace · · Score: 5, Informative

    Now that everyone realizes he's not an IT guy, he'll probably ask for a raise.

  5. Reminds me of Disney by Grayhand · · Score: 5, Insightful

    "Investigation from an activist shareholder revealed that his degree was actually in accounting" Back when I worked for Disney we called Eisner that guy from accounting, it's actually a Berke Breathed quote we borrowed. It's amazing how many of these supposed CEOs are glorified accountants. Kind of explains the whole lack of imagination in big business.

    1. Re:Reminds me of Disney by hey! · · Score: 5, Interesting

      Actually, my experience with actual CPA's has been that they're a pleasure to work with. For one thing they file kick-ass bug reports. A good accountant knows how difficult it is to track a problem down, because a lot of what they do amounts to financial debugging.

      The *really* good accountants I've known also understand something important, which is the limitations of their discipline. That's probably a prerequisite for being really good at any profession, but accountants generally are more aware of the limitations of their profession than, say, lawyers are. So I think the problem is more likely managers thinking they're accountants than vice versa.

      It's understandable, because management is an interdisciplinary field in which the only guarantee of success would be a working time machine. Managers out of their depth tend to grasp at straws (like anyone would); sometimes its accounting, other times it is marketing, other times it is quality control. I think a great manager would know the limits of the management discipline, and focus on hiring great people and keeping them working together.

      Anyhow, the accountants I've worked with have been terrific, and I've learned a lot from them; so whenever I hear "accountant" casually used as a pejorative, I like to speak up.

      --
      Post may contain irony: discontinue use if experiencing mood swings, nausea or elevated blood pressure.
  6. Ironically by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 5, Funny

    A quick Google search would have exposed his charade a long time ago.

    1. Re:Ironically by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 5, Funny

      I think a Yahoo search would have been even more ironical...

  7. And he still has a job? by Guppy06 · · Score: 5, Insightful

    If he were labor, HR would have sent security to escort him out of the building before this even got to press.

    That must be one hell of a golden parachute he's packing.

  8. "Wrongly claimed.." by 3Cats · · Score: 5, Funny

    I asked my son if he broke the neighbor's window, he "wrongly claimed" that he didn't.

    My boss asked me if I was coming in to work today and I "wrongly claimed" I was ill.

    "Sweetheart, I am not "wrongly claiming" when I told you I never slept with your sister. It was an "inadvertent error" ..I *LIKE* this !

  9. Re:CEO's by houstonbofh · · Score: 5, Insightful

    Why do CEO's in this country think they are above everyone else, demanding excessive compensation and feel they can prevaricate with impunity when it suits their purposes?

    Because people continue to give them excessive compensation, and they keep getting away with the lies... In other words, they believe that because it is true.

  10. "wrongly claimed"??? by mark-t · · Score: 5, Insightful

    Oh fer crissake...

    The man lied. Nothing more to it than that

    "wrongly claimed"... give me a break.

    --
    File under 'M' for 'Manic ranting'
  11. Fire Him by JStyle · · Score: 5, Insightful

    I say fire him immediately. Having someone at the top who egregiously lied for so long sets the tone for the whole company. That's not how you want to do business, so that's not who you want as your leader.

  12. Fired for fraud by lanner · · Score: 5, Insightful

    Failure for Yahoo's board to terminate his employment with cause for fraud would be a clear indication of corruption at the highest levels in the organization.

    I would not be surprised if he were to stay. That's just how those people think. It's basically the good 'ol boy system in the modern day.