Google’s top woman has been nominated to serve on the board of Walmart. The massive retailer corporation made the announcement today that Marissa Mayer could potentially take the board’s 16th spot.
And yes, it’s that same Marissa Mayer…you know…the same high-profile Google executive whose brother allegedly brutally beat up his girlfriend and threatened to throw her off San Francisco’s Golden Gate Bridge…
At only 36, Ms. Mayer will be the youngest person on the board if elected at the company’s shareholder’s meeting on June 1st. I was reading through different articles about her nomination to board, many questioned whether she is the right fit for the company’s board. She doesn’t really have much experience outside of Google, if any at all. She was hired at Google straight out of graduate school in 1999 and shuffled around at that Google ever since.
Is she a one-hit wonder? Can her leadership skills at Google translate over to other companies that operate in a completely different way? Walmart seems to think that she can be useful in helping them with their online services. Google benefits from learning about how a retail giant does business.
Anyway, it’s interesting news and I thought it is worth posting. She said this in a statement:
“I have long been a customer and admirer of the company. Walmart is an amazing story of entrepreneurship and, as one of the world’s most powerful brands, touches millions of lives every day. I look forward to contributing to Walmart’s continued growth, success, and innovation in the years to come”
And according to Forbes, she also serves on the boards of the San Francisco Museum of Modern Art, the San Francisco Ballet, the New York City Ballet and the Smithsonian Cooper-Hewitt National Design Museum.
For more information:
The Register, “Google’s top female cheese nominated to serve on Walmart board” – click here
Wall Street Journal, “Wal-Mart Taps Google’s Marissa Mayer for Board Seat” – click here
Forbes, “Wal-Mart Names Google’s Marissa Mayer To Its Board” – click here
googleexposed 
I am sorry, but Ms. Meyer has been over-hyped throughout her career, though primarily through her own PR management. Her inability to rise to a position of power within Google (was passed over for CEO and every other significant leadership position within the company) has demonstrated her inability to lead. She’s great at PR and marketing herself, and has successfully crafted a persona as a “Woman Leader in Tech” even though many other more successful women pre-date her (Whitman, Fiorina, Sandberg) and significantly eclipse her experience and so-called success. Wal-Mart is either buying this hype or filling a token position with Ms. Meyer as many other accomplished women would be better picks and add much more value to the company.