Saying “no” to Yahoo

Recently I was flattered to receive a message on LinkedIn from a recruiter at Yahoo.  It’s a nice ego-boost to think an iconic Silicon Valley company might be interested in little old me (even if they are a company on the brink of bankruptcy and/or takeover).

But I politely said “no”.

Current Yahoo CEO Marissa Mayer famously banned remote working in 2013, and continues to support that ban.  I think that’s a pretty big mistake.  Sure, working remote isn’t for everybody.  But it works really well for me, and a lot of other people out there too.  A wiser policy would be to measure what employees actually produce — then you could decide on a case-by-case basis whether an employee could continue to work remotely (or at all, if they’re that lazy).

This was my reply, for whatever it’s worth:

Hi ****,

Thanks for your message.  It’s certainly flattering to know that a company like Yahoo is interested in me, and I’ve been mulling it over the last few days.  In the end, however, I don’t think it would be a good fit right now.  I’ve read about Marissa Mayer ending remote working at Yahoo, which is anathema to what I’ve come to believe with regards to the ideal workplace.  I’ve worked 100% remotely for the last 3 years and have been tremendously happier and more productive in that setting.  As tantalizing as the idea of adding Yahoo to my resume is, I don’t think I would be happy at all going back to an office job.  Should that policy at Yahoo ever change, please let me know.  Otherwise I wish you the best of luck with your search!

Best regards,

****

So much for that.

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