Yahoo! is an American web services provider headquartered in Sunnyvale, California. Operated by Yahoo! Inc., the company is primarily owned by investment funds managed by Apollo Global Management (90%) with a remaining 10% stake held by Verizon Communications.
January 1994: Jerry and David's Guide to the World Wide Web is launched
In January 1994, Stanford University students Jerry Yang and David Filo created a human-edited web directory called "Jerry and David's Guide to the World Wide Web".
March 1994: "Jerry and David's Guide to the World Wide Web" is renamed "Yahoo!"
In March 1994, "Jerry and David's Guide to the World Wide Web" was renamed to "Yahoo!", now known as the Yahoo Directory.
January 18, 1995: The "yahoo.com" domain is registered
The domain "yahoo.com" was registered on January 18, 1995.
March 2, 1995: Yahoo! is incorporated
Yahoo! was incorporated on March 2, 1995.
April 1996: Yahoo! goes public
Yahoo! launched its initial public offering in April 1996.
October 1997: Yahoo! launches free email
Yahoo! began to offer free email in October 1997 after it acquired RocketMail.
1998: Yahoo! becomes the most popular starting point for web users
Yahoo! became the most popular starting point for web users in 1998.
1999: Yahoo! acquires Geocities and Broadcast.com
In 1999, Yahoo! completed two major acquisitions: Geocities for $3.6 billion and Broadcast.com for $5.7 billion
January 3, 2000: Yahoo! stock price reaches an all-time high
Yahoo!'s stock price hit an all-time high of $118.75 per share on January 3, 2000.
June 2000: Yahoo! partners with Google for search
Yahoo! began using Google for search in June 2000.
September 11, 2001: Yahoo! Partners with FIFA for World Cup Tournaments
On September 11, 2001, Yahoo! announced a partnership with FIFA, becoming one of 15 partners for the 2002 and 2006 FIFA World Cup tournaments. The deal included co-branding of websites.
September 26, 2001: Yahoo! stock price reaches a post-dot-com bubble low
Following the dot-com bubble burst, Yahoo!'s stock fell to $8.11 per share on September 26, 2001.
2002: Yahoo! Collaborates with FIFA for the 2002 World Cup
In 2002, Yahoo! partnered with FIFA for the World Cup, marking a significant collaboration in the realm of sports and online media.
2002: Yahoo! acquires Inktomi
Yahoo! acquired Inktomi for $280 million in 2002.
2004: Yahoo! develops its own search engine technology
Yahoo! began using search engine technology it developed in-house in 2004.
2006: Yahoo! Continues FIFA Partnership for 2006 World Cup
Yahoo! continued its partnership with FIFA for the 2006 World Cup, extending their collaboration in sports and online media for a second consecutive tournament.
February 2008: Microsoft attempts to acquire Yahoo!
In February 2008, Microsoft made a bid to acquire Yahoo! for $44.6 billion, but Yahoo! rejected the offer.
May 2008: Microsoft retracts acquisition offer
Microsoft increased its offer to buy Yahoo! to $47 billion but insisted on another 10%+ increase. Microsoft withdrew its offer in May 2008.
2008: Yahoo! lays off employees amid struggles
Yahoo! laid off hundreds of workers in 2008.
January 2009: Carol Bartz is appointed CEO of Yahoo!
Carol Bartz replaced co-founder Jerry Yang as CEO in January 2009.
November 30, 2009: Yahoo! Criticized for DMCA Notice to Cryptome
On November 30, 2009, Yahoo! faced criticism from the Electronic Frontier Foundation (EFF) for issuing a DMCA notice to the whistleblower website Cryptome. The notice pertained to Cryptome's publication of information about Yahoo!'s subscriber data practices.
September 2011: Carol Bartz is fired
Carol Bartz was fired in September 2011 and CFO Tim Morse was named Interim CEO.
April 4, 2012: Yahoo! announces layoffs
On April 4, 2012, Yahoo! announced that it would lay off 2,000 employees.
April 2012: Scott Thompson is appointed CEO
Scott Thompson was appointed CEO in April 2012 and began restructuring the company.
May 13, 2012: Scott Thompson is fired
Scott Thompson served as CEO for 130 days and was fired on May 13, 2012. Ross Levinsohn replaced Thompson as interim CEO.
July 15, 2012: Marissa Mayer is appointed president and CEO
On July 15, 2012, Marissa Mayer was appointed president and CEO of Yahoo!, effective July 17, 2012.
2012: Yahoo! Sponsors Sundance Film Festival and Partners with NBC Sports Group
In 2012, Yahoo! expanded its presence in entertainment and sports. They became the sponsor for the Sundance Film Festival and established a partnership with NBC Sports Group, offering sports content across multiple platforms.
June 2013: Yahoo! acquires Tumblr
Yahoo! acquired Tumblr for $1.1 billion in June 2013.
July 2013: Yahoo! surpasses Google in US web traffic
Data from comScore in July 2013 showed that Yahoo! received more website visitors than Google in the United States.
July 2013: Yahoo! announces plans for a San Francisco office
In July 2013, Yahoo! announced its plans to open an office in San Francisco.
August 2, 2013: Yahoo! acquires Rockmelt
Yahoo! acquired Rockmelt on August 2, 2013.
August 2013: Yahoo! Suffers Major Data Breach
In August 2013, Yahoo! experienced a massive data breach that initially went undetected. The breach, later revealed to have affected all 3 billion user accounts, resulted in the theft of personal information.
August 20, 2013: Yahoo! Mail Discontinued in China
On August 20, 2013, Yahoo! discontinued its Yahoo! Mail services in mainland China. This marked an early step in the company's gradual withdrawal from the Chinese market.
January 2014: Mayer fires COO Henrique de Castro
Marissa Mayer fired COO Henrique de Castro in January 2014.
November 21, 2014: Yahoo! acquires Cooliris
On November 21, 2014, Yahoo! acquired Cooliris.
December 12, 2014: Yahoo! acquires BrightRoll
Yahoo! acquired BrightRoll, a provider of video advertising, for $583 million on December 12, 2014.
2014: Yahoo! Becomes Founding Partner of Levi's Stadium
In 2014, Yahoo! secured a 10-year deal as a founding partner of Levi's Stadium, home of the San Francisco 49ers, further solidifying their presence in the sports and entertainment sectors.
2014: Yahoo! Experiences Two Major Data Breaches
In 2014, Yahoo! suffered two separate data breaches that compromised billions of user accounts. The incidents involved the theft of personal information, including security questions and login credentials, raising serious concerns about the company's security practices.
December 2015: Mayer faces criticism over performance
Marissa Mayer faced criticism for Yahoo!'s declining performance by December 2015.
February 2, 2016: Mayer announces layoffs
On February 2, 2016, Mayer announced that Yahoo! would be laying off 15% of its workforce.
July 25, 2016: Verizon announces its acquisition of Yahoo!
Verizon Communications announced on July 25, 2016 that it would acquire Yahoo!'s core internet business for $4.83 billion.
September 22, 2016: Yahoo! Discloses Massive Data Breach
On September 22, 2016, Yahoo! revealed a major data breach from 2014, affecting at least 500 million user accounts. This breach, one of the largest reported at the time, led to the indictment of four individuals, including two Russian FSB agents.
December 14, 2016: Yahoo! Announces Second Data Breach
On December 14, 2016, Yahoo! disclosed a second data breach from 2014, this one impacting at least 1 billion accounts. Hackers exploited stolen internal software to compromise user information, including security questions.
February 21, 2017: Verizon lowers Yahoo! acquisition price
Following Yahoo!'s data breaches, Verizon lowered its acquisition price by $350 million on February 21, 2017.
June 13, 2017: Verizon finalizes Yahoo! acquisition
Verizon completed its acquisition of Yahoo! on June 13, 2017.
October 3, 2017: Yahoo! Revises Impact of 2013 Data Breach
On October 3, 2017, Yahoo! revised its assessment of the August 2013 data breach, stating that all 3 billion of its user accounts were affected, significantly increasing the scope of the incident.
2018: Yahoo Sports Partners with the NBA for League Pass
In 2018, Yahoo Sports partnered with the National Basketball Association (NBA) to offer NBA League Pass, a subscription service providing access to NBA games, expanding Yahoo's sports content offerings.
November 2019: Yahoo Sportsbook Launches
In November 2019, Yahoo Sportsbook, a collaborative effort between Yahoo! and BetMGM, was launched, marking Yahoo!'s entry into the sports betting market.
October 2020: Altaba makes its final distribution
Altaba, formerly Yahoo!, made its final distribution in October 2020.
November 2020: Buzzfeed Acquires HuffPost from Yahoo!
In November 2020, BuzzFeed acquired HuffPost from Yahoo! in a stock deal that positioned Yahoo! as a minority shareholder in BuzzFeed.
September 2021: Apollo Global Management acquires Yahoo!
Apollo Global Management acquired 90% of Yahoo! in September 2021.
September 2021: Yahoo! Sponsors Pramac Racing and Partners with Shopify
In September 2021, Yahoo! expanded into new ventures, becoming the main sponsor for the Pramac Racing team and partnering with Shopify to connect e-commerce merchants on Yahoo Finance, AOL, and other platforms.
November 2021: Yahoo! Exits Mainland China
In November 2021, Yahoo! announced its complete withdrawal from mainland China, citing the challenging business and legal environment.
August 2023: Yahoo! acquires Commonstock
Yahoo! acquired the social investing platform Commonstock in August 2023.
2023: Yahoo! Announces 20% Workforce Reduction
In 2023, Yahoo! joined other tech companies in announcing significant layoffs, planning to reduce its workforce by 20%, approximately 1,000 employees.
April 2024: Yahoo! acquires Artifact
Yahoo! acquired the AI-driven news aggregator app Artifact in April 2024.