Yahoo CEO Scott Thompson is known as a top “turnaround artist” in the world of high level executives, specifically in the high tech sector, yet despite what his resume may claim, Thompson does not in fact have a computer sciences degree.
Yahoo shareholder Dan Loeb attempted on his own to vet Scott Thompson and it turns out he did a better job than Yahoo, discovering that the CEO did not in fact have a double degree in computer science and accounting from Stonehill College.
In fact Loeb discovered rather easily that Stonehill College didn’t even offer a computer science degree until 1983, that would be four years after Scott Thompson graduated from the university.
In the meantime Yahoo appears to be sticking up for its new CEO, calling the listing an “inadvertent error” that did not change the fact that Scott Thompson is a “highly qualified executive with a successful track record leading large consumer technology companies.”
The “inadvertent error” appears to have been floating around on Thompson’s resume and bio for years which makes it rather hard to swallow that he in no way knew about the lie. Then again a computer science degree that wasn’t used in practice since 1979 probably wouldn’t have done much to help Thompson during his time at Paypal and other tech companies.
As Yahoo continues to watch board members step down from their posts and Yahoo employees get the ax or leave for better paying opportunities we are sure this won’t be the last time Scott Thompson and his choices come under the microscope.
