NEW YORK (Fortune) -- "I didn't come here to sell the company." That was the answer Carol Bartz gave at her first earnings presentation since being installed two weeks ago as Yahoo CEO. "I am here because I see a tremendous collection of assets, and because I want to help make Yahoo stronger." But when addressing the question whether she would sell the Internet company's search business, Bartz did not offer the same emphatic, "no."What she did do is extol the strengths of Yahoo's No. 2-positioned search business, which Microsoft has shown repeated interest in buying. If anything, Bartz was making it known that Yahoo search is an asset that is increasing in value, not declining, and any would-be acquirers won't be picking it up for scraps.
Bartz appeared the no-nonsense, steady-at-the-helm leader that everyone has been looking for to save Yahoo. She made it clear she was still navigating her way through the company, seeing what its strengths and weaknesses are before laying out her roadmap for recovery.
"What I am most concerned about is this organization is very complex, and therefore it is hard for people to get speedy answers and be able to make decisions," Bartz says. "That is fairly easy to fix. I say fairly, because anytime you are moving people around it takes a little while for them to settle down. There are some really smart people here - they just need a little help in improving their liens of communication and channels. The good news is, I happen to be pretty good at that stuff."
Read More
