Google's
first female engineer, Marissa Mayer, has made a career out of bucking
expectations -- and she did so once again on Monday by announcing she
will leave Google to be the new CEO of Yahoo, the struggling company
that once was Google's main competitor.
The tech world reacted with shock to the news. But it's perhaps time everyone got used to the idea that Mayer, who was Google's 20th employee and who is credited with the success of many of its most famous products, isn't the kind of person who does only what people expect her to do.
At Google, Mayer was responsible for overseeing the launch of some of the company's most iconic products, including Gmail, Google Maps and iGoogle.
But it was her keen design aesthetic that in part led to her success at Google, which she helped grow into one of the biggest tech and Internet companies on the planet. Mayer's most enduring legacy at Google may prove to be the company's search engine homepage, with its minimalist feel, ample white space and bright blue, red, yellow and green colors. She is credited with pushing for that clean, approachable look -- which seems to be a reflection of her style outside the office, too.
Forbes said the Yahoo job puts Mayer "in the running for the title of the most powerful woman in tech."
And the blog ReadWriteWeb said she is "just what Yahoo needs."
"This is a great move for Yahoo, which has stewed in mediocrity for years," wrote ReadWriteWeb's Dan Frommer. "Mayer, a big shot in Silicon Valley and a perfectionist product-type executive, could legitimately make Yahoo respectable again. At the very least, she will command attention."
The tech world reacted with shock to the news. But it's perhaps time everyone got used to the idea that Mayer, who was Google's 20th employee and who is credited with the success of many of its most famous products, isn't the kind of person who does only what people expect her to do.
At Google, Mayer was responsible for overseeing the launch of some of the company's most iconic products, including Gmail, Google Maps and iGoogle.
But it was her keen design aesthetic that in part led to her success at Google, which she helped grow into one of the biggest tech and Internet companies on the planet. Mayer's most enduring legacy at Google may prove to be the company's search engine homepage, with its minimalist feel, ample white space and bright blue, red, yellow and green colors. She is credited with pushing for that clean, approachable look -- which seems to be a reflection of her style outside the office, too.
Forbes said the Yahoo job puts Mayer "in the running for the title of the most powerful woman in tech."
And the blog ReadWriteWeb said she is "just what Yahoo needs."
"This is a great move for Yahoo, which has stewed in mediocrity for years," wrote ReadWriteWeb's Dan Frommer. "Mayer, a big shot in Silicon Valley and a perfectionist product-type executive, could legitimately make Yahoo respectable again. At the very least, she will command attention."
New
Yahoo CEO Marissa Mayer was the first female engineer hired at Google
in 1999, where she became one of the company's top executives and most
visible public faces. Only 37, Mayer has often been named one of the
most powerful women in business. Mayer spoke here at at TechCrunch
Disrupt NYC in May 2012.
Mayer
speaks onstage at the FORTUNE Most Powerful Women Dinner in New York
City in May 2011. She was Google's vice president of consumer products
at the time.
Mayer
speaks during the announcement of the launch of Google Instant, a
faster version of Google search, in September 2010 in San Francisco,
California.
News
anchor Matt Lauer and Mayer attend the The 2009 Women of the Year
hosted by Glamour Magazine at Carnegie Hall in New York City in November
2009.
Mayer and musician and activist Wyclef Jean attend TIME's 2010 Person of the Year Panel in November 2010.
Mayer at the launch of Google Maps' Transit feature at Grand Central Station in New York City in September 2008.
