Yahoo plans to go public again

In a recent interview with the Financial Times, Yahoo CEO Jim Lanzone announced plans to restore the company’s public trading status and reenter the competitive fray of Silicon Valley’s mainstream corporations.

Lanzone underscored that despite myriad transformations over the past few years, Yahoo has maintained a globally top-five rank in terms of internet traffic generation. He affirmed the company’s financial readiness, lauding its robust balance sheet and abundant profit-generating capabilities. Consequently, he anticipates that reestablishing public trading will attract larger investment opportunities.

In late July 2016, Yahoo segmented its internet business and sold it to American telecom provider Verizon for $4.8 billion, excluding Yahoo Japan and Alibaba shares. It subsequently rebranded as Oath, and later as Verizon Media.

Verizon, however, transferred ownership of Verizon Media to private equity firm Apollo in May 2021 for $5 billion. In the aftermath, Verizon Media resumed its original moniker, Yahoo. The then CEO, Guru Gowrappan, departed and was succeeded by Jim Lanzone, the CEO of Tinder at the time.