Topic > Scott Thompson's downfall on Yahoo

What sparked the controversy? Say no to plagiarism. Get a tailor-made essay on "Why Violent Video Games Shouldn't Be Banned"? Get an original essay The whole controversy was triggered by Dan Loeb, CEO of Third Point, who also owned 5.8% of Yahoo. Dan sent a letter to Yahoo's Board of Directors, the contents of which he later made public. The letter detailed how Thompson's resume included the false claim that he earned a bachelor's degree in computer science from Stonehill College, when in fact Thompson's bachelor's degree was only in Accounting. Loeb says Stonehill College granted computer science degrees only four years after Thompson graduated. Loeb questioned whether Thompson had embellished his credentials and whether Yahoo's board of directors had not exercised due diligence in hiring a CEO. The timeline of major events in the caseMay 3: Yahoo confirms that CEO Scott Thompson has only an accounting degree from Stonehill College near Boston and no degree in computer science. Activist shareholder and hedge fund leader Daniel Loeb of Third Point LLC had revealed inaccuracies in both biographies. May 7: Thompson apologizes for the mistake on his degree, without explanation. In an email to employees he states that he will not resign. May 8: Yahoo says Hart will resign at the company's annual shareholder meeting, which remains unscheduled. May 10: Thompson assures his colleagues at Yahoo that he did not provide the incorrect information. May 13: Yahoo says Thompson has left the company and Ross Levinsohn, an executive in charge of media operations, will be interim CEO. Yahoo also announces its new chairman of the board, Fred Amoroso. The company says Hart, current Chairman Roy Bostock and two other board members are leaving and three new board members, including Loeb, will join on Wednesday. May 14: The Wall Street Journal reports that Thompson told the board last week that he had thyroid cancer. The diagnosis contributed to his decision to resign. The repercussions of the matter on ThompsonIt has been clearly established that Thompson's act of falsifying his qualification was intentional. As an immediate result of this, Patti Hart and two other board members resigned. The then-chairman of the board, Roy Bostock, resigned and was replaced by Fred Amoroso. Thompson is said to have resigned for medical reasons and was replaced by Ross Levisohn. The Integrity Aspect of the Case The simplest form of integrity explained, in my opinion, is that you must be true to yourself and not do anything that would dishonor you. Having personal integrity means having moral principles, uprightness and reaching a moral high ground. high at all times. Integrity in the workplace is the crucial value that an employer looks for in the person they hire. The only person in this case who had any weakness or sense of any form of integrity was Roy Bostock, then president of Yahoo, and the two other board members who resigned along with him. He resigned as president and was seen by others as taking full responsibility for the entire conundrum. Scott Thompson and Patti Hart to some extent are examples of breaking down integrity early on. As a leader, CEO, integrity is not an option. Scott Thompson has lost his integrity. His support (active or tacit) of the false claim was a really big deal. This represents two approaches (playing the victim and trying to "spin" the issue) that have validated the problem.