Well yeah, the answer is probably somewhere in between -- it's partly that she gets paid no matter what the deal is, and part naivete. Even if you are purely self-interested, then you will be motivated to:
1) develop a reputation for being a good negotiator, because that will help in future negotiations
2) actually build the company rather than raid it, because that will lead to better jobs down the road / better reputation.
I mean, she's not a finance type. Those guys do just raid and rob. Someone who wants to raid companies doesn't join a 10 person startup out of college, toiling away to acquire users.
> Someone who wants to raid companies doesn't join a 10 person startup out of college.
haha. dude. she's in her 40s and worth $500M (and growing) now. she is obviously pilfering yahoo and enriching herself and her friends. things change. people change. sometimes for the worse.
ironically, the corporate raider types are the ones who are currently trying to stop her, because she is killing the golden goose that has lined their pockets for decades.
to be quite honest i wouldn't be surprised if her loyalties still lay with the google cabal. you know what one great way to get rid of a major competitor is? become ceo and sack the joint. genius!
As someone already pointed out, she filled her bank and made her friends rich as well. It will be enough for her, her family, her children, grandchildren and all their friends.
It is not like she'll need to quickly look for a job and will be ruined if nobody hires her afterwards. She could retire any second and do nothing for the rest of her life, which she might as well do.
This discussion is almost too silly to have, but: She was the 20th or so Google employee. All that was true before she took the job at Yahoo. So if that was really her goal then there was no reason to even take the job. Some people actually like doing things.
1) develop a reputation for being a good negotiator, because that will help in future negotiations
2) actually build the company rather than raid it, because that will lead to better jobs down the road / better reputation.
I mean, she's not a finance type. Those guys do just raid and rob. Someone who wants to raid companies doesn't join a 10 person startup out of college, toiling away to acquire users.