While I agree more or less that Yahoo has been spreading itself thin - I don't see that as necessarily a bad thing. The new age s/w economy is undergoing a upheaval - its really a "rogue wave" that no one is on top of. Throw lots of stuff 'n see what sticks.

Speaking of what sticks, one area where Yahoo is doing pretty well is the crossover between IT and telecommunications. Right from co-branded DSL, hosting services to VoIP services and content they have been steadily building premium assets. And if Brad is Senior VP of that portfolio - looks like he is doing a darn good job. They have a lot more industry cred with people like AT&T and BT - who are more willing to partner with them than Google. Just look at the telecom balance sheets to understand why it is might work out pretty well for Yahoo in the next couple of years. In other words, Yahoo's perceived disadvantage of being slower off the blocks - may very well work out to its advantage in some of the more traditional areas.

As for the people who complain about lay offs and how "managers just don't get it" - you are just missing the whole point. Corporations will always be ruthless when it comes to profitability and in spite of what libertarians might tell you - its only the state that can provide a viable safety net. So go out there, vote for more social security and taxes to ensure quality of life and justice for all. Don't expect corporations to be good samaritans with family values. they are just doing what they are engineered to do. Make profit out of capital.