Yahoo's new CEO finds plenty on her plate

SAN FRANCISCO -- Just a few minutes after being introduced at a hastily arranged conference call, the self-described straight shooter told analysts she intends to ensure Yahoo gets "some friggin' breathing room" so the company can "kick some butt."

"I see this as a company with enormous assets that frankly could use a little management," Bartz, who was tapped Tuesday, said in a conference call that day before she rushed off to her first meeting with Yahoo's top managers. (Bartz is not granting interviews until she assesses Yahoo's situation, company spokesman Brad Williams said.)

Analysts and Yahoo's board say she is the right woman for the job. Yahoo desperately needs someone with Bartz's decisive, laserlike focus and determination to whip it into shape, says Forrester Research analyst David Card.

Bartz "is the exact combination of seasoned technology executive and savvy leader that the board was looking for," said Yahoo Chairman Roy Bostock. He said Bartz was the only one offered the job.

Wall Street agrees with Yahoo's choice. Yahoo shares rose 2.6%, to $12.41, in trading Wednesday.

In many ways, Bartz, 60, is the antithesis of Yahoo co-founder Jerry Yang, a genial manager who surrendered the CEO reins last year after potentially lucrative deals with rivals Microsoft and Google collapsed.

Bartz could renew talks with Microsoft to acquire Yahoo's search operations so Microsoft can challenge Google. Microsoft has been reluctant to deal with Yang since he rejected several takeover bids, including one for $47.5 billion. A separate search deal with Google collapsed after antitrust regulators threatened to block the deal.