Scott Thompson

Scott Thompson
Born	Scott Thompson
Nationality	American
Occupation	Business executive
Known for	CEO of Yahoo!, President of PayPal

Scott Thompson is an American business executive who served as the chief executive officer (CEO) of Yahoo! in 2012 and previously as the president of PayPal, the online payments division of eBay. His tenure at Yahoo! became one of the most closely scrutinized executive appointments in Silicon Valley history after questions arose about the accuracy of his academic credentials as listed in regulatory filings. Thompson's career in technology and financial services spanned several decades, during which he held senior leadership positions at major corporations. Before joining Yahoo!, he was credited with overseeing significant growth at PayPal during his time as president of that company. After departing Yahoo!, Thompson continued his career in executive leadership, including serving in senior roles in the consumer products industry.

Career

Early Career and PayPal

Scott Thompson built his career in technology and financial services over several decades. He rose through the ranks of the technology industry, eventually becoming president of PayPal, the online payments subsidiary of eBay. At PayPal, Thompson oversaw the company's operations during a period of expansion in online and mobile payments. His leadership at PayPal was regarded as a key qualification when he was recruited to lead Yahoo!.

CEO of Yahoo!

In January 2012, Scott Thompson was appointed as the chief executive officer of Yahoo!, succeeding interim CEO Tim Morse, who had been serving in the role following the departure of Carol Bartz in September 2011. Thompson was recruited to Yahoo! with the mandate of revitalizing the struggling internet company, which had been losing market share to competitors such as Google and Facebook.

Upon taking the helm, Thompson moved quickly to restructure the company. He initiated a significant round of layoffs, cutting approximately 2,000 jobs — roughly 14 percent of Yahoo!'s workforce — as part of a broader plan to streamline operations and refocus the company's business strategy. Thompson signaled his intention to shift Yahoo! away from areas where it could not compete effectively and to concentrate resources on core products and technology.

Thompson's tenure at Yahoo!, however, was abruptly cut short by a controversy surrounding his academic credentials. In May 2012, activist investor Daniel Loeb, the head of Third Point LLC — which held a significant stake in Yahoo! — publicly raised questions about Thompson's résumé. Specifically, Loeb pointed out that Thompson's official biography, as it appeared in Yahoo!'s annual proxy filing with the U.S. Securities and Exchange Commission, stated that Thompson held a degree in computer science and accounting from Stonehill College. However, Stonehill College confirmed that Thompson had earned a degree in accounting only and that the college did not offer a computer science degree at the time Thompson attended.

The résumé discrepancy became a major corporate governance controversy. Third Point, which had been engaged in a proxy fight with Yahoo!'s board of directors over board seats, used the revelation to intensify pressure on the company's leadership. The controversy raised questions not only about Thompson's personal integrity but also about the due diligence conducted by Yahoo!'s board during the CEO hiring process.

Yahoo!'s board initially defended Thompson, with the company issuing statements suggesting the discrepancy was an "inadvertent error." However, the controversy continued to escalate as media coverage intensified and shareholders expressed growing concern. The situation was further complicated by the fact that the inaccurate credential had appeared in multiple official filings and corporate biographies over a period of years, raising questions about whether the error was truly inadvertent.

On May 13, 2012, Yahoo! announced that Scott Thompson had resigned as CEO, effective immediately. His tenure lasted approximately four months, making it one of the shortest CEO tenures in the history of a major American technology company. As part of the resolution, Yahoo! reached a settlement with Third Point that gave Loeb and two of his nominees seats on Yahoo!'s board of directors. Ross Levinsohn was named interim CEO following Thompson's departure.

The circumstances of Thompson's departure from Yahoo! were also accompanied by the disclosure that he had been recently diagnosed with thyroid cancer, a fact that Yahoo! confirmed at the time of his resignation. The company stated that the health issue was a factor in the transition, though the résumé controversy was widely understood to be the primary catalyst for his departure.

The episode had lasting implications for corporate governance practices in the technology industry. It highlighted the importance of thorough background checks for executive hires and the potential consequences of inaccuracies in regulatory filings. The incident also underscored the growing power of activist investors in shaping corporate leadership decisions at major public companies.

Post-Yahoo! Career

Following his departure from Yahoo!, Scott Thompson continued to pursue executive leadership roles. He moved into the consumer products industry, taking on senior positions in corporate management. Thompson became associated with Somnigroup International, a company operating in the sleep products industry. In June 2025, Somnigroup International announced that the independent members of its board of directors had extended the term of Scott Thompson's employment contract as Chairman, Chief Executive Officer, and President of the company. The contract extension indicated the board's confidence in Thompson's leadership of the organization and his ongoing role in guiding the company's strategic direction.

Thompson's post-Yahoo! career trajectory demonstrated his ability to transition from the technology sector to the consumer products industry, taking on comprehensive executive responsibilities that included the combined roles of chairman, CEO, and president.

Personal Life

Scott Thompson has maintained a relatively private personal life. During his departure from Yahoo! in May 2012, the company disclosed that Thompson had been diagnosed with thyroid cancer. Limited additional information about his personal life has been made publicly available through sourced reporting.

Legacy

Scott Thompson's career is most frequently discussed in the context of two significant chapters: his leadership at PayPal during a period of growth in digital payments, and his brief and controversial tenure as CEO of Yahoo!. The résumé controversy that led to his departure from Yahoo! became a case study in corporate governance, executive vetting, and the role of activist investors in American business.

The Yahoo! episode prompted broader discussions within the corporate world about the rigor of background verification processes for C-suite executives. In the years following the incident, many companies and executive search firms reportedly increased the thoroughness of their credential verification procedures, particularly for candidates being considered for publicly traded companies where biographical information would be included in SEC filings.

The Third Point proxy fight that accompanied the résumé controversy was also seen as a landmark moment in the growing influence of activist hedge funds on the governance of major technology companies. Daniel Loeb's successful campaign to place directors on Yahoo!'s board demonstrated that activist investors could effect significant leadership changes at even the largest technology firms.

Thompson's subsequent career at Somnigroup International, where he rose to hold the combined titles of Chairman, CEO, and President, indicated that the Yahoo! controversy did not permanently end his career as a senior corporate executive. His continued leadership in the consumer products industry demonstrated a capacity for career reinvention and the ability to earn the confidence of a new board of directors in a different sector.