Search Engine Journal pulled out some serious quotes from a Fortune Magazine interview with Yahoo’s CEO, Terry Semel. I’ll pull out quotes, like Loren did;
How could you say in May the search-advertising platform was ready, only to delay it two months later?
In May we began to test the platform and show it to advertisers. We decided we wanted more time to do additional tests, and advertisers told us they wanted more time to adapt their systems. We decided to do it properly rather than rush.
Isn’t Apple’s iTunes far bigger than Yahoo Music by revenue?
We’re not in that business. We sell ads. Having a dedicated audience that spends a lot of time doing whatever they do leads to very good advertising prospects.
Google’s motto is “Don’t be evil.” What’s Yahoo’s?
[Long pause.] I don’t know that we have a motto. Well, the mission of the company is, Deliver great value to our consumers and, basically, value them.
There are some more surprising quotes in the interview.