Yahoo is considering selling off its core Internet business

Initially, many people were confident that former Google executive Marissa Mayer would be able to turn things around for Yahoo as its CEO and President, but after three years of little progress, people are starting to lose hope, including the company’s board of directors. Apparently, the board is discussing potentially selling off Yahoo’s core business this week. The discussions come at a time when Yahoo has failed to introduce any successful products for years, and when most of the company’s value comes from its foreign investments.  

The board of Yahoo will discuss potentially selling off the beleaguered Internet company’s core business during a series of meetings this week, people briefed on the plans said on Tuesday. Directors of the company will also discuss whether to move forward with plans to spin off Yahoo’s 15 percent stake in the Alibaba Group, the Chinese e-commerce giant. The board will weigh all its options, and it is unclear whether the directors will change course, said the people, who spoke on the condition of anonymity because they were not authorized to publicly discuss the plans. Still, the discussions — which will take place at a regularly scheduled board meeting — highlight the difficulties that have long troubled one of the most prominent Internet companies. The discussions are also sure to put attention squarely on Marissa Mayer, Yahoo’s chief executive, and the company’s direction under her leadership. Although Ms. Mayer is credited with stabilizing the company, which was in rapid decline, Yahoo has introduced no breakthrough products during her three years at the helm and has fallen further and further behind competitors like Facebook and Google in the battle for advertising dollars.