Sexism? Yahoo!

Yesterday, during my exclusive coverage of the Yahoo baby flap, I neglected to cover a key point. So exclusive team coverage continues today. Besides, most of you didn’t even notice I posted. Perhaps if I cover the same topic two days in a row I’ll have a shot.

This week, Yahoo announced the selection of their new CEO. Marissa Mayer, a long-time Yahoo employee, takes over with a compensation package that will reportedly pay her more than $100 million over five years based on performance.

Marissa takes over as CEO of the troubled company and fills the position vacated recently by former Yahoo CEO Scott Thompson. In January 2012 Thompson became the CEO. By May 2012, Thompson was shown the door after questions were raised about discrepancies on the resume he provided. On the resume was a computer degree that Thompson did not actually have.

In other words, he lied. Or in modern parlance, he “padded his resume.” Or, for the cutsey among you, “resume malfunction.”

The reaction from Wall Street was interesting.

Some argued that he shouldn’t necessary be fired for the false information on his resume. (Most normal people would summarily be dismissed. But we’re talking about a CEO here.)

There was actually a discussion about this. Many headlines screamed, “Should Yahoo fire Scott Thompson?” You mean there’s an opposing point of view that says they shouldn’t? Yep.

Some people brought up the issue of timing and the fact that Thompson was trying to “turn things around” for the troubled company.

Some people thought the question itself was “silly.” They argued that he was hired to do a job and things that happened decades ago when he was in his early 20’s “doesn’t really matter.” They took the position that if he was the right man for the job, then performance should be what dictates whether he stays or goes. “Who cares? He’s qualified to run Yahoo.”

Meanwhile, Yahoo hires a woman to that same position who also happens to be pregnant. Suddenly the headlines scream and ask if we should “hate” her. The headlines wonder if she’ll be able to do the job.

This sure is one topsy-turvy world. Come to the defense of the man who is a liar and burn down the woman for being pregnant.