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#redirect [[Yahoo! Inc]]
{{about|the corporation that existed until 2017|the current incarnation of the company|Yahoo (company)|other uses|Yahoo (disambiguation)}}

{{Infobox dot-com company
| name = Yahoo! Inc.
| logo = Yahoo! logo.svg
| Image = Yahoo Headquarters.jpg
| screenshot size = 250px
| caption = Yahoo! headquarters in Sunnyvale, CA
| type = [[Public company|Public]]
| founder = {{Plainlist|
* [[Jerry Yang]]
* [[David Filo]]
}}
| key_people =
| industry = {{Plainlist|
* Internet
* Computer software
}}
| products = {{Plainlist|
* [[Yahoo! News]]
* [[Yahoo! Mail]]
* [[Yahoo! Finance]]
* [[Yahoo! Sports]]
* [[Yahoo! Search]]
* [[Yahoo! Messenger]]
* [[Yahoo! Answers]]
* [[Tumblr]]
* [[Flickr]]
* [[List of Yahoo!-owned sites and services|See Yahoo products]]
}}
| revenue = {{Nowrap|{{Gain}} $5.16 billion (2016)}}<ref name="Yahoo Finance">{{cite web|url=https://www.google.com/finance?q=NASDAQ%3AYHOO&fstype=ii&ei=9imcWNGFLdbxugT4gYyoBQ|title=Yahoo! Inc. Financial Statements|website=Google.com}}</ref>
| operating_income = {{gain}} $-645 million (2016)<ref name="Yahoo Finance"/>
| net_income = {{gain}} $-214 million (2016)<ref name="Yahoo Finance"/>
| assets = {{gain}} $48.08 billion (2016)<ref name="Yahoo Finance"/>
| equity = {{gain}} $31.04 billion (2016)<ref name="Yahoo Finance"/>
| num_employees = 8,500 (2016)<ref>{{cite web|url=http://files.shareholder.com/downloads/YHOO/3840995059x0x924828/B14220C9|title=Yahoo’s Q4 Earnings |date=July 25, 2016|work=Yahoo!}}</ref>
| url = {{url|yahoo.com}}
| alexa = {{Decrease}} [http://www.alexa.com/siteinfo/yahoo.com 6] {{small|{{nowrap|(Global, {{As of|2017|03|28|alt=March 2017}})}}}}<ref name="alexaranking">{{cite web |url=http://www.alexa.com/siteinfo/yahoo.com |title=Yahoo.com Site Overview|website=Alexa.com |publisher=[[Alexa Internet]] |accessdate=March 28, 2017}}</ref>
| image = Yahoo Headquarters
| image_caption = Yahoo headquarters
| traded_as = {{NASDAQ|YHOO}}<br />[[NASDAQ-100|NASDAQ-100 Component]]<br />[[S&P 500|S&P 500 Component]]
| foundation = {{Start date and age|1994|1}} (as Jerry and David's Guide to the World Wide Web)<br />{{Start date and age|1995|3|2}}<br />(as Yahoo!)
| location_city = Sunnyvale, California
| location_country = U.S.
| area_served = Worldwide
| subsid = [[List of acquisitions by Yahoo!|Yahoo subsidiaries]]
| homepage = {{URL|https://www.yahoo.com/}}
}}

'''Yahoo! Inc.'''<ref>{{cite web|url=https://businesssearch.sos.ca.gov/CBS/SearchResults?SearchType=CORP&SearchCriteria=Yahoo!&SearchSubType=Keyword|title=Business Search - Business Entities - Business Programs - California Secretary of State|website=businesssearch.sos.ca.gov}}</ref> was an American multinational [[technology company]] headquartered in Sunnyvale, California. Yahoo was founded by [[Jerry Yang]] and [[David Filo]] in January 1994 and was incorporated on March 2, 1995.<ref>{{cite web|url=https://news.yahoo.com/photos/20-years-of-yahoo-1425235248-slideshow/yahoo-celebrates-20th-anniversary-photo-1425250631030.html|title=Yahoo! celebrates 20th anniversary|work=[[Yahoo! News]]|date=March 1, 2015|accessdate=March 27, 2016}}</ref><ref>{{cite web|url=https://www.yahoo.com/tech/at-20--yahoo-celebrates-and-looks-ahead-025355178.html|title=At 20, Yahoo celebrates and looks ahead|work=Yahoo!|date=March 1, 2015|accessdate=March 27, 2016}}</ref> Yahoo was one of the pioneers of the early internet era in the 1990s.<ref>{{cite web|url=https://www.nytimes.com/2016/07/25/business/yahoo-sale.html|title=Yahoo’s Sale to Verizon Ends an Era for a Web Pioneer|date=July 25, 2016|work=The New York Times}}</ref> [[Marissa Mayer]], a former [[Google]] executive, served as CEO and President of Yahoo until June 2017.<ref>{{cite news |title=Marissa Mayer hopes to improve user experience at Yahoo |url= http://timesofindia.indiatimes.com/tech/enterprise-it/strategy/Marissa-Mayer-hopes-to-improve-user-experience-at-Yahoo/articleshow/15015065.cms |archiveurl= https://web.archive.org/web/20120717195637/http://timesofindia.indiatimes.com/tech/enterprise-it/strategy/Marissa-Mayer-hopes-to-improve-user-experience-at-Yahoo/articleshow/15015065.cms? |archivedate=July 17, 2012 |newspaper=The Times of India |date=July 17, 2012 |last=Perlroth |first=Nicole |location=New Delhi}}</ref>

It was globally known for its [[Web portal]], [[Web search engine|search engine]] [[Yahoo! Search]], and related services, including [[Yahoo! Directory]], [[Yahoo! Mail]], [[Yahoo! News]], [[Yahoo! Finance]], [[Yahoo! Groups]], [[Yahoo! Answers]], [[Yahoo! Advertising#Advertising|advertising]], [[Yahoo! Maps|online mapping]], [[Yahoo! Video|video sharing]], fantasy sports, and its social media website. At its height it was one of the most popular sites in the United States.<ref>{{cite web|title=yahoo.com|url=http://www.quantcast.com/search?q=yahoo|work=Quantcast – It's your audience. We just find it.|publisher=Quantcast Corporation|accessdate=May 23, 2012|author=Staff|year=2012}}</ref> According to third-party web analytics providers, [[Alexa Internet|Alexa]] and [[SimilarWeb]], Yahoo! was the highest-read news and media website, with over 7 billion views per month, being the sixth most visited website globally in 2016.<ref name="alexaranking"/><ref>{{cite web | url=http://www.similarweb.com/website/yahoo.com | title=Yahoo.com Analytics | publisher=SimilarWeb.com | accessdate=June 29, 2015}}</ref><ref>{{cite web | url=http://www.similarweb.com/category/news_and_media | title=Top 50 sites in the world for News And Media | publisher=SimilarWeb.com | accessdate=June 29, 2015}}</ref> According to news sources, roughly 700 million people visited Yahoo websites every month.<ref>{{cite news |title= Yahoo's latest moves baffle some |url= http://www.usatoday.com/tech/news/story/2011-11-07/yahoo-strategy/51115612/1 |accessdate=July 22, 2012 |newspaper=USA Today |date=November 7, 2011 |author=Swartz, Jon |location= Washington, D.C.}}</ref><ref>{{cite news |title= Canada Pension Plan mulls Yahoo! buy, report says |url= http://www.cbc.ca/news/technology/story/2011/10/20/cppib-yahoo-microsoft.html |accessdate=July 22, 2012 |publisher=CBC News |date=October 20, 2011 |location=Toronto}}</ref> Yahoo itself claimed it attracted "more than half a billion consumers every month in more than 30 languages".<ref>{{cite web |title= Yahoo! |url= http://www.linkedin.com/company/yahoo|website=LinkedIn.com |publisher=LinkedIn |accessdate=July 2, 2012|year=2012}}</ref>

Once the most popular website in the U.S., Yahoo slowly started to decline since the late 2000s,<ref name="telegraph.co.uk">{{cite web|url=http://www.telegraph.co.uk/technology/2016/07/25/yahoo-9-reasons-for-the-internet-icons-decline/|title=Yahoo: 9 reasons for the internet icon's decline|publisher=}}</ref> and on February 21, 2017, [[Verizon Communications]] announced its intent to acquire Yahoo's internet business (excluding its stakes in [[Alibaba Group]] and [[Yahoo! Japan]]) for $4.48 billion<ref>{{cite web|url=http://www.reuters.com/article/us-yahoo-m-a-verizon-idUSKBN1601EK|title=Verizon, Yahoo agree to lowered $4.48 billion deal following cyber attacks|date=February 21, 2017|publisher=|via=Reuters}}</ref>—the company was once valued at over $100 billion. Before the transaction was completed, the company expected to change its name to '''Altaba Inc.'''<ref>{{cite web|url=http://variety.com/2017/digital/news/yahoo-verizon-shareholders-approve-deal-close-june-13-1202458478/|title=Yahoo Shareholders Approve Verizon Deal, Set to Close June 13|last=Spangler|first=Todd|work=[[Variety (magazine)|Variety]]|date=June 8, 2017|accessdate=June 8, 2017}}</ref> Verizon completed its acquisition of Yahoo! Inc's internet business on June 13, 2017. Verizon announced that Yahoo! Inc's internet assets would be combined under a new subsidiary, [[Oath Inc.|Oath]].<ref name=":0">{{cite web|url=http://www.cnbc.com/2017/06/13/verizon-completes-yahoo-acquisition-marissa-mayer-resigns.html|title=Verizon completes acquisition of Yahoo as Marissa Mayer resigns|last=Kharpal|first=Arjun|work=CNBC|date=June 13, 2017|accessdate=June 13, 2017}}</ref><ref>{{cite web|url=http://money.cnn.com/2017/06/13/technology/business/yahoo-verizon-deal-closes/index.html|title=End of an era: Yahoo is no longer an independent company|last=Fiegerman|first=Seth|work=CNN Money|date=June 13, 2017|accessdate=June 13, 2017}}</ref>

==History==
{{Main article|History of Yahoo!}}
{{See also|Timeline of Yahoo!}}

===Founding===
[[File:Jerry Yang and David Filo.jpg|thumb|Jerry Yang and David Filo, the founders of Yahoo]]
In January 1994, Yang and Filo were electrical engineering graduate students at [[Stanford University]], when they created a website named "Jerry and David's guide to the World Wide Web".<ref>{{webarchive |url=https://web.archive.org/web/20080713214826/http://yhoo.client.shareholder.com/press/timeline.cfm |date=July 13, 2008 |title=Yahoo! Inc. – Company Timeline }}. yhoo.client.shareholder.com</ref><ref>{{cite news |title= How Jerry's guide to the world wide web became Yahoo |url= https://www.theguardian.com/business/2008/feb/01/microsoft.technology |accessdate=May 23, 2012 |newspaper=The Guardian |location= London |date=February 1, 2008|author= Clark, Andrew}}</ref> The site was a directory of other websites, organized in a hierarchy, as opposed to a searchable index of pages. In March 1994, "Jerry and David's Guide to the World Wide Web" was renamed "Yahoo!",<ref>{{cite book |title=Blueprint to a Billion |author= Thomson, David G. |page=155 |publisher=[[Wiley-Interscience]] |year=2006 |isbn=978-0-471-77918-6}}</ref><ref>{{cite web|author=Trex, Ethan |url= http://blogs.static.mentalfloss.com/blogs/archives/22707.html |title=Jerry and David's Guide to the World Wide Web becomes Yahoo! |publisher=Blogs.static.mentalfloss.com |accessdate=August 24, 2010}}</ref> the human-edited [[Yahoo! Directory]], provided for users to surf through the internet, being their first product and original purpose.<ref name="Directory">[http://searchengineland.com/yahoo-directory-close-204370 The Yahoo Directory — Once The Internet’s Most Important Search Engine — Is To Close] September 26, 2014, retrieved in June 3, 2017</ref><ref>[https://www.golem.de/news/yahoo-directory-yahoo-schliesst-seinen-katalog-1409-109478.html Yahoo schließt seinen Katalog] from golem.de, September 27, 2014, retrieved in June 3, 2017</ref> The "yahoo.com" domain was created on January 18, 1995.<ref>{{cite web |title= Computer History – 1995 |url= http://www.computerhope.com/history/1995.htm |publisher=Computer Hope |accessdate=May 23, 2012 |year=2012}}</ref>

The word "yahoo" is a [[backronym]] for "Yet Another Hierarchically Organized Oracle"<ref>{{cite news |publisher=Network World |title=Hello, Is Anyone Out There? |url=https://books.google.com/books?id=pw4EAAAAMBAJ&pg=RA1-PA40 |date=September 11, 1995 |author=Gaffin, Adam}}</ref> or "[[Yet Another]] Hierarchical Officious Oracle".<ref>{{cite web |title=The History of Yahoo! – How It All Started... |url= http://docs.yahoo.com/info/misc/history.html|publisher=Yahoo! Media Relations |accessdate=July 7, 2012 |year=2005|archiveurl=https://web.archive.org/web/20130402073246/http://docs.yahoo.com/info/misc/history.html|archivedate=April 2, 2013}}</ref> The term "hierarchical" described how the Yahoo database was arranged in layers of subcategories. The term "oracle" was intended to mean "source of truth and wisdom", and the term "officious", rather than being related to the word's normal meaning, described the many office workers who would use the Yahoo database while surfing from work.<ref>{{cite web|title=What Does 'Yahoo' Stand For?|url= http://netforbeginners.about.com/od/internet101/f/yahoostory.htm |work=About.com |accessdate=July 2, 2012 |author= Gurnitsky, Joanna}}</ref> However, Filo and Yang insist they mainly selected the name because they liked the slang definition of a "yahoo" (used by college students in David Filo's native Louisiana in the late 1980s and early 1990s to refer to an unsophisticated, rural Southerner): "rude, unsophisticated, uncouth."<ref>{{cite web|url=https://web.archive.org/web/20110109042907/http://docs.yahoo.com//info//misc//history.html|title=The History of Yahoo! - How It All Started...|date=January 9, 2011|publisher=Yahoo!}}</ref> This meaning derives from the [[Yahoo (Gulliver's Travels)|Yahoo]] race of fictional beings from ''[[Gulliver's Travels]]''. <!-- Hide unsourced claim according to WP:BLP unless source found: Filo's college girlfriend often referred to Filo as a "yahoo". -->

===Expansion===
Yahoo grew rapidly throughout the 1990s. Like many search engines and web directories, Yahoo added a web portal. By 1998, Yahoo was the most popular starting point for web users<ref>{{Cite news|url=http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/business/107667.stm|title=Yahoo! still first portal call |date=June 5, 1998|work=BBC News|accessdate=November 25, 2013}}</ref> and the human-edited Yahoo Directory the most popular search engine.<ref name="Directory"/> It also made many high-profile acquisitions. Its stock price skyrocketed during the [[dot-com bubble]], Yahoo stocks closing at an all-time high of $118.75 a share on January 3, 2000. However, after the dot-com bubble [[dot-com bubble#The bubble bursts|burst]], it reached a post-bubble low of $8.11 on September 26, 2001.<ref name="StockAllTimeLow">{{cite book|last=Linder|first=Karen|authorlink=Karen Linder|title=The Women of Berkshire Hathaway|url=https://books.google.com/books?id=V_r3vM8y4-QC&lpg=PP1&hl=nl&pg=PA199#v=onepage&q&f=false|accessdate=May 27, 2013|year=2012|publisher=[[John Wiley & Sons]]|location=Hoboken, New Jersey|isbn=9781118182628|page=199|quote=Shortly after the 9/11 attacks, on September 26, 2001, Yahoo!'s stock hit its all-time low of $8.11.}}</ref>
[[File:YAHOO headquarters.jpg|thumb|250px|Yahoo headquarters in 2001]]

Yahoo began using Google for search in 2000. Over the next four years, it developed its own search technologies, which it began using in 2004. In response to Google's Gmail, Yahoo began to offer unlimited email storage in 2007. The company struggled through 2008, with several large layoffs.<ref>{{cite news | url=https://www.nytimes.com/2008/01/22/technology/22yahoo.html | title=Hundreds of Layoffs Expected at Yahoo | work=The New York Times | date=January 22, 2008| accessdate=May 17, 2016}}</ref>

In February 2008, [[Microsoft|Microsoft Corporation]] made an unsolicited bid to acquire Yahoo for $44.6 billion. Yahoo formally rejected the bid, claiming that it "substantially undervalues" the company and was not in the interest of its shareholders. Three years later Yahoo had a market capitalization of $22.24 billion.<ref>{{cite news |url= http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/business/7239220.stm|title=Yahoo rejects Microsoft approach |work=BBC News |accessdate=February 17, 2008|date= February 11, 2008}}</ref> [[Carol Bartz]] replaced Yang as CEO in January 2009.<ref>{{cite news |url= http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/business/8317476.stm |title=Job cuts help Yahoo! profits surge |work=BBC News |date=October 21, 2009 |accessdate=May 31, 2011}}</ref> In September 2011 she was removed from her position at Yahoo by the company's chairman Roy Bostock, and CFO [[Tim Morse]] was named as Interim CEO of the company.

In early 2012, after the appointment of [[Scott Thompson (businessman)|Scott Thompson]] as CEO, rumors began to spread about looming layoffs. Several key executives, such as Chief Product Officer [[Blake Irving]], left.<ref>{{cite news |title=Exclusive: Yahoo's Chief Product Officer Blake Irving Resigns |url= http://allthingsd.com/20120405/exclusive-yahoos-chief-product-officer-blake-irving-resigns/ |work=All Things D |accessdate=July 2, 2012 |author= Swisher, Kara |date=April 5, 2012}}</ref> On April 4, 2012, Yahoo announced a cut of 2,000 jobs or about 14 percent of its 14,100 workers. The cut was expected to save around $375 million annually after the layoffs were completed at end of 2012.<ref>{{cite news |title=Yahoo dumping 2,000 workers in latest purge |url= http://www.thejakartapost.com/news/2012/04/04/yahoo-dumping-2000-workers-latest-purge.html |accessdate=July 22, 2012 |newspaper=The Jakarta Post |date=April 4, 2012 |author= Liedtke, Michael}}</ref> In an email sent to employees in April 2012, Thompson reiterated his view that customers should come first at Yahoo. He also completely reorganized the company.<ref name="Swisher">{{cite news |title=It's Official: Yahoo Reorgs Itself Just Like We Said (Memo Time!) |url= http://allthingsd.com/20120410/its-official-yahoo-reorgs-itself-just-like-we-said-memo-time/ |work=All Things D |accessdate=July 2, 2012 |author= Swisher, Kara |date=April 10, 2012}}</ref>

On May 13, 2012, Yahoo issued a press release stating that Thompson was no longer with the company, and would immediately be replaced on an interim basis by [[Ross Levinsohn]], recently appointed head of Yahoo's new Media group.<ref name="Swisher" /><ref>{{cite press release |title= Yahoo! Names Fred Amoroso Chairman and Appoints Ross Levinsohn Interim CEO |url= http://investor.yahoo.net/releasedetail.cfm?ReleaseID=672824 |publisher=Yahoo! |accessdate=July 2, 2012 |date=May 13, 2012}}</ref><ref>{{cite news |title= Yahoo CEO says he never provided a resume-source |url= http://www.reuters.com/article/2012/05/11/ag-yahoo-ceo-idUSL1E8GAN4W20120511 |accessdate=July 22, 2012 |agency=Reuters |date=May 10, 2012 |author= Oreskovic, Alexei}}</ref> Thompson's total compensation for his 130-day tenure with Yahoo was at least $7.3 million.<ref name="CNN ousted">{{cite news |url= http://money.cnn.com/2012/05/14/technology/yahoo-ceo-no-severance/ |title=Ousted Yahoo CEO will get no severance |work=CNN Money |date=May 14, 2012 |accessdate=May 14, 2012 |author=Pepitone, Julianne}}</ref>

On July 16, 2012, [[Marissa Mayer]] was appointed President and CEO of Yahoo, effective the following day.<ref>Matt McGee, Search Engine Land. "[http://searchengineland.com/report-marissa-mayer-leaving-google-for-yahoo-ceo-role-127752 Confirmed: Marissa Mayer Leaving Google For Yahoo CEO Role]." July 16, 2012 . Retrieved March 27, 2017.</ref>
[[File:Yahoo! (4855962154).jpg|thumb|200px|Yahoo! sign at [[Times Square]]]]

On May 19, 2013 the Yahoo board approved a $1.1 billion purchase of blogging site [[Tumblr]]. Tumblr's CEO and founder [[David Karp]] would remain a large shareholder. The announcement reportedly signified a changing trend in the technology industry, as large corporations like Yahoo, Facebook, and Google acquired start-up Internet companies that generated low amounts of revenue as a way in which to connect with sizeable, fast-growing online communities. The ''Wall Street Journal'' stated that the purchase of Tumblr would satisfy Yahoo's need for "a thriving social-networking and communications hub."<ref>{{cite news |title= Yahoo Deal Shows Power Shift |url= https://online.wsj.com/article/SB10001424127887324787004578493130789235150.html |accessdate=May 20, 2013 |newspaper=The Wall Street Journal |location= New York |date=May 19, 2013 |author1=Lublin, Joann S. |author2=Efrati, Amir |author3=Ante, Spencer E. }}</ref><ref>{{cite news| url= http://www.3news.co.nz/Yahoo-to-buy-Tumblr---reports/tabid/412/articleID/298423/Default.aspx |work=3 News NZ |title= Yahoo to buy Tumblr&nbsp;– reports |date=May 20, 2013}}</ref> On May 20, the company announced the acquisition of Tumblr officially.<ref>{{cite web |url= http://yahoo.tumblr.com/ |title= Tumblr. + Yahoo! = !! |date=May 20, 2013}}</ref> The company also announced plans to open a San Francisco office in July 2013.<ref>[http://allthingsd.com/20130726/yahoo-plans-splashy-new-san-francisco-digs-and-dreams-of-neon-billboards-return/ Yahoo Plans Splashy New San Francisco Digs (and Neon Billboard Dreams) - Kara Swisher - News]. AllThingsD (July 26, 2013). Retrieved on August 16, 2013.</ref>

On August 2, 2013, Yahoo acquired [[Rockmelt]]; its staff was retained, but all of its existing products were terminated.<ref name="tc-rockmelt">{{cite web|title=Yahoo Has Acquired Rockmelt, Apps To Shut Down On August 31st|url=https://techcrunch.com/2013/08/02/yahoo-has-acquired-rockmelt-apps-to-shut-down-on-august-31st/|website=TechCrunch|accessdate=February 21, 2017}}</ref>

Data collated by comScore during July 2013, revealed that more people in the U.S. visited Yahoo websites during the month in comparison to Google; the occasion was the first time that Yahoo outperformed Google since 2011. The data did not count mobile usage, nor Tumblr.<ref>{{cite news |title= Google overtaken by Yahoo! in United States site visitors for first time in two years |url= https://www.theguardian.com/technology/2013/aug/22/yahoo-beats-google-website-visitors
|accessdate= August 24, 2013 |newspaper=The Guardian |location=London |date=August 23, 2013 |author=Garside, Juliet}}</ref>

In November 2014, Yahoo! announced that it would acquire the [[video advertising]] provider [[BrightRoll]] for $640 million.<ref>{{cite web |author= Trefis Team |title= Yahoo Eyes Video Ad Dollars With BrightRoll Acquisition |date= November 12, 2014 |url= http://www.forbes.com/sites/greatspeculations/2014/11/12/yahoo-eyes-video-ad-dollars-with-brightroll-acquisition/ |publisher= Forbes |accessdate= November 8, 2016 }}</ref>

On November 21, 2014, it was announced that Yahoo had acquired [[Cooliris]].<ref>By TechCrunch "[http://techcrunch.com/2014/11/21/yahoo-acquires-cooliris/]."</ref>

===Decline, security breaches, Verizon purchase===
By the fourth quarter of 2013, the company's share price had more than doubled since Marissa Mayer took over as president in July 2012; however, the share price peaked at about $35 in November 2013.<ref>{{cite web |url=https://news.yahoo.com/buyback-help-yahoo-stock-soared-under-mayer-165301156--finance.html |title=With buyback help, Yahoo stock has soared under Mayer |last=Campos |first=Rodrigo |date=December 2, 2015 |work=Yahoo News|accessdate=December 7, 2015}}</ref> It did go up to $36.04 in the mid afternoon of December 2, 2015, perhaps on news that the board of directors was meeting to decide on the future of Mayer, whether to sell the struggling internet business,<ref>{{cite web |url=http://www.reuters.com/article/yahoo-divestiture-verizon-idUSKBN0TQ2GU20151207#gV1SBexKJDkOShpR.97 |title=Verizon could explore Yahoo's Internet business, CFO says |last1=Goliya |first1=Kshitiz |last2=Nayak |first2=Malathi |date=December 7, 2015 |agency=Reuters |access-date=December 7, 2015}}</ref> and whether to continue with the spinoff of its stake in China's Alibaba e-commerce site.<ref>
{{cite web |url=http://ca.reuters.com/article/technologyNews/idCAKBN0TN2IC20151205 |title=Yahoo board in final talks on future of company |author=no by-line.--> |date=December 5, 2015 |agency=Reuters |access-date=December 7, 2015}}</ref> Not all had gone well during Mayer's tenure, including the $1.1 billion acquisition of Tumblr that had yet to prove beneficial and the forays into original video content that led to a $42 million write-down. [[Sydney Finkelstein]], a professor at Dartmouth College's [[Tuck School of Business]], told ''[[The Washington Post]]'' that sometimes, "the single best thing you can do ... is sell the company."<ref>{{cite web|url=http://www.chicagotribune.com/business/ct-marissa-mayer-yahoo-20151207-story.html |title= Scrutiny on Yahoo's Marissa Mayer grows more intense|last=McGregor|first=Jenna|date=December 7, 2015|work=Chicago Tribune|accessdate=December 7, 2015}}</ref> The closing price of Yahoo! Inc. on December 7, 2015 was $34.68.<ref name=":1">{{cite web |url=https://finance.yahoo.com/q;_ylc=X1MDMjE0MjQ3ODk0OARfcgMyBGZyA3VoM19maW5hbmNlX3dlYgRmcjIDc2EtZ3AEZ3ByaWQDBG5fZ3BzAzEwBG9yaWdpbgNmaW5hbmNlLnlhaG9vLmNvbQRwb3MDMQRwcXN0cgMEcXVlcnkDWUhPTywEc2FjAzEEc2FvAzE-?p=http%3A%2F%2Ffinance.yahoo.com%2Fq%3Fs%3DYHOO%26ql%3D0&fr=uh3_finance_web&uhb=uh3_finance_vert&s=YHOO |title=YHOO Yahoo! Inc. NasdaqGS |date=December 7, 2015 |website=Yahoo Finance |publisher=Yahoo! ABC News Network |access-date=December 7, 2015}}</ref>

''[[The Wall Street Journal]]''{{'}}s Douglas MacMillan reported on February 2, 2016 that Yahoo's CEO Marissa Mayer was expected to cut 15% of its workforce.<ref name="aoly">{{cite news |last=Spangler |first=Todd |date=February 2, 2016|title=Yahoo to axe up to 15% of workforce: Report |url=http://www.aol.com/article/2016/02/01/yahoo-to-axe-up-to-15-of-workforce-report/21306093/ |newspaper=Variety (via Yahoo.com) |access-date=February 2, 2016 }}</ref><ref name="wsj15">{{cite news |last=MacMillan |first=Douglas |date=February 2, 2016 |url=https://www.wsj.com/articles/yahoos-mayer-to-unveil-cost-cutting-plan-1454342065 |title=Yahoo's Marissa Mayer to Unveil Cost-Cutting Plan|newspaper=The Wall street Journal |location=New York|subscription=yes |access-date=February 2, 2016 }}</ref>

On July 25, 2016, [[Verizon Communications]] announced that it had agreed to purchase Yahoo's core internet business for $4.83 billion.<ref>{{Cite news|url=https://www.nytimes.com/2016/07/25/business/yahoo-sale.html|title=Yahoo’s Sale to Verizon Ends an Era for a Web Pioneer|last1=Goel|first1=Vindu|date=July 24, 2016|last2=Merced|first2=Michael J. De La|newspaper=The New York Times|issn=0362-4331|access-date=July 25, 2016}}</ref><ref>{{cite news|url=http://www.latimes.com/business/technology/la-fi-verizon-buys-yahoo-20160725-snap-story.html|title=Verizon buys Yahoo for $4.8 billion, and it's giving Yahoo's brand another chance|last1=Lien|first1=Tracey|date=July 25, 2016}}</ref><ref>{{cite web|url=http://qz.com/741056/the-stunning-collapse-of-yahoos-valuation/|title=The stunning collapse of Yahoo's valuation|first=Alison|last=Griswold|publisher=}}</ref> Following the conclusion of the purchase, these assets will be merged with [[AOL]] to form a new entity known as Oath; Yahoo, AOL, and Huffington Post will continue to operate under their own names, under the Oath umbrella.<ref name="verge-oath">{{cite web|title=Verizon Announces New Name Brand for AOL and Yahoo: Oath|url=https://www.nytimes.com/2017/04/03/technology/verizon-oath-yahoo-aol.html|website=The New York Times|accessdate=April 4, 2017}}</ref> The deal excludes Yahoo's 15% stake in [[Alibaba Group]] and 35.5% stake in [[Yahoo! Japan]]; following the completion of the acquisition, these assets will be retained under the name Altaba, with a new executive team.<ref>{{cite web|url=http://www.businessinsider.com/yahoo-rename-altaba-2017-1|last=Weinberger|first=Matt|title=After the $4.8 billion Verizon deal, the husk of Yahoo will rename itself 'Altaba'|work=[[Business Insider]]|date=January 9, 2017|accessdate=January 9, 2017}}</ref><ref>{{cite web|url=https://www.washingtonpost.com/news/the-switch/wp/2017/01/09/how-yahoo-came-up-with-its-new-name-altaba/|last=Dwoskin|first=Elizabeth|title=How Yahoo came up with its new name: Altaba |work=[[The Washington Post]]|date=January 9, 2017|accessdate=January 19, 2017}}</ref>

On September 22, 2016, Yahoo disclosed [[Yahoo! data breach|a data breach]] that occurred in late 2014, in which information associated with at least 500 million user accounts,<ref name="Yahoo Says Hackers Stole Data on 500 Million Users in 2014">{{cite web|url=https://www.nytimes.com/2016/09/23/technology/yahoo-hackers.html|title=Yahoo Says Hackers Stole Data on 500 Million Users in 2014|work=New York Times|date=September 22, 2016|accessdate=September 22, 2016}}</ref> one of the largest breaches reported to date.<ref>{{cite web|url=http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/world-us-canada-37447016|title=Yahoo 'state' hackers stole data from 500 million users|work=BBC News|date=September 23, 2016 |accessdate=September 23, 2016}}</ref> The United States have indicted four men, including two employees of Russia's [[Federal Security Service]] (FSB), for their involvement in the hack.<ref>{{cite web | title = Russian Agents Were Behind Yahoo Breach, U.S. Says |url = https://www.nytimes.com/2017/03/15/technology/yahoo-hack-indictment.html?_r=0 | first = Vindu | last = Goel | date = March 15, 2017 | accessdate = March 15, 2017 | work = [[The New York Times]] }}</ref><ref name="bloomberg-yahoorussia">{{cite web|title=Here's How Russian Agents Hacked 500 Million Yahoo Users|url=https://www.bloomberg.com/news/articles/2017-03-16/here-s-how-russian-agents-hacked-500-million-yahoo-users|website=Bloomberg|accessdate=March 16, 2017}}</ref> On December 14, 2016, the company revealed that another separate data breach had occurred in 2014, with hackers obtaining sensitive account information, including security questions, to at least one billion accounts.<ref>{{cite web|url=https://www.nytimes.com/2016/12/14/technology/yahoo-hack.html|title=Yahoo Says 1 Billion User Accounts Were Hacked|last=Goel|first=Vindu|date=December 14, 2016|accessdate=December 14, 2016|work=[[New York Times]]}}</ref> The company stated that hackers had utilized stolen internal software to "[[forgery|forge]]" [[HTTP cookie|cookies]].<ref name="ars-forgedcookies">{{cite web|title=Yahoo reveals more breachiness to users victimized by forged cookies [Updated]|url=https://arstechnica.com/information-technology/2017/02/yahoo-reveals-more-breachiness-to-users-victimized-by-forged-cookies/|last=Gallagher|first=Sean|work=Ars Technica|date=February 15, 2017|accessdate=February 21, 2017}}</ref>

In response to these breaches, ''[[Bloomberg News]]'' reported that Verizon was attempting to re-negotiate the deal to reduce the purchase price by $250 million,<ref name="bloomberg-lower">{{cite web|title=Verizon Said to Near Yahoo Deal at Lower Price After Hacks |url=https://www.bloomberg.com/news/articles/2017-02-15/verizon-reduces-yahoo-deal-price-by-250-million-in-revised-deal |last1=Moritz|first1=Scott|last2=Sherman|first2=Alex|last3=Womack|first3=Brian|work=Bloomberg News|date=February 15, 2017|accessdate=February 21, 2017}}</ref> causing a 2% increase in Yahoo stock prices.<ref name="usatoday-verizonshaved"/> On February 21, 2017, Verizon agreed to lower its purchase price for Yahoo! by $350 million, and share liabilities regarding the investigation into the data breaches.<ref name="usatoday-verizonshaved">{{cite web|title=Verizon shaves $350 million from Yahoo price|url=http://www.usatoday.com/story/tech/news/2017/02/21/verizon-shaves-350-million-yahoo-price/98188452/|last=Snider|first=Mike|work=USA Today|date=February 21, 2017|accessdate=February 21, 2017}}</ref>

On June 8, 2017, Yahoo shareholders approved the company's sale of some of its Internet assets to Verizon for $4.48 billion. The deal officially closed on June 13, 2017.<ref>{{cite web|url=http://www.businessinsider.com/yahoo-verizon-sale-approved-2017-6|title=It's official: Yahoo shareholders approve the $4.48 billion sale to Verizon|last=Weinberger|first=Matt|work=Business Insider|date=June 8, 2017|accessdate=June 8, 2017}}</ref><ref>{{cite web|url=http://menafn.com/1095546088/Yahoo-Verizon-deal-set-to-close-June-13/|title=Yahoo-Verizon deal set to close June 13|work=MenaFN.com|date=June 8, 2017|accessdate=June 8, 2017}}</ref><ref>{{cite web|url=http://variety.com/2017/digital/news/yahoo-verizon-shareholders-approve-deal-close-june-13-1202458478/|title=Yahoo Shareholders Approve Verizon Deal, Set to Close June 13|last=Spangler|first=Todd|work=[[Variety (magazine)|Variety]]|date=June 8, 2017|accessdate=June 8, 2017}}</ref><ref name=":0" /><ref name=":1" />

==Products and services==
{{Main article|List of Yahoo-owned sites and services}}

Yahoo operated a portal that provides the latest news, entertainment, and sports information. The portal also gave users access to other Yahoo services like [[Yahoo! Search]], Yahoo Mail, Yahoo Maps, [[Yahoo Finance]], [[Yahoo Groups]] and [[Yahoo Messenger]].

===Communication===
Yahoo provided Internet communication services such as Yahoo Messenger and [[Yahoo Mail]]. As of May 2007, its e-mail service would offer unlimited storage.<ref>{{cite web |title= Yahoo! Mail goes to infinity and beyond |url= http://ycorpblog.com/2007/03/27/yahoo-mail-goes-to-infinity-and-beyond/ |work=Yodel Anecdotal |publisher=Yahoo! Inc|accessdate=July 22, 2012|author= Kremer, John |date=March 27, 2007}}</ref>

Yahoo provided social networking services and user-generated content, including products such as [[My Web]], [[Yahoo Personals]], [[Yahoo 360°]], [[Delicious (website)|Delicious]], [[Flickr]], and [[Yahoo Buzz]]. Yahoo closed Yahoo Buzz, [[MyBlogLog]], and numerous other products on April 21, 2011.<ref>{{cite web|last=McCarthy |first=Caroline |url=http://news.cnet.com/8301-13577_3-20025920-36.html |title=Yahoo! slashing products like Delicious, MyBlogLog &#124; The Social – CNET News |publisher=News.cnet.com |date=December 16, 2010 |accessdate=May 31, 2011}}</ref>

[[Yahoo Photos]] was closed on September 20, 2007, in favor of Flickr. On October 16, 2007, Yahoo announced that it would discontinue Yahoo 360°, including [[Software bug|bug]] repairs; the company explained that in 2008 it would instead establish a "universal profile" similar to the [[Yahoo Mash]] experimental system.<ref>{{cite web|title=Yahoo Decided to Close Yahoo360 |url= http://www.socialmirchi.com/2010/08/yahoo-decided-to-close-yahoo360/ |archiveurl= https://web.archive.org/web/20110704181707/http://www.socialmirchi.com/2010/08/yahoo-decided-to-close-yahoo360/ |archivedate= July 4, 2011 |work=SocialMirchi |accessdate=July 26, 2012|author=Social Guru |date=August 20, 2010}}</ref>

===Content===
Yahoo partners with numerous content providers in products such as [[Yahoo Sports]], Yahoo Finance, [[Yahoo Music]], [[Yahoo Movies]], [[Yahoo Weather]], [[Yahoo News]], [[Yahoo! Answers]] and [[Yahoo Games]] to provide news and related content. Yahoo provides a personalization service, [[My Yahoo]], which enables users to combine their favorite Yahoo features, content feeds and information onto a single page.

On March 31, 2008, Yahoo launched Shine, a site tailored for women seeking online information and advice between the ages of 25 and 54.<ref>{{cite news |title=New Yahoo site to 'Shine' on women |url= http://www.msnbc.msn.com/id/23879739/ |accessdate=July 22, 2012 |work=MSNBC |date=March 31, 2008 |author= Jesdanun, Anick}}</ref>
[[File:Yahoo Portals in the World.JPG|thumb|300px|Map showing localized versions of Yahoo! web portals, as of 2008]]

===Co-branded Internet services===
{{Details|AT&T Internet Services#Conversion to AT&T Internet Services}}

Yahoo developed partnerships with broadband providers such as [[AT&T Inc.]] (via [[Prodigy (online service)|Prodigy]], [[BellSouth]] & SBC),<ref>{{cite press release |date=November 14, 2001 |editor1-last=Maus |editor1-first=Helena |editor2-last=Noble |editor2-first=Bill |editor3-last=Izbrand |editor3-first=Joe |editor4-last=Ramsey |editor4-first=Shawn |displayeditors= 3|title=SBC, Yahoo! Announce Landmark Strategic Alliance To Introduce Co-Branded, Customized High-Speed DSL Internet Service |url=https://investor.yahoo.net/releasedetail.cfm?releaseid=173808 |deadurl= |type=Press release |publisher=Yahoo! |agency=Investor Relations |archiveurl= |archivedate= |access-date=September 11, 2015 |quote= |ref= }}</ref><ref>{{cite news |last1=EGAN |first1=JOHN |last2=THOMAS |first2=MIKE W. |date=December 30, 2001 |title=Prodigy-SBC marriage alters Internet picture |url=http://www.bizjournals.com/austin/stories/2001/12/31/focus1.html |dead-url= |department=Austin Business Journal |newspaper=Austin Business Journal |publisher=[[American City Business Journals]] |publication-date=December 31, 2001 |archive-url= |archive-date= |access-date=September 11, 2015 |quote= }}</ref> [[Verizon Communications]],<ref>{{cite press release |date=September 3, 2008 |editor1-last=Lee |editor1-first=Cliff |editor2-last=Bergkamp |editor2-first=Brigida |title=Verizon and Yahoo! Extend Strategic Alliance with New Multiyear Co-branded Portal Agreement |url=https://investor.yahoo.net/releasedetail.cfm?releaseid=331909 |deadurl= |type=Press release |publisher=Yahoo! |agency=Investor Relations |archiveurl= |archivedate= |access-date=September 11, 2015 |quote= |ref= }}</ref><ref>{{cite news |last1=JOHNSON |first1=BARY ALYSSA |date=January 20, 2006 |title=Verizon, Yahoo Launch Co-Branded FiOS |url=http://www.pcmag.com/article2/0,2817,1913378,00.asp |dead-url= |department=News & Analysis |newspaper=[[PC Magazine]] |publisher=Ziff Davis |publication-date= |agency=PCMag Digital Group |archive-url= |archive-date= |access-date=September 11, 2015 |quote= |ref= }}</ref> [[Rogers Communications]],<ref>{{cite news |last1=BLACKWELL |first1=RICHARD |date=July 14, 2004 |title=Rogers, Yahoo team up for new high-speed Internet package |url=http://www.globeinvestor.com/servlet/ArticleNews/story/GAM/20040714/RROGER14 |dead-url= |department= |newspaper=The Globe and Mail Newspaper |publisher=Bell Globemedia Publishing Inc. |publication-date= |archive-url= |archive-date= |access-date=September 11, 2015 |quote=Will compete with Bell-Microsoft similar offering |ref= }}</ref><ref>{{cite web |url=http://www.lexpert.ca/article/rogers-cable-and-yahoo-co-brand-services-to-customers/?p=%7C199&sitecode=DIR |title=Rogers Cable and Yahoo! Co-brand Services to Customers |author=Staff writer |date=January 26, 2004 |department=LEXPERT |website=LEXPERT.CA |publisher=THOMSON REUTERS CANADA LIMITED |archive-url= |archive-date= |dead-url= |access-date=September 11, 2015 |quote= |ref= }}</ref> and [[British Telecom]], offering a range of free and premium Yahoo content and services to subscribers.

===Mobile services===
[[Yahoo Mobile]] offers services for email, instant messaging, and [[mobile blogging]], as well as information services, searches and alerts. Services for the camera phone include entertainment and ring tones.

Yahoo introduced its Internet search system, called OneSearch, for mobile phones on March 20, 2007. The results include news headlines, images from Flickr, business listings, local weather and links to other sites. Instead of showing only, for example, popular movies or some critical reviews, OneSearch lists local theaters that at the moment are playing the movie, along with user ratings and news headlines regarding the movie. A zip code or city name is required for OneSearch to start delivering local search results.

The results of a Web search are listed on a single page and are prioritized into categories.<ref>{{cite web |title=Yahoo Gets Ahead of Google in the Mobile Search Market |url=http://www.usb4ever.com/yahoo-gets-ahead-of-google-p.html |archiveurl=https://web.archive.org/web/20071224203041/http://www.usb4ever.com/yahoo-gets-ahead-of-google-p.html |archivedate=December 24, 2007 |date=February 21, 2008}}</ref>

As of 2012, Yahoo used [[Novarra]]'s mobile content transcoding service for OneSearch.<ref>{{cite news |title= Novarra to transcode for Yahoo!'s oneSearch |url= http://www.rcrwireless.com/article/20070724/sub/novarra-to-transcode-for-yahoos-onesearch/ |work=RCR Wireless US |accessdate=July 22, 2012 |author=Gibbs, Colin |date=July 24, 2007}}</ref>

On October 8, 2010, Yahoo announced plans to bring video chat to mobile phones via Yahoo Messenger.<ref>{{cite news |url=http://blogs.reuters.com/mediafile/2010/10/07/new-yahoo-app-to-challenge-apple-facetime-on-iphone/ |accessdate=December 8, 2010 |publisher=Reuters |title=New Yahoo app to challenge Apple FaceTime on iPhone |date=October 7, 2010}}</ref>

===Commerce===
Yahoo offers shopping services such as Yahoo! Shopping, Yahoo Autos, Yahoo Real Estate and [[Yahoo Travel]], which enables users to gather relevant information and make commercial transactions and purchases online. [[Yahoo Auctions]] were discontinued in 2007 except for Asia.<ref>{{cite news |title=Yahoo to close North American auction site |url= http://www.msnbc.msn.com/id/18578841/ |work=NBC News |accessdate=July 22, 2012 |agency=Associated Press |date=May 9, 2007}}</ref> Yahoo Shopping is a [[price comparison service]] which uses the [[Kelkoo]] price comparison service it acquired in April 2004.<ref>{{cite web|url=http://www.ecommerceoptimization.com/articles/interview-jasper-malcolmson-talks-about-yahoo-shopping/ |title=The Leading E Commerce Optimization Site on the Net |publisher=ECommerceOptimization.com |date= |accessdate=July 3, 2013}}</ref>

===Small business===
Yahoo provides business services such as [[Yahoo DomainKeys]], [[Yahoo Web Hosting]], Yahoo Merchant Solutions, Yahoo Business Email and Yahoo Store to small business owners and professionals allowing them to build their own online stores using Yahoo's tools.{{citation needed|date=September 2011}}

===Advertising===
[[Yahoo Search Marketing]] provides services such as Sponsored Search, Local Advertising and Product/Travel/Directory Submit that let different businesses advertise their products and services on the Yahoo network.

Following the closure of a "beta" version on April 30, 2010, the [[Yahoo Publisher Network]] was relaunched as an advertising tool that allows online publishers to monetize their websites through the use of site-relevant advertisements.<ref>{{cite web|title=Yahoo! Publisher Network |url= http://advertisingcentral.yahoo.com/publisher/index |publisher=Yahoo! Inc |accessdate=July 7, 2012 |year=2010}}</ref>

Yahoo launched its new Internet advertisement sales system on February 5, 2007, called [[Panama (ad system)|Panama]]. It allows advertisers to bid for search terms to trigger their ads on search results pages. The system considers bids, ad quality, [[clickthrough rate]]s and other factors in ranking ads. Through Panama, Yahoo aims to provide more relevant search results to users, a better overall experience, and to increase monetization.<ref>{{cite news |title= New Panama Ranking System For Yahoo Ads Launches Today |url= http://searchengineland.com/070205-090623.php |work=Search Engine Land |publisher=Third Door Media, Inc |accessdate=July 22, 2012|author= Elesseily, Mona |date=February 5, 2007}}</ref>

On April 7, 2008, Yahoo announced [[APT from Yahoo]], which was originally called AMP from Yahoo,<ref>{{cite news |title=Yahoo gives APT an upgrade |url= http://www.bizreport.com/2008/09/yahoo_gives_apt_an_upgrade.html |work=BizReport |accessdate=July 26, 2012 |author= Leggatt, Helen |date=September 25, 2008}}</ref> an online advertising management platform.<ref>{{cite press release |title=Yahoo! Previews Powerful New Online Advertising Management Platform |url= http://yhoo.client.shareholder.com/releasedetail.cfm?releaseid=303352 |publisher=Yahoo! |accessdate=July 22, 2012 |date=April 7, 2008}}</ref> The platform simplifies advertising sales by unifying buyer and seller markets. The service was launched in September 2008.<ref>{{cite news |title= Yahoo Announces New Digital Ad Platform |url= https://www.wired.com/business/2008/09/yahoo-announces/ |work=Wired |accessdate=July 22, 2012 |author=Keane, Meghan |date=September 24, 2008}}</ref>

In September 2011, Yahoo formed an ad selling strategic partnership with 2 of its top competitors, [[AOL]] and Microsoft.<ref>{{cite news |title=All for One! Yahoo, AOL, Microsoft Band Together for Ad Plan |url= http://allthingsd.com/20110914/all-for-one-yahoo-aol-microsoft-band-together-for-ad-plan/ |work=All Things D |accessdate=July 7, 2012 |author= Kafka, Peter |date=September 14, 2011}}</ref> But by 2013 this was found to be underperforming in market share and revenue, as Microsoft simply skimmed off four percent of the search market from Yahoo, without growing their combined share.<ref>{{cite news |url= http://www.mercurynews.com/business/ci_22580271/yahoos-mayer-says-microsoft-search-deal-underperforms |title= Yahoo's Mayer says Microsoft search deal underperforms |author= Oreskovic, Alexei |date=February 13, 2013 |work=San Jose Mercury News |agency=Reuters}}</ref>
[[File:DUBLIN PRIDE 2015 ( YAHOO! WERE THERE - WERE YOU?)-106289 (19257385102).jpg|thumb|200px|The 2015 [[Dublin]] LGBTQ Pride Festival, sponsored by Yahoo]]
[[File:Yahoo Keyboard.jpg|thumb|200px|A Yahoo!-branded PC keyboard]]

===GeoPlanet===
{{Main article|GeoPlanet}}

Yahoo offers cartographic and geographic services via [[GeoPlanet]].

===Yahoo Next===
{{Main article|Yahoo Next}}

Yahoo Next is an incubation ground for future Yahoo technologies currently undergoing testing. It contains [[Internet forum|forums]] for Yahoo users to give feedback to assist in the development of these future Yahoo technologies.<ref>{{cite web |title=Labs Home |url= http://labs.yahoo.com/ |publisher=Yahoo Inc |accessdate=July 7, 2012 |year=2011}}</ref>

===Yahoo BOSS===
{{Main article|Yahoo Search BOSS}}

Yahoo Search BOSS is a service that allows developers to build search applications based on Yahoo's search technology.<ref>{{cite news|url=http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/content/article/2008/08/04/AR2008080400733.html |title=Yahoo Boss Is So Open, It Runs on Google's App Engine |work=The Washington Post |date= August 4, 2008|accessdate=May 31, 2011 |first=Erick |last=Schonfeld}}</ref> Early Partners in the program include [[Hakia]], Me.dium, [[Delver (search engine)|Delver]], [[Daylife]] and [[Yebol]].<ref>{{cite news |title= Yahoo! Expands Its Open Strategy With BOSS |url= http://newsbreaks.infotoday.com/nbReader.asp?ArticleId=49963 |work=Information Today |accessdate=July 26, 2012 |author= Hane, Paula J. |date=July 17, 2008}}</ref>

In early 2011, the program switched to a paid model using a cost-per-query model from $0.40 to $0.75 CPM (cost per 1000 BOSS queries). The price, as Yahoo explained, depends on whether the query is of web, image, news or other information.<ref>{{cite news |newspaper=Reuters |url=http://blogs.reuters.com/mediafile/2010/10/07/new-yahoo-app-to-challenge-apple-facetime-on-iphone/ |title=New Yahoo app to challenge Apple FaceTime on iPhone |date=October 7, 2010}}</ref>

===Yahoo Meme===
{{Main article|Yahoo Meme}}

Yahoo Meme is a beta social service, similar to the popular social networking sites [[Twitter]] and [[Jaiku]].

===Y!Connect===
Y!Connect enables individuals to leave comments in online publication boards by using their Yahoo ID, instead of having to register with individual publications. [[The Wall Street Journal]] reported that Yahoo plans to mimic this strategy used by rival Facebook Inc. to help drive traffic to its site.<ref>{{cite journal |url=https://online.wsj.com/article/SB10001424052702304250404575558442735374452.html |title=Yahoo to Offer Media Links |first=Amir |last=Efrati |date=October 17, 2010 |journal=The Wall Street Journal |accessdate=December 8, 2010}}</ref>

===Yahoo Accessibility===
Yahoo has invested resources to increase and improve access to the Internet for the disabled community through the Yahoo Accessibility Lab.<ref>{{cite web |title=Yahoo! and Accessibility |url= http://abilitymagazine.com/yahoo.html |work=Ability Magazine |accessdate=July 30, 2012 |author= Cooper, Chet |author2=Angeles, Liz |date=February–March 2011}}</ref>

===Yahoo Axis===
{{Main article|Yahoo Axis}}

Yahoo Axis is a desktop web browser extension and mobile browser for iOS devices created and developed by Yahoo. The browser made its public debut on May 23, 2012.<ref>{{cite web|title=A browser from Yahoo! makes surprise debut|url=http://www.geekwire.com/2012/web-browser-yahoo-axis-set-debut/}}</ref> A copy of the private key used to sign official Yahoo browser extensions for Google Chrome was accidentally leaked in the first public release of the Chrome extension.<ref>{{cite news |title= Yahoo ships private certificate by accident |url= http://www.theregister.co.uk/2012/05/24/yahoo_ships_private_certificate_by_accident/ |date=May 24, 2012 |work=The Register |location= London}}</ref>

===Yahoo SearchMonkey===
Yahoo SearchMonkey (often misspelled Search Monkey) was a Yahoo service which allowed developers and site owners to use structured data to make Yahoo Search results more useful and visually appealing, and drive more relevant traffic to their sites. The service was shut down in October 2010 along with other Yahoo services as part of the Microsoft and Yahoo search deal. The name SearchMonkey is an homage to Greasemonkey. Officially the product name has no space and two capital letters.

Yahoo SearchMonkey was selected as one of the top 10 Semantic Web Products of 2008.<ref>{{cite web |title=Top 10 Semantic Web Products of 2008, ReadWriteWeb award |accessdate=March 30, 2009 |url= http://www.readwriteweb.com/archives/top_10_semantic_web_products_2008.php |publisher=ReadWriteWeb}}</ref>

===Defunct services===
{{Main article|List of Yahoo-owned sites and services#Closed/defunct services|}}

[[Geocities]] was a popular web hosting service founded in 1995 and was one of the first services to offer web pages to the public. At one point it was the third-most-browsed site on the [[World Wide Web]].<ref>{{cite press release |url= http://www.prnewswire.com/news-releases/geocities-climbs-to-third-most-trafficked-site-on-the-internet-73463467.html |title=GeoCities Climbs to Third Most Trafficked Site on the Internet |location=California |publisher=PRNewswire |date=January 20, 1999 |accessdate=August 13, 2012}}</ref> Yahoo purchased GeoCities in 1999 and ten years later the web host was closed, deleting some seven million web pages.<ref>{{cite news |title= Internet Atrocity! GeoCities' Demise Erases Web History |url= http://www.time.com/time/business/article/0,8599,1936645,00.html |accessdate=July 30, 2012 |newspaper=Time |location=New York |date=November 9, 2009 |author=Fletcher, Dan}}</ref> A great deal of information was lost but many of those sites and pages were mirrored at the [[Internet Archive]],<ref>{{cite web |title= Saving a Historical Record of GeoCities |url= https://archive.org/web/geocities.php |publisher=Internet Archive |accessdate=July 30, 2012 |year=2009}}</ref> OOcities.com, and other such databases.<ref>{{cite news |title=GeoCities' time has expired, Yahoo closing the site today |url= http://latimesblogs.latimes.com/technology/2009/10/geocities-closing.html |accessdate=November 23, 2012 |newspaper=Los Angeles Times blog |date=October 26, 2009 |author= Milian, Mark}}</ref>

[[Yahoo Go]], a Java-based phone application with access to most of Yahoo services, was closed on January 12, 2010.<ref>{{cite news |title=Yahoo Go to Be Shut Down in Early 2010 |url= http://news.softpedia.com/news/Yahoo-Go-to-Be-Shut-Down-in-Early-2010-127257.shtml |work=Softpedia |accessdate=May 23, 2012|author= Arghire, Ionut |date=November 18, 2009}}</ref>

Yahoo 360° was a blogging/social networking beta service launched in March 2005 by Yahoo and closed on July 13, 2009.<ref>{{cite news |last=Ngo |first=Dong |url= http://news.cnet.com/8301-1023_3-10252314-93.html |title=Yahoo 360 to close on July 13 |work=CNET News |date=May 29, 2009 |accessdate=May 31, 2011}}</ref> Yahoo Mash beta was another social service closed after one year of operation prior to leaving beta status.<ref>{{cite news |last=McCarthy |first=Caroline |url= http://news.cnet.com/8301-13577_3-10028716-36.html?tag=mncol;txt |title=Yahoo Mash gets smashed, bashed, quashed |work= CNET News |date=August 28, 2008 |accessdate=May 31, 2011}}</ref>

Yahoo Photos was shut down on September 20, 2007, in favor of integration with Flickr. [[Yahoo Tech]] was a website that provided product information and setup advice to users. Yahoo launched the website in May 2006. On March 11, 2010, Yahoo closed down the service and redirected users to Yahoo's technology news section.<ref>{{cite news |title= Yahoo closes tech website |url= http://www.newstatesman.com/digital/2010/02/site-yahoo-technology-users |work=New Statesman |location= London |accessdate=July 30, 2012 |date=February 11, 2010}}</ref> Other discontinued services include Farechase, My Web, Audio Search, Pets, Live, Kickstart, Briefcase, and Yahoo for Teachers.<ref>{{cite web |url= http://www.physorg.com/news159724202.html |title=Yahoo! abandoning GeoCities |work= Physorg |date=April 23, 2009 |accessdate= August 24, 2010}}</ref>

Hotjobs was acquired by and merged with [[Monster.com]].

[[Yahoo Koprol]] was an Indonesian geo-tagging website that allowed users to share information about locations without the use of a GPS device. Koprol was acquired by Yahoo a year following its inception and, in 2011, 1.5 million people were utilizing the website, with users also based in Singapore, the Philippines and Vietnam. However, eighty percent of users were Indonesian.<ref>{{cite news |title=Yahoo! drops Koprol in global overhaul |url= http://www.thejakartapost.com/news/2012/06/30/yahoo-drops-koprol-global-overhaul.html |accessdate=July 26, 2012 |newspaper=The Jakarta Post |date=June 30, 2012 |author= Grazella, Mariel}}</ref> Yahoo officially discontinued Koprol on August 28, 2012, because it did "not meaningfully drive revenue or engagement".<ref>{{cite news |title= Yahoo is Shutting Down Koprol in Two Months |url= http://www.techinasia.com/yahoo-discontinues-koprol/ |work=Tech in Asia |accessdate=July 26, 2012 |author=Kevin, Joshua |date=June 29, 2012}}</ref>

Yahoo Mail Classic was announced as to be shut down in April 2013. Yahoo made a notice that, starting in June 2013, Mail Classic and other old versions of Yahoo Mail will be shut down. All users of Mail Classic are expected to switch to the new Yahoo Mail, use IMAP, or switch to another email service.<ref>{{cite web |url= http://help.yahoo.com/kb/index?y=PROD_MAIL_CLASSIC&locale=en_US&page=content&id=SLN8519 |publisher =Yahoo |title= Can I switch back to a previous version of Yahoo Mail? |year= 2013 |accessdate=October 1, 2013}}</ref> In addition, April 2013 brought the closure of [[Upcoming]], Yahoo Deals, Yahoo SMS Alerts, [[Yahoo Kids]], Yahoo Mail and Messenger feature phone (J2ME).<ref>{{cite news |last= Protalinski |first=Emil |url= http://thenextweb.com/insider/2013/04/19/yahoo-cuts-the-deadwood-with-closures-of-upcoming-yahoo-deals-sms-alerts-and-kids-products-on-april-30/ |title=Yahoo cuts the deadwood with closures |work=The Next Web |date=April 19, 2013 |accessdate=May 19, 2013}}</ref>

In early July 2013 Yahoo announced the scheduled closure of the task management service [[Astrid (application)|Astrid]]. Yahoo had acquired the company in May 2013 and was to discontinue the service on August 5, 2013. The team at Astrid has supplied its customers with a data export tool and recommended former competitors such as Wunderlist and Sandglaz.<ref>{{cite news |title= Yahoo's Recently Acquired Task Tracking Service Astrid Will Go Dark On August 5 |url= http://techcrunch.com/2013/07/06/astrid-goes-dark-august-5-goodnight-sweet-squid/?ncid=tcdaily |work=TechCrunch |accessdate=July 6, 2013|author=Velazko, Chris |date=July 6, 2013}}</ref><ref>{{cite web |title=Yahoo! acquires Astrid |url= http://blog.astrid.com/blog/2013/05/01/yahoo-acquires-astrid/ |publisher=Astrid blog |accessdate=July 6, 2013|author=Paris, Jon |date=May 1, 2013}}</ref>

====Twitter slide leak on changes to Yahoo====
On December 15, 2010, one day after Yahoo announced layoffs of 4% of its workers across their portfolio, MyBlogLog founder Eric Marcoullier posted a slide from a Yahoo employee on Twitter. The slide was visible during an employee-only strategy webcast indicating changes in Yahoo's offerings.<ref>{{cite news |url= http://techchunks.com/technology/confirmed-yahoo-shutting-down-delicious-buzz-altavista-other-services/ |title=Leak Confirmed – Yahoo Shutting Down Delicious, Buzz, AltaVista, MyBlogLog and Other Services |work=TechChunks |date=December 27, 2010 |accessdate=May 31, 2011}}</ref>

The following services were in a column under "Sunset": Yahoo Picks, [[AltaVista]], MyM, [[AlltheWeb]], Yahoo Bookmarks, Yahoo Buzz, [[del.icio.us]], and MyBlogLog. Under the "Merge" column were: Upcoming, [[FoxyTunes]], Yahoo Events, Yahoo People Search, Sideline, and FireEagle.

11 other properties were listed that Yahoo was interested in developing into feature sites within the portal to take the place of the "Sunset" and "Merge" vacancies, including the prior feature services (before the new Yahoo Mail was launched), were Yahoo Address Book, Calendar, and Notepad.<ref>{{cite web |url= https://www.twitter.com/waxpancake/status/15483488237002752 |title=Twitter post of original slide |publisher=Twitter |date=December 16, 2010 |accessdate=October 1, 2013}}</ref> Despite Notepad being listed as a feature service instead of sunset or merge in 2010, Yahoo has since taken steps to de-emphasize Notepad. For example, in January 2013, Notepad was no longer linked within the new Yahoo mail service, although it continued to be linked in the older Classic version. Also, starting in mid- to late January 2013, Notepad was no longer searchable.{{Citation needed|date=July 2013}}

The blog on the ''del.icio.us'' website released a post by Chris Yeh after the slide was leaked in which Yeh stated that "Sunset" doesn't necessarily mean that Yahoo is closing down the site. Yeh further explained that other possibilities—including del.icio.us leaving Yahoo (through sale or spinoff)—were still being considered: "We can only imagine how upsetting the news coverage over the past 24 hours has been to many of you. Speaking for our team, we were very disappointed by the way that this appeared in the press."<ref>{{cite news |title= Now Yahoo Says Delicious Will Live On...Somewhere Else |url= http://www.readwriteweb.com/archives/now_yahoo_says_delicious_will_live_onsomewhere_els.php |work= ReadWriteWeb |accessdate=August 14, 2012 |author= Kirkpatrick, Marshall |date=December 17, 2010}}</ref> On April 27, 2011, Yahoo's sale of ''del.icio.us'' to Avos was announced.<ref>{{cite news|url=http://www.huffingtonpost.com/2011/04/27/youtube-founders-buy-delicious_n_854428.html |title=YouTube Founders Buy Yahoo's Delicious |work=Huffington Post |date= April 27, 2011|accessdate=May 31, 2011 |first=Bianca |last=Bosker}}</ref>

Yahoo Buzz was closed down on April 21, 2011 without an official announcement from Yahoo.<ref>{{cite news |url= http://onlygizmos.com/yahoo-buzz-to-die-on-april-21/2011/04/ |title=Yahoo Buzz To Die On April 21 |work=OnlyGizmos |date=April 21, 2011 |accessdate=May 31, 2011}}</ref> MyBlogLog was then discontinued by Yahoo on May 24, 2011.<ref>{{cite news |url= http://www.huffingtonpost.com/2011/02/24/yahoo-mybloglog-closing_n_827679.html |title=Yahoo to close MyBlogLog this May |work=Huffington Post |date= February 24, 2011 |accessdate=May 31, 2011 |first=Amy |last=Lee}}</ref>

==Privacy==
[[File:DigiGes PRISM05.jpg|thumb|Protest against the mass surveillance by the [[National Security Agency|NSA]]]]

In September 2013, Yahoo's transparency report said the company received 29 thousand requests for information about users from governments in the first six months of 2013. Over 12 thousand of the requests came from the United States.<ref>{{cite web|url=http://www.indianexpress.com/news/yahoo-reports-29000-government-data-requests/1165938/ |title=Yahoo reports 29,000 government data requests |publisher=Indian Express |date=September 7, 2013 |accessdate=August 20, 2014}}</ref>

In October 2013, ''[[The Washington Post]]'' reported that the U.S. National Security Agency intercepted communications between Yahoo's data centers, as part of a program named [[Muscular (surveillance program)|Muscular]].<ref>{{cite news|url=http://www.washingtonpost.com/world/national-security/nsa-infiltrates-links-to-yahoo-google-data-centers-worldwide-snowden-documents-say/2013/10/30/e51d661e-4166-11e3-8b74-d89d714ca4dd_story.html|title=NSA infiltrates links to Yahoo, Google data centers worldwide, Snowden documents say|first1=Barton |last1=Gellman |first2=Ashkan |last2=Soltani|work=The Washington Post|date=October 30, 2013|accessdate=November 1, 2013}}</ref><ref>{{cite news|url=https://www.nytimes.com/2013/10/31/technology/nsa-is-mining-google-and-yahoo-abroad.html|title=N.S.A. Said to Tap Google and Yahoo Abroad|work=The New York Times|first1=Charlie|last1=Savage|first2=Claire|last2=Miller|first3=Nicole|last3=Perlroth|date=October 30, 2013|accessdate=November 1, 2013}}</ref>

In late January 2014, Yahoo announced on its company blog that it had detected a "coordinated effort" to hack into possibly millions of Yahoo Mail accounts. The company prompted users to reset their passwords, but did not elaborate on the scope of the possible breach, citing an ongoing federal investigation.<ref>{{cite web|title=Yahoo Detects Hacking Attempt on Email Accounts|url=http://www.moneynews.com/Companies/yahoo-email-hacking-security/2014/01/31/id/550106|publisher=Thomson/Reuters|accessdate=January 31, 2014}}</ref>

===Storing personal information and tracking usage===
[[File:Yahoo Kimo 2008 Open Hack Day stage 20080920.jpg|thumb|200px|Yahoo! Kimo (Taiwan) Open Hack Day event in 2008]]
{{Update|inaccurate=yes|section|date=June 2012}}

Working with comScore, ''[[The New York Times]]'' found that Yahoo was able to collect far more data about users than its competitors from its Web sites and advertising network. By one measure, on average Yahoo had the potential in December 2007 to build a profile of 2,500 records per month about each of its visitors.<ref>{{cite news |author= Story, Louise and comScore |title=They Know More Than You Think |url= https://www.nytimes.com/imagepages/2008/03/10/technology/20080310_PRIVACY_GRAPHIC.html |format=JPEG |date=March 10, 2008 |work=The New York Times}} in {{cite news |author=Story, Louise |title=To Aim Ads, Web Is Keeping Closer Eye on You |url= https://www.nytimes.com/2008/03/10/technology/10privacy.html |work=The New York Times |date=March 10, 2008 |accessdate=March 9, 2008}}</ref> Yahoo retains search requests for a period of 13 months. However, in response to European regulators, Yahoo obfuscates the IP address of users after three months by deleting its last eight bits.<ref>{{cite news |author= Helfy, Miguel |title=Yahoo! Limits Retention of Search Data |url= https://www.nytimes.com/2008/12/18/technology/internet/18yahoo.html?_r=1&em |work=The New York Times |date=January 19, 2010 |accessdate=August 13, 2010}}</ref>

On March 29, 2012, Yahoo announced that it would introduce a "[[Do Not Track]]" feature that summer, allowing users to opt out of Web-visit tracking and customized advertisements.<ref>{{cite news |title= Yahoo! to launch Do Not Track feature |url= http://www.dmnews.com/yahoo-to-allow-browsers-to-opt-out-of-online-tracking/article/234266/ |work=Direct Marketing News |publisher=Haymarket Media |accessdate=July 7, 2012|author= DeLuna, JoAnn |date=March 29, 2012}}</ref> However, on April 30, 2014, Yahoo announced that it would no longer support the "Do Not Track" browser setting.<ref>Yahoo Privacy Team (April 30, 2014).'' ''"[http://yahoopolicy.tumblr.com/post/84363620568/yahoos-default-a-personalized-experience Yahoo's Default = A Personalized Experience]". ''Yahoo''. Yahoo. Retrieved May 6, 2014. "
</ref>

According to a 2008 article in [[Computerworld]], Yahoo has a 2-petabyte, specially built [[data warehouse]] that it uses to analyze the behavior of its half-billion Web visitors per month, processing 24 billion daily events.<ref name="Eric Lai">{{cite news |author= Lai, Eric |title= Size matters: Yahoo! claims 2-petabyte database is world's biggest, busiest |url= http://www.computerworld.com/s/article/9087918/Size_matters_Yahoo_claims_2_petabyte_database_is_world_s_biggest_busiest |work=Computer World |date=May 22, 2008 |accessdate=August 15, 2010}}</ref> In contrast, the United States [[Internal Revenue Service]] (IRS) database of all United States taxpayers weighs in at only 150 terabytes.<ref name="Eric Lai" />

On September 2016, it was reported that data from at least 500 million Yahoo accounts was stolen in 2014.<ref>{{cite web|url=http://www.usatoday.com/story/tech/2016/09/22/report-yahoo-may-confirm-massive-data-breach/90824934/|title=500 million Yahoo accounts breached|publisher=}}</ref>

In October 2016, Reuters reported that in 2015, Yahoo! created a software to search their customers e-mail at the request of NSA or FBI.<ref>Joseph Menn. "[http://www.reuters.com/article/us-yahoo-nsa-exclusive-idUSKCN1241YT Exclusive: Yahoo secretly scanned customer emails for U.S. intelligence - sources]", Reuters, reuters.com, October 4, 2016. Retrieved October 4, 2016.</ref>

==Criticism==
{{Main article|Criticism of Yahoo}}

In 2000, Yahoo was [[LICRA v. Yahoo|taken to court in France]] by parties seeking to prevent French citizens from purchasing memorabilia relating to the Nazi Party.<ref name="yahoonazi1">{{cite web|url=http://www.computerworld.com.au/article/82311/yahoo_has_tough_day_french_court |title=Yahoo Has Tough Day in French Court |publisher=Computerworld.com.au |date=November 8, 2000 |accessdate=May 31, 2011}}</ref> In March 2004, Yahoo launched a paid inclusion program whereby commercial websites were guaranteed listings on the Yahoo search engine.<ref>{{cite web |title=Yahoo Introduces Paid-Inclusion Program |url=http://www.adweek.com/aw/iq_interactive/article_display.jsp?vnu_content_id=1000451392 |archiveurl=https://web.archive.org/web/20070927213149/http://www.adweek.com/aw/iq_interactive/article_display.jsp?vnu_content_id=1000451392 |archivedate=September 27, 2007 |publisher=adweek.com |accessdate=February 22, 2008}}</ref> Yahoo discontinued the program at the end of 2009.<ref>{{cite web |title=Yahoo Shutting Down Paid Inclusion|url=http://www.webpronews.com/topnews/2009/10/16/yahoo-shutting-down-paid-inclusion |publisher=webpronews.com |accessdate=August 13, 2010}}</ref> Yahoo was criticized for providing ads via the Yahoo ad network to companies who display them through [[spyware]] and [[adware]].<ref>{{cite web |title=Yahoo's Pop-Up Connection |url=http://www.businessweek.com/magazine/content/06_29/b3993005.htm |work=Bloomberg BusinessWeek |accessdate=February 22, 2008}}</ref><ref>{{cite web |title=Yahoo's Adware Counterattack |url=http://www.businessweek.com/technology/content/nov2005/tc20051116_941267.htm |work=Bloomberg BusinessWeek |accessdate=February 6, 2008}}</ref>

Yahoo, as well as other search engines, cooperated with the Chinese government in [[Internet censorship in the People's Republic of China|censoring]] search results. In April 2005, dissident [[Shi Tao (journalist)|Shi Tao]] was sentenced to 10 years in prison for "providing state secrets to foreign entities"<ref>{{cite web |title=Jailed Chinese Journalist Wins WAN Golden Pen of Freedom |url=http://www.wmd.org/democracynews/dec06.html |publisher=wmd.org |accessdate=February 23, 2008 |archiveurl = https://web.archive.org/web/20070918201343/http://www.wmd.org/democracynews/dec06.html |archivedate = September 18, 2007}}</ref> as a result of being identified by IP address by Yahoo.<ref>{{cite news |title=Yahoo's Statement before the U.S. Congress |url=https://www.nytimes.com/packages/pdf/business/YahooStatement.pdf |work=The New York Times |accessdate=February 25, 2008}}</ref> Human rights organizations and the company's general counsel disputed the extent of Yahoo's foreknowledge of Shi's fate.<ref>{{cite web |title=Rights Group Says Yahoo May Have Lied to Congress |url=http://www.voanews.com/english/2007-07-31-voa18.cfm |publisher=[[Voice of America]] |accessdate=February 25, 2008 |archiveurl = https://web.archive.org/web/20070909003020/http://www.voanews.com/english/2007-07-31-voa18.cfm |archivedate=September 9, 2007 }}</ref> Human rights groups also accuse Yahoo of aiding authorities in the arrest of dissidents [[Li Zhi (dissident)|Li Zhi]] and [[Jiang Lijun]]. In April 2017, Yahoo was sued for failing to uphold settlement agreements in this case. Yahoo pledged to give support to the families of those arrested and create a relief fund for those persecuted for expressing their views online with Yahoo Human Rights Trust. Of the $17.3 million allotted to this fund, $13 million had been used for a townhouse in Washington, DC and other purchases.<ref>{{Cite news|url=https://www.bloomberg.com/news/articles/2017-04-11/yahoo-is-sued-for-failing-to-keep-2007-china-dissident-promises|title=Yahoo Is Sued for Failing to Keep 2007 China Dissident Promises|date=April 11, 2017|work=Bloomberg.com|access-date=April 11, 2017}}</ref>

In September 2003, dissident [[Wang Xiaoning]] was convicted of charges of "incitement to subvert state power" and was sentenced to ten years in prison. Yahoo Hong Kong connected Wang's group to a specific Yahoo e-mail address.<ref>{{cite news |title= 'Yahoo Betrayed My Husband' |url= https://www.wired.com/politics/onlinerights/news/2007/03/72972?currentPage=all |work=Wired |accessdate=August 14, 2012 |author= O'Brien, Luke |date=March 15, 2007}}</ref> Both Xiaoning's wife and the World Organization for Human Rights<ref>{{cite news |title=Yahoo plea over China rights case |url= http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/asia-pacific/6966116.stm |publisher=BBC News |accessdate=February 25, 2008 |date=August 28, 2007}}</ref> sued Yahoo under human rights laws on behalf of Wang and Shi.<ref>{{cite news |url= http://www.sfgate.com/default/article/Suit-by-wife-of-Chinese-activist-She-alleges-2601529.php |title=Suit by wife of Chinese activist |author=Egelko, Bob |date=April 19, 2007|accessdate=November 23, 2012 |newspaper=San Francisco Chronicle}}</ref>

As a result of media scrutiny relating to Internet child predators and a lack of significant ad revenues, Yahoo's "user created" chatrooms were closed down in June 2005.<ref>{{cite news |title= Yahoo closes chat rooms over child sex concerns |url= http://news.cnet.com/2100-1025_3-5759705.html |work=CNET News |accessdate=September 16, 2012 |author=Mills, Elinor |date=June 23, 2005}}</ref> On May 25, 2006, Yahoo's image search was criticized for bringing up sexually explicit images even when [[SafeSearch]] was active.<ref>{{cite news |title=Yahoo! image search exposes school to porn |url= http://www.theregister.co.uk/2006/05/25/yahoo_school_project/ |work=The Register |location =London |accessdate=February 25, 2008 |date=May 25, 2006}}</ref> Yahoo was{{When|date=August 2014}} a 40% (24% in September 2013) owner of [[Alibaba Group]],<ref>{{cite news| url=http://www.reuters.com/article/2013/09/27/us-alibaba-ipo-idUSBRE98Q08N20130927 | work=Reuters | title=Top shareholders back Alibaba's controversial corporate structure | date=September 27, 2013}}</ref> which was a subject of controversy for allowing the sale of shark-derived products. The company banned the sale of [[shark fin soup|shark fin]] products on all its e-commerce platforms effective January 1, 2009. On November 30, 2009, Yahoo was criticized by the [[Electronic Frontier Foundation]] for sending a [[DMCA]] notice to whistle-blower website "Cryptome" for publicly posting details, prices, and procedures on obtaining private information pertaining to Yahoo's subscribers.<ref>{{cite web |title= Yahoo Tries to Hide Snoop Service Price List |url= https://www.eff.org/takedowns/yahoo-tries-hide-snoop-service-price-list |publisher= Electronic Frontier Foundation |accessdate=August 5, 2012 |year=2009}}</ref>

After some concerns over censorship of private emails regarding a website affiliated with [[Occupy Wall Street]] protests were raised,<ref name="thinkprogress.org">{{cite web |title= Yahoo Appears To Be Censoring Email Messages About Wall Street Protests (Updated) |url= http://thinkprogress.org/media/2011/09/20/323856/yahoo-censoring-occupy-wall-street-protests |work=Think Progress |publisher=Center for American Progress Action Fund |accessdate=September 16, 2012 |author=Lee Fang |date=September 20, 2011}}</ref><ref name="videosift.com">{{cite web |title= Yahoo Censoring "Occupy Wall Street" Protest Messages |url= http://videosift.com/video/Yahoo-Censoring-Occupy-Wall-Street-Protest-Messages |work=Videosift |publisher=Sift Partners, Inc |accessdate=September 16, 2012 |author=TheFreak |date=September 2011}}</ref> Yahoo responded with an apology and explained it as an accident.<ref name="straight.com">{{cite web |title= Yahoo admits blocking Wall Street protest emails, says censorship was "not intentional" |url= http://www.straight.com/article-465356/vancouver/yahoo-accidentally-blocks-protesters-emails-apologizes |work=Straight.com |location=Vancouver |accessdate=September 16, 2012 |author=Nelson, Miranda |date=September 20, 2011}}</ref>

===Allegations of sexism against men===
Scott Ard, a prominent editorial director, fired from Yahoo in 2015 has filed a lawsuit accusing Mayer of leading a sexist campaign to purge male employees. Ard, a male employee, stated "Mayer encouraged and fostered the use of (an employee performance-rating system) to accommodate management's subjective biases and personal opinions, to the detriment of Yahoo's male employees". In the suit Ard claimed prior to his firing, he had received "fully satisfactory" performance reviews since starting at the company in 2011 as head of editorial programming for Yahoo's home page, however, he was relieved of his role that was given to a woman who had been recently hired by Megan Lieberman, the editor-in-chief of Yahoo News.<ref>http://www.usnews.com/news/articles/2016-10-07/lawsuit-accuses-yahoo-ceo-marissa-mayer-of-discrimination-against-men</ref><ref name="mercurynews.com">{{cite web|url=https://www.mercurynews.com/2016/10/06/yahoo-ceo-marissa-mayer-led-illegal-purge-of-male-employees-lawsuit-charges/|title=Lawsuit: Yahoo CEO Marissa Mayer led illegal purge of male workers|publisher=|accessdate=February 22, 2017}}</ref>

The lawsuit states:
"Liberman stated that she was terminating (Ard) because she had not received a requested breakdown of (his) duties. (Ard) had already provided that very information as requested, however, and reminded Liberman that he had done so. Liberman's excuse for terminating (Ard) was a pretext."<ref name="mercurynews.com"/>

A second sexual discrimination lawsuit was filed separately by Gregory Anderson, who was fired in 2014, alleging the company's performance management system was arbitrary and unfair, making it the second sexism lawsuit Yahoo and Meyer has faced in 2016.<ref>{{cite web|url=http://gizmodo.com/new-lawsuit-alleges-marissa-mayer-tried-to-purge-yahoo-1787528563|title=New Lawsuit Alleges Marissa Mayer Tried to Purge Yahoo of Men [Updated]|first=Eve|last=Peyser|publisher=|accessdate=February 22, 2017}}</ref><ref>{{cite web|url=https://www.cnet.com/news/yahoos-mayer-sued-for-allegedly-forcing-out-male-employees/|title=Yahoo's Mayer sued for allegedly forcing out male employees|publisher=|accessdate=February 22, 2017}}</ref><ref>{{cite web|url=http://www.huffingtonpost.com/entry/mans-suing-yahoo-for-gender-bias_us_56b25e1ce4b08069c7a5d2ad|title=Why A Man Is Suing Yahoo For Sexism|first=Shane|last=Ferro|date=February 4, 2016|publisher=|accessdate=February 22, 2017}}</ref>

==Management==

==={{Anchor|Yahoo! board of directors}}Board of Directors===
* [[David Filo]] (2014) Co-Founder, Chief Yahoo and Director, Yahoo Inc.!
* [[Sue James]] (2010) Retired Partner, Ernst & Young LLP
* [[Max Levchin]] (2012) Chairman and CEO, HVF, LLC
* [[Marissa Mayer]] (2012) – CEO, Yahoo! Inc.
* [[Thomas J. McInerney]] (2012) – Former [[Executive Vice President]] and Chief Financial Officer, [[IAC/InterActiveCorp]]
* [[Charles R. Schwab]] (2014) Chairman The [[Charles Schwab Corporation]].
* [[H. Lee Scott, Jr.]] (2014) Retired President and Chief Executive Officer [[Wal-Mart]] Stores
* [[Jane E. Shaw]] (2014) Retired Chairman of the Board [[Intel]] Corporation
* [[Maynard Webb]] (2012) – Chairman, Yahoo, founder, Webb Investment Network and chairman and former CEO of [[LiveOps]]<ref>{{cite web|url=http://allthingsd.com/20130816/yahoo-names-maynard-webb-permanent-board-chairman/|title=Yahoo Names Maynard Webb Permanent Board Chairman|accessdate=September 2, 2013}}</ref><ref>
{{cite web|url=http://investor.yahoo.net/directors.cfm |title=Yahoo! Inc. – Board of Directors |publisher=Investor.yahoo.net |accessdate=July 23, 2012}}</ref><ref>
{{cite web|url=http://biz.yahoo.com/e/120326/yhoo8-k.html |title=Summary of YAHOO INC – Yahoo! Finance |publisher=Biz.yahoo.com |accessdate=July 23, 2012|archiveurl=https://web.archive.org/web/20130121035719/http://biz.yahoo.com/e/120326/yhoo8-k.html|archivedate=January 21, 2013}}</ref><ref>
{{cite news |url= http://www.forbes.com/sites/ericjackson/2011/09/12/roy-bostocks-tarnished-legacy-at-yahoo/ |work=Forbes |location= New York |first=Eric |last=Jackson |title=Roy Bostock's Tarnished Legacy at Yahoo! |date=September 12, 2011}}</ref><ref>
{{cite web|url=http://biz.yahoo.com/e/120517/yhoo8-k.html |title=Summary of YAHOO INC – Yahoo! Finance |publisher=Biz.yahoo.com |accessdate=July 23, 2012|archiveurl=https://web.archive.org/web/20130510015218/http://biz.yahoo.com/e/120517/yhoo8-k.html|archivedate=May 10, 2013}}</ref>

===Chief Executive Officers===
* [[Marissa Mayer]] (2012–)
* [[Ross Levinsohn]] Interim (2012)
* [[Scott Thompson (businessman)|Scott Thompson]] (2012)
* [[Tim Morse]] Interim (2011–2012)
* [[Carol Bartz]] (2009–2011)
* [[Jerry Yang]] (2007–2009)
* [[Terry Semel]] (2001–2007)
* [[Timothy Koogle]] (1995–2001)

Former chief operating officer Henrique de Castro departed from the company in January 2014 after Mayer, who initially hired him after her appointment as CEO, dismissed him. De Castro, who previously worked for Google and [[McKinsey & Company]], was employed to revive Yahoo's advertising business.<ref>{{cite news|title=Bumps on a Road to Revival for Yahoo|url=https://www.nytimes.com/2014/01/17/technology/yahoo-seeks-to-regain-its-touch.html|accessdate=April 22, 2014|newspaper=The New York Times|date=January 16, 2014|author=VINDU GOEL|author2=CLAIRE CAIN MILLER}}</ref>

==Yahoo International==
[[File:Bhagmane Tech Park.jpg|thumb|Yahoo's [[Bangalore]] office]]

Yahoo offers a multi-lingual interface. The site is available in over 20 languages. The official directory for all of the Yahoo International sites is ''[http://world.yahoo.com/ world.yahoo.com]''. The company's international sites are wholly owned by Yahoo, with the exception of its Japan and China sites.

Yahoo holds a 34.75% minority stake in [[Yahoo Japan]], while [[SoftBank]] holds 35.45%,<ref>{{cite web|url=http://ir.yahoo.co.jp/en/holder/status.html |title=Yahoo.co.jp |publisher=Ir.yahoo.co.jp |date=March 31, 2011 |accessdate=November 7, 2011}}</ref> [[YahooXtra]] in New Zealand, which [[Yahoo!7]] have 51% of and 49% belongs to [[Telecom New Zealand]], and Yahoo!7 in Australia, which is a 50–50 agreement between Yahoo and the [[Seven Network]]. Historically, Yahoo entered into joint venture agreements with SoftBank for the major European sites (UK, France and Germany) and well as South Korea and Japan. In November 2005, Yahoo purchased the minority interests that SoftBank owned in Europe and Korea.

Yahoo used to hold a 40% stake in Alibaba, which manages a web portal in China using the Yahoo brand name. Yahoo in the USA does not have direct control over Alibaba, which operates as a completely independent company. On September 18, 2012, following years of negotiations, Yahoo agreed to sell a 20% stake back to Alibaba for $7.6 billion.<ref>{{cite web|url=https://finance.yahoo.com/news/yahoo-closes-7-6-billion-deal-alibaba-group-161614948--finance.html |title=Yahoo sell 20% stake to Alibaba |publisher=Finance.yahoo.com |date=September 18, 2012 |accessdate=October 1, 2013}}</ref>

On March 8, 2011 Yahoo launched its Romania local service after years of delay due to the [[2008–2012 global recession|financial crisis]].<ref>{{cite web |url=http://www.wall-street.ro/articol/Marketing-PR/42795/Darren-Petterson-promite-o-crestere-considerabila-a-Yahoo-in-Romania.html |title=Darren Petterson promises an important increase in Yahoo!, in Romania |language=Romanian |date=May 30, 2008 |accessdate=February 13, 2010}}</ref><ref>{{cite web |url=http://www.zf.ro/business-hi-tech/darren-patterson-yahoo-lansarea-portalului-yahoo-ro-este-programata-pentru-sfarsitul-lui-t3-3093077/ |title=Darren Patterson, Yahoo!: Yahoo.ro is scheduled to launch by the end of Q3 |publisher=Ziarul Financiar |date=May 15, 2008 |accessdate=February 13, 2010 |language=Romanian}}</ref><ref>{{cite web |url=http://www.dailybusiness.ro/stiri-new-media/stiri-new-media/fanache-unicul-mohican-yahoo-in-romania-daca-nu-era-criza-acum-aveam-yahoo-mail-si-messenger-in-romaneste-24719 |title=Fanache, the "only mohican" of Yahoo! in Romania: If there were no crisis, by now we will have had Yahoo! Mail and Messenger in Romanian |language=Romanian |accessdate=February 13, 2010 |date=April 13, 2009 |publisher=Daily Business}}</ref><ref>{{cite web |url=http://www.smash.ro/punctro/yahoo-romania-se-lanseaza-in-iulie-2010/ |title=Yahoo! Romania will launch in June 2010 |date=November 2, 2010 |accessdate=February 13, 2010 |publisher=Smash.ro |language=Romanian}}</ref><ref>{{cite web |url=http://www.money.ro/new-media/mediacafe-yahoo-ro-nu-va-revolutiona-piata-si-nici-nu-ne-va-aduce-de-trei-ori-mai-multi-bani.html |title=Mediacafe: "Yahoo.ro won't revolutionise the market, and neither will it gross three times more money" |website=Money.ro |date=December 2, 2010 |accessdate=February 13, 2010}}</ref>

Yahoo officially entered the [[MENA]] region when it acquired [[Maktoob]], a pan-regional, Arabic-language hosting and social services online portal, on August 25, 2009.<ref>{{cite web |url=http://techcrunch.com/2009/08/25/confirmed-yahoo-acquires-arab-internet-portal-maktoob/ |title=Confirmed: Yahoo Acquires Arab Internet Portal Maktoob |first=Jason |last=Kincaid |date=August 25, 2009 |accessdate=August 31, 2012 |publisher=[[TechCrunch]]}}</ref> Since the service is pan-regional, Yahoo officially became Yahoo Maktoob in the region.

On December 31, 2012, Yahoo Korea shut down all its services and left the country, with its previous domain saying in Korean, "Starting from December 31, 2012, Yahoo! Korea has ended. You can go to the original Yahoo! for more Yahoo's information." Sooner did that message also disappear, leaving with just an abandoned, empty search bar powered by Bing.<ref>{{cite web|title=야후! 검색- 통합 검색|url=https://kr.search.yahoo.com/|website=Yahoo! Korea}}</ref>

On September 2, 2013, Yahoo China shut down and was redirected to taobao.com,<ref>{{cite news|url=http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/technology-23929002 |title=Yahoo ceases China news and community services |publisher=Bbc.co.uk |date=September 2, 2013 |accessdate=October 1, 2013}}</ref> and has been being redirected to Yahoo Singapore's search page.

==Logos and themes==
[[File:Yahoo Logo.svg|thumb|Logo used from 1996 to 2013 (shown: purple variant used from 2009), red version still used by [[Yahoo! Japan]]]]
[[File:Yahoo-logo.jpg|thumb|150px|Yahoo logo with the ''Y!'' moniker (2009–2013)]]
[[File:Yahoo 701 First Avenue.jpg|thumb|200px|Yahoo! sign with address at its headquarters]]

The first logo appeared when the company was founded in 1994—it was red with three icons on each side.<ref>{{cite web|url=http://www.logoorange.com/logodesign-Y.php |title=Yahoo Logo Design, Logo Design History |publisher=Logoorange.com |accessdate=May 31, 2011}}</ref> The logo used on the Yahoo home page formerly consisted of the color red with a black outline and shadow; however, in May 2009, together with a theme redesign, the logo was changed to purple without an outline or shadow. This change also applied to several international Yahoo home pages. In some countries, most notably [[Yahoo!7]] (of Australia), [[:File:Yahoo!7 logo.svg|the logo]] remained red until 2014.<ref>{{cite web |last= Yardney |first= Michael |url= http://au.yahoo.com/ |title=Yahoo!7 |publisher=Au.yahoo.com |accessdate=October 1, 2013}}</ref> On occasion the logo is abbreviated: "Y!"<ref>{{cite web |title=Y – Yahoo |url= http://www.all-acronyms.com/cat/7/Y/Yahoo/1183359 |publisher=All Acronyms |accessdate=May 23, 2012 |year=2012}}</ref>

On August 7, 2013, at around midnight EDT, Yahoo announced that the final version of the new logo would be revealed on September 5, 2013 at 4:00&nbsp;a.m. UTC. In the period leading up to the unveiling of the new logo, the "30 Days of Change" campaign was introduced, whereby a variation of the logo was published every day for the 30 days following the announcement.<ref>{{cite news |title=Yahoo is getting a new logo - in a month |url= http://www.usatoday.com/story/tech/2013/08/06/yahoo-is-getting-a-new-logo/2617033/ |accessdate=August 14, 2013 |newspaper=USA Today |date=August 7, 2013 |author=Swartz, Jon}}</ref><ref>{{cite web |title=Yahoo's 30 days of change campaign will end with new logo design |url= http://www.techspot.com/news/53532-yahoos-30-days-of-change-campaign-will-end-with-new-logo-design.html|work=TechSpot |accessdate=August 14, 2013 |author=Knight, Shawn |date=August 7, 2013}}</ref> The new logo was eventually launched with an accompanying video that showed its digital construction, and Mayer published a personalized description of the design process on her Tumblr page.<ref>{{cite web |title=Yahoo reveals its new logo |url= http://www.theverge.com/2013/9/5/4696274/yahoo-reveals-its-new-logo |work=The Verge |publisher=Vox Media, Inc. |accessdate=September 19, 2013 |author=Newton, Casey |date=September 5, 2013}}</ref> Mayer explains:

<blockquote>
So, one weekend this summer, I rolled up my sleeves and dove into the trenches with our logo design team ... We spent the majority of Saturday and Sunday designing the logo from start to finish, and we had a ton of fun weighing every minute detail. We knew we wanted a logo that reflected Yahoo - whimsical, yet sophisticated. Modern and fresh, with a nod to our history. Having a human touch, personal. Proud.<ref>{{cite web|title=Geeking Out on the Logo |url= http://marissamayr.tumblr.com/ |work=Marissa's Tumblr|publisher=Yahoo|accessdate=September 19, 2013 |author=Mayer, Marissa |date=September 5, 2013}}</ref></blockquote>

On September 19, 2013, Yahoo launched a new version of the "My Yahoo" personalized homepage. The redesign allows users to tailor a homepage with widgets that access features such as email accounts, calendars, Flickr and other Yahoo content, and Internet content. Users can also select "theme packs" that represent artists such as Polly Apfelbaum and Alec Monopoly, and bands such as [[Empire of the Sun (band)|Empire of the Sun]].<ref>{{cite news |title=Yahoo Resurrects The Personalized Homepage With "My Yahoo" Revamp |url= http://techcrunch.com/2013/09/19/yahoo-resurrects-the-personalized-homepage-with-my-yahoo-revamp/?ncid=tcdaily |work=TechCrunch |accessdate=September 19, 2013 |author= Perez, Sarah |date=September 19, 2013}}</ref> Mayer then explained at a conference in late September 2013 that the logo change was the result of feedback from both external parties and employees.<ref name="Sew">{{cite web |title=6 Things We Learned From Marissa Mayer and Mark Zuckerberg at TechCrunch Disrupt 2013 |url= http://searchenginewatch.com/article/2296067/6-Things-We-Learned-From-Marissa-Mayer-and-Mark-Zuckerberg-at-TechCrunch-Disrupt-2013|work=Search Engine Watch |accessdate=September 23, 2013 |author=Edwards, Victoria |date=September 21, 2013}}</ref>

==See also==
{{Portal|San Francisco Bay Area|Companies|Internet}}
* [[List of search engines]]
* [[List of web analytics software]]
* [[Yahoo! Guesthouse]]
* [[Yahoo! litigation]]
* [[Yahoo! Messenger Protocol]]

==References==
{{Reflist|30em}}

==External links==
* {{Official website}}
* {{Finance links
| symbol = YHOO
| sec_cik = 1011006
| yahoo = YHOO
| google = YHOO
| bloomberg = YHOO:US
}}
* {{OpenCorp|Yahoo}}

{{Yahoo! Inc.}}
{{NASDAQ-100}}
{{Major information technology companies}}

{{Authority control}}

[[Category:Yahoo!| ]]
[[Category:Internet companies of the United States]]
[[Category:Internet search engines]]
[[Category:Alibaba Group]]
[[Category:American websites]]
[[Category:Companies based in Sunnyvale, California]]
[[Category:Companies in the PRISM network]]
[[Category:Companies listed on NASDAQ]]
[[Category:Internet properties established in 1994]]
[[Category:Multinational companies headquartered in the United States]]
[[Category:Internet marketing companies]]
[[Category:Software companies based in California]]
[[Category:Technology companies based in the San Francisco Bay Area]]
[[Category:Technology companies established in 1994]]
[[Category:Telecommunications companies established in 1994]]
[[Category:1994 establishments in California]]
[[Category:Web portals]]
[[Category:Web service providers]]
[[Category:World Wide Web]]
[[Category:Announced technology acquisitions]]

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