PandoMonthly: How Terry Semel (and the ET Atari fiasco) landed LinkedIn's Jeff Weiner at Yahoo

TL;DR

Terry Semel, former CEO of Warner Brothers, became a mentor to the speaker and later joined Yahoo as its CEO.

Transcript

um so how did you get to know Terry SEL how did he become an important mentor of yours so uh that business plan that I wrote uh in uh in December 1994 uh for Warner Brothers uh was later approved it was presented to Bob da and Terry seml who are the co-chairman and CEO of uh CEOs of Warner Brothers and I can remember that meeting like it was yester... Read More

Key Insights

• 🖐️ Terry Semel played a significant role in mentoring the speaker, approving their business plan for Warner Brothers.
• 👨‍💼 Warner Brothers had a responsible approach to business, approving the online business plan on the condition of day one profitability.
• 🏃 Terry Semel's background as a successful media executive made him a sleeper pick for running Yahoo.
• 🛀 Terry's decision to join Yahoo despite the intense turnaround situation shows his determination and confidence.

Questions & Answers

Q: How did the speaker become acquainted with Terry Semel?

The speaker wrote a business plan for Warner Brothers, which was approved by Terry Semel, the CEO of Warner Brothers. This led to a mentorship relationship.

Q: Why did Warner Brothers approve the online business plan?

Warner Brothers approved the plan on the condition that it would break even from day one, reflecting their responsible approach to business.

Q: Who asked Terry Semel to run Yahoo?

Jerry Yang, the co-founder of Yahoo, asked Terry Semel to run the company after its leadership transition.

Q: Why did the speaker initially hesitate when Terry was asked to run Yahoo?

The speaker believed that Terry's background as a successful media executive made him an interesting choice for running Yahoo, but was concerned about the intense turnaround situation and the industry's implosion.

Summary & Key Takeaways

• The speaker wrote a business plan for Warner Brothers in 1994, which was later approved by Terry Semel, the CEO of Warner Brothers.

• Warner Brothers approved the online business plan on the condition that it would break even from day one, showing their successful approach to business.

• Terry Semel retired from Warner Brothers and started a private equity company before being asked to run Yahoo by its co-founder, Jerry Yang.