Susan Decker

Susan Decker
Susan Decker at a Yahoo! all hands meeting, 2008
Susan Decker
Born	Susan Lynne Decker 17 11, 1962
Birthplace	Memphis, Tennessee, U.S.
Nationality	American
Occupation	Business executive, investor, board director
Known for	President of Yahoo! (2007–2009)
Education	Harvard Business School (MBA) Tufts University (BA)

Susan Lynne Decker (born November 17, 1962) is an American business executive who served as president of Yahoo! Inc. from 2007 to 2009, overseeing the company's operations during one of the most turbulent periods in its history. Before rising to the presidency, Decker spent years as Yahoo!'s chief financial officer, earning recognition as one of the most prominent women in the technology industry. Born in Memphis, Tennessee, she built her early career as a highly ranked Wall Street analyst before transitioning to corporate leadership in Silicon Valley. Since leaving Yahoo!, Decker has maintained a significant presence in the business world through board directorships at major corporations and technology companies, including Berkshire Hathaway, Automattic, and Costco. In 2017, she co-founded Raftr, a social networking platform. Throughout her career, Decker has been recognized for her financial acumen and strategic leadership, receiving honors from institutions including Harvard Business School, where she earned her MBA.

Early Life

Susan Lynne Decker was born on November 17, 1962, in Memphis, Tennessee. While detailed information about her childhood and family background is limited in available public records, Decker grew up in the American South before pursuing her higher education in the northeastern United States. She has also been known professionally as Sue Decker and Susan L. Decker.

Decker's early interests gravitated toward finance and business, fields that would define her professional trajectory. Her formative years in Memphis provided a foundation before she relocated to the Boston area for her undergraduate studies at Tufts University.

Education

Decker attended Tufts University in Medford, Massachusetts, where she earned her bachelor's degree. She subsequently enrolled at Harvard Business School, one of the most competitive graduate business programs in the United States, where she earned her Master of Business Administration (MBA).

Her education at Harvard Business School proved to be a defining element of her career. Decker maintained strong ties to the institution throughout her professional life. In 2009, following her departure from Yahoo!, she returned to Harvard Business School in a teaching capacity. The school later recognized her contributions to business with an Alumni Achievement Award, one of the highest honors bestowed on its graduates.

Career

Wall Street Analyst

Before entering the corporate world, Decker built a notable career as a financial analyst on Wall Street. She worked as an equity research analyst covering the media and entertainment industries, and became one of the top-ranked analysts in her field. Her work during this period earned her recognition from Institutional Investor magazine, a leading publication in the financial services industry, which ranked her among the best analysts in her coverage area.

Decker's analytical expertise in media and technology companies provided her with deep knowledge of the industries she would later lead from the executive suite. Her reputation as a rigorous financial analyst attracted the attention of Yahoo!, which was then emerging as one of the most important companies of the early internet era.

Yahoo! Inc.

Chief Financial Officer

Decker joined Yahoo! Inc. and rose to the position of chief financial officer (CFO), where she was responsible for the company's financial strategy, investor relations, and fiscal operations. Her tenure as CFO earned her substantial recognition in the business press. CFO Magazine named her to its annual list of notable chief financial officers, reflecting her impact on the company's financial management during a period of rapid change in the internet industry.

As CFO, Decker was instrumental in navigating Yahoo!'s complex financial landscape, which included managing the company's significant investment in Alibaba Group and its operations in Yahoo! Japan. Her financial stewardship during this period was closely watched by investors and analysts, given Yahoo!'s position as one of the most prominent publicly traded internet companies.

In a 2006 profile, Forbes examined Decker's growing influence at Yahoo! and her role in shaping the company's strategic direction beyond her traditional CFO responsibilities. Her expanding portfolio of responsibilities signaled that she was being groomed for a larger leadership role within the organization.

President of Yahoo!

In 2007, Decker was appointed president of Yahoo! Inc., a promotion that placed her in charge of the company's day-to-day operations. She served in this role while Jerry Yang, co-founder of Yahoo!, held the position of chief executive officer. The division of responsibilities placed Decker at the center of Yahoo!'s operational decision-making during what would prove to be one of the most consequential periods in the company's history.

Decker's presidency coincided with Microsoft's unsolicited bid to acquire Yahoo! in early 2008, a proposed deal valued at approximately $44.6 billion. The takeover attempt created enormous pressure on Yahoo!'s leadership team and board of directors, and the company's response to the bid became one of the most closely watched corporate dramas in the technology sector. Yahoo!'s board, under the leadership of Yang and with Decker playing a central operational role, ultimately rejected Microsoft's offer, a decision that proved controversial among shareholders who believed the premium offered by Microsoft represented significant value.

The aftermath of the failed Microsoft deal and Yahoo!'s declining market position led to significant leadership changes. Jerry Yang announced his decision to step down as CEO in late 2008. Decker had been considered a potential candidate for the CEO position, but ultimately departed the company in 2009 when Carol Bartz was appointed as Yang's successor.

Decker's tenure as president was later examined in the context of the broader challenges facing Yahoo! as a company struggling to maintain its competitive position against Google and emerging social media platforms. In a 2018 interview with CNBC, Decker reflected on the technology industry, commenting on the erosion of trust in Silicon Valley.

Return to Harvard Business School

Following her departure from Yahoo! in 2009, Decker returned to Harvard Business School, her alma mater, where she took on a role in an academic capacity. The Wall Street Journal reported on her transition from corporate leadership back to the academic environment, noting the unusual move of a former Fortune 500 president returning to the classroom. Her time at Harvard allowed her to share her extensive experience in corporate finance and technology leadership with the next generation of business leaders.

Board Directorships

After leaving Yahoo!, Decker became one of the most sought-after board directors in American business, serving on the boards of several major corporations and technology companies.

Berkshire Hathaway

Decker served as a member of the board of directors of Berkshire Hathaway, the multinational conglomerate holding company led by Warren Buffett. Her appointment to the Berkshire Hathaway board placed her among a small group of directors overseeing one of the most valuable companies in the world.

Automattic

Decker served on the board of directors of Automattic, the technology company behind WordPress.com, Tumblr, and other web publishing platforms. Her involvement with Automattic reflected her continued engagement with internet and technology companies following her time at Yahoo!.

Vail Resorts

Decker also served on the board of Vail Resorts, the publicly traded mountain resort company that operates ski resorts and other hospitality properties across North America. Her appointment to the Vail Resorts board was announced publicly by the company.

SurveyMonkey (Momentive)

Decker was appointed to the board of directors of SurveyMonkey (later known as Momentive Global), the online survey and data analytics company. Her addition to the SurveyMonkey board was noted in the context of the company's efforts to add experienced technology executives and expand female representation on its board.

Other Board Service

Decker has also been associated with Save the Children, the international humanitarian organization, serving on its board and contributing her business expertise to the nonprofit sector.

Raftr

In 2017, Decker co-founded Raftr, a social networking platform designed to facilitate group communication and community building. The venture represented Decker's transition from corporate leadership and board governance into entrepreneurship, applying her decades of experience in the internet industry to building a new product in the competitive social media landscape.

Personal Life

Decker has maintained a relatively private personal life despite her prominent position in the business world. She has been based in the San Francisco Bay Area during much of her career, consistent with her leadership roles in Silicon Valley technology companies. Decker has maintained an active presence in philanthropic activities, including her involvement with Save the Children.

Her return to Harvard Business School following her departure from Yahoo! reflected her commitment to education and mentorship. Decker has spoken publicly about issues facing the technology industry, including matters of trust and corporate responsibility.

Recognition

Throughout her career, Decker has received several notable honors and awards recognizing her contributions to business and finance.

Harvard Business School presented Decker with its Alumni Achievement Award, one of the institution's most prestigious honors for graduates who have made significant contributions in their professional fields. The award recognized her career in finance and technology leadership.

During her tenure as chief financial officer of Yahoo!, CFO Magazine recognized Decker among its list of notable chief financial officers in the technology industry. Her earlier career as a Wall Street analyst also earned her recognition from Institutional Investor magazine for her equity research coverage.

Decker's appointment to the board of Berkshire Hathaway was itself considered a mark of distinction, given that Warren Buffett and the company's leadership have historically selected a small and carefully chosen group of directors to oversee the conglomerate.

Her career trajectory — from Wall Street analyst to CFO to president of a Fortune 500 technology company — made her one of the most senior women in the American technology industry during her time at Yahoo!. Media coverage in The New York Times, Forbes, and other publications documented her rise through Yahoo!'s leadership ranks.

Legacy

Susan Decker's career spans several of the most significant developments in the American technology and internet industries. Her progression from financial analyst to CFO to president of Yahoo! during the mid-2000s placed her at the intersection of finance and technology at a time when the internet was transforming global business.

Her tenure at Yahoo! is most frequently examined in the context of the company's response to Microsoft's 2008 takeover bid, a corporate event that generated extensive coverage and subsequent analysis about Yahoo!'s strategic direction. The decision to reject Microsoft's offer remained a subject of debate among technology industry observers and Yahoo! shareholders for years afterward, particularly as Yahoo!'s market position continued to decline in subsequent years.

Following her corporate leadership career, Decker's transition to board governance at companies including Berkshire Hathaway and Automattic demonstrated the breadth of her business expertise across both traditional conglomerates and technology-focused enterprises. Her board service at multiple companies positioned her as one of the more influential figures in American corporate governance during the 2010s.

Decker's co-founding of Raftr in 2017 represented a pivot to entrepreneurship, reflecting a willingness to engage directly in product development and startup culture after years in large corporate environments. Her continued commentary on issues facing Silicon Valley, including her 2018 remarks on CNBC about the erosion of trust in the technology industry, has kept her voice relevant in ongoing discussions about the responsibilities of technology companies.

Her involvement with Save the Children and her return to Harvard Business School in a teaching capacity also reflect a career that has extended beyond corporate leadership into education and philanthropy.