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Yahoo Board Director Patti Hart Stepping Down Over Thompson Scandal

Posted by Unknown on from the sealed-fate dept.

concertina226 writes "Yahoo has announced that board member Patti Hart, who led the committee that hired CEO Scott Thompson, will be stepping down. Hart has been under fire for overseeing the hiring of Thompson, whose resume wasn't fully vetted. I know some of you on Slashdot think that Scott Thompson didn't do anything wrong by claiming he had a computer science degree on his CV when he doesn't, but don't you think it's kind of weird that the guy who lied gets to keep his job as CEO, yet this director is being made a scapegoat? It just sends out the message that it's cool to pretend to have qualifications that you don't have."

9 of 96 comments (clear)

  1. Seems typical, actually. by Grygus · · Score: 4, Insightful

    Surely you do not expect that a CEO will be held to account?

    1. Re:Seems typical, actually. by Penguinisto · · Score: 4, Informative

      He probably will in due time.

      Ms Hart's problem was that she was put in charge of making sure his history was on the up-and-up, and she screwed up in a big way, potentially costing a metric ton of money to the company (the bulk of that loss going towards some golden parachute that Thompson likely has in his contract.) Long story short, she kinda had it coming for failing to do due diligence. It's not like they were hiring a new janitor - they were hiring the frickin' CEO. Microscopic vetting and researching of a candidate's background is pretty much a normal thing for that position, and the board has to do it - you don't trust that kind of work for that kind of position to HR drones.

      I figure Thompson may get fired, but they probably want to do it in a way that doesn't touch off lawsuits, or force them to pay out whatever severance money is listed in the contract. Yeah, I know that lies in the resume would normally count as a big reason why one can get fired with cause, but I don't know the details of his contract, and maybe the causes are limited to some list, with no one thinking that bullshitting on the resume would be one of those causes.

      --
      Quo usque tandem abutere, Nimbus, patientia nostra?
    2. Re:Seems typical, actually. by Chris+Mattern · · Score: 4, Insightful

      Once again, slowly, because some people seem to be slow picking up the point.

      The problem is not that he does not have a CS degree. The problem is that he wilfully and knowingly lied to the board and to the company. You may have no problem with a CEO you cannot trust. If I was on that board, I most certainly would.

  2. Give it time. by alexander_686 · · Score: 4, Insightful

    It's not that their firing a scapegoat, it is that it takes longer to fire the CEO.

    And I don’t care if he has a Accounting or CS degree. What matters is his leadership abilities, which means setting the tone for values and ethics, which it looks like he is failing at.

  3. Re:or perhaps... by Idbar · · Score: 4, Interesting

    The message is simple, even though I don't agree with it:
    "The ends justify the means"

    Why wouldn't you want someone like that as a CEO?

  4. Re:or perhaps... by donaggie03 · · Score: 4, Funny

    ...perhaps it sends the message that what you are able to do, and what you continue to do effectively is more important than what on-paper tests you've passed.

    By that logic, the board member selected a candidate for CEO who ended up being successful at it; and therefore did her job effectively. Shouldn't that be more important that what on-paper test the other guy passed?

    --
    Three days from now?? Thats tomorrow!! ~Peter Griffin
  5. Alpha Dog by StikyPad · · Score: 5, Funny

    don't you think it's kind of weird that the guy who lied gets to keep his job as CEO, yet this director is being made a scapegoat?

    Speaking as someone with a Masters of Social Science, Juris Doctor, and PhD in Theoretical Particle Physics/Cosomolgy, I see no problem with this whatsoever. After all, if someone who's qualified to issue himself a degree isn't good enough to be CEO, then who is?

    --
    https://www.eff.org/https-everywhere
  6. Patti Hart lied on her resume too by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 5, Informative

    Stories are that Patti Hart also falsified her educational credentials too:
    bloomberg.com - Questioning Hart's Background

    "Loeb said that Patti Hart, a Yahoo board member who chairs the search committee, inflated her degree too. Hart, who also serves as CEO of International Game Technology (IGT), is listed in filings as holding a “bachelor’s degree in marketing and economics” from Illinois State University, Loeb said. “However, we understand that Ms. Hart’s degree is in business administration. She received a degree in neither marketing nor economics.” "

  7. Re:Hart must have pissed people off by alexander_686 · · Score: 4, Informative

    Independent board members have a pretty short list of duties.

    Hiring (and compensating) the CEO is one. Like picking a partner for marriage, it is an infrequent decision that has big impacts. And it’s not like it was a subjective decision that can only be evaluated in hindsight. It was a simple, objective part of the hiring process which she failed at. If you have a single marjor duty to do, make sure you do it well.

    Audit committee is the other.

    Short does not mean unimportant. If shareholder democracy is going to work, they have to nail these 2.