Jim Lanzone was named the new CEO of Yahoo on Sept. 10. Lanzone leaves Tinder, a dating company owned by Match Group MTCH, to take on the leadership role at Yahoo, which was recently acquired by Apollo Global Management Inc APO.
The following are five things you may not know about the new Yahoo CEO.
1. New Leader For Yahoo: Ten days after Apollo Global completed its acquisition of Yahoo, formerly a unit of Verizon Communications Inc VZ, Lanzone was named the new CEO to lead the company.
“Jim is a veteran technology and media leader with two decades of leadership experience and a deep track record of growth, innovation and an entrepreneurial spirit,” current Yahoo CEO Guru Gowrappan said.
Yahoo was purchased for $5 billion and analysts have wondered if the brand would begin selling off pieces or attempt to rebrand and bring back the well-known internet name.
“The appointment of Lanzone implies that there could be a bigger view to building the business into a more profitable operation, or at least tighten it up to make it more attractive to other digital media conglomerates,” TechCrunch said.
2. Created CBS Streaming Vision: Legacy media company CBS launched a streaming platform called CBS All Access in October 2014. The streaming platform was led by Lanzone for years in a push to take “America’s most-watched network” from broadcast to the new digital era.
“CBS has an amazing lineage. It’s one of the greatest brands in the history of broadcasting, going back to radio,” Lanzone said at the time.
Lanzone launched CBS All Access with hit shows like “Star Trek: Discovery,” “The Good Fight” and “Twilight Zone.”
CBS All Access is now rebranded as Paramount+ and is a unit of ViacomCBS Inc VIAC.
“The next 50 years are going to be about digital and multiplatform,” he said.
Related Link: Apollo Global Ropes In Tinder Chief As Yahoo's CEO, Tinder Names New CEO
3. Founded And Led Several Companies: Lanzone comes to Yahoo with a long history of leading technology companies.
Lazone founded Clicker, a company that sought to provide a complete guide to internet television. The company was acquired by CBS.
He founded eTour, a web discovery site, which went public. eTour was acquired by Ask.com in 2001 and Lanzone would go on to be the CEO of the larger company.
Ask.com shares were 79 cents a share when Lanzone joined the company. Shares went up to $45 a share by 2004 and the company was sold for over $2 billion.
4. Part of a SPAC: Lanzone is a director at Supernova Partners Acquisition Company, a SPAC led by former Zillow Group Z CEO Spencer Rascoff. The SPAC recently completed a merger with Offerpad Solutions Inc OPAD.
The filing listed Lazone’s experience leading companies and his education as the reason for including him on the SPAC.
“We believe Mr. Lanzone is well qualified to serve on our Board due to his extensive experience in digital and social media and prior public company experience,” the filing reads.
5. Education: Lanzone graduated with a bachelor’s degree from the University of California, Los Angeles, also known as UCLA. Lanzone also holds a dual JD/MBA degree from Emory University School of Law and Emory University Goizueta Business School. Lanzone is listed as one of the famous alumni from the business school.
Photo: Smithers Jones via Wikimedia Commons
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