Terry Semel

Chairman and CEO, Yahoo!

A Conversation with Terry Semel
33 minutes, 15.2mb, recorded 2005-10-06
Terry Semel, Yahoo!

Through a mixture of new development and acquisition, Yahoo! is rapidly moving into new markets and positioning themselves against new competitors. Terry Semel, chairman and CEO of Yahoo! talks with Tim O'Reilly about the new directions Yahoo! is taking, the strengths it brings to those new markets, and the challenges it will face there.

Terry and Tim discuss Yahoo!'s new role as an original news provider and its recent decisions regarding its business in China, the monetization of content and pageviews, and overall openness. A brief question and answer with audience members follows and Terry discusses Yahoo!'s strengths and the importance of user generated content to Yahoo!'s future.


Terry Semel joined Yahoo! as chairman and chief executive officer of Yahoo! Inc in May 2001. He has led a successful transition of the company by identifying and pursuing new opportunities within Yahoo!'s two core businesses, marketing services and consumer services. He has also assembled a talented executive team that has overseen the continued growth of Yahoo!'s global user base, a turnaround in Yahoo!'s marketing services offerings, and introduced new revenue opportunities, including sponsored search, listings, and services bundled with high-speed internet access.

Previously, Semel spent 24 years at Warner Bros., most notably in his role as chairman and co-chief executive officer where he and his partner, Robert Daly, helped build Warner Bros. into one of the world's largest and most creative media and entertainment enterprises. Like Yahoo!, Warner Bros. reaches billions of worldwide consumers through its vast stable of properties. Semel is credited with building Warner Bros. from a single revenue source generating less than $1 billion to nearly $11 billion total revenues from multiple, diverse businesses in 50 countries. Prior to Warner Bros., Semel managed Walt Disney's Theatrical Distribution division, and CBS' Theatrical Distribution division.

Semel is currently on the Board of Directors of Polo Ralph Lauren Corporation, Revlon, Inc., and the Guggenheim Museum.

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