Carol Bartz facts for kids
Quick facts for kids
Carol Bartz
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Bartz at her first Yahoo! all hands meeting (2009)
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Carol Ann Bartz
August 28, 1948 Winona, Minnesota, U.S.
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| Alma mater | William Woods University University of Wisconsin–Madison |
| Known for | Former CEO of Yahoo! (2009-2011) |
Carol Ann Bartz (born August 28, 1948) is an American business leader. She is well-known for being the former Chief Executive Officer (CEO) of the internet company Yahoo!. Before that, she was also the chairman, president, and CEO of Autodesk, a company that creates software for design and engineering.
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Early Life and Education
Carol Bartz was born in Winona, Minnesota. When she was eight years old, her mother passed away. A few years later, Carol and her younger brother, Jim, moved to a dairy farm in Alma, Wisconsin. They lived there with their grandmother, Alice.
In high school, Carol was very good at mathematics. She also became the homecoming queen. She started college at William Woods University in Missouri. Later, she transferred to the University of Wisconsin–Madison. In 1971, she earned a bachelor's degree in computer science. While in college, she worked to support herself. Bartz also has two half-brothers and two half-sisters.
Carol Bartz has also received several honorary degrees. These special degrees recognize her achievements and contributions.
Career Highlights
In 1976, Carol Bartz began working at a manufacturing company called 3M. She later moved into the computer industry. She worked at companies like Digital Equipment Corporation and Sun Microsystems.
Leading Autodesk
In 1992, Carol Bartz became the CEO of Autodesk. This company makes software used by architects and builders. During her time there, she helped Autodesk become a leader in computer-aided design software. She encouraged a concept called "fail fast." This idea means that a company should be willing to try new things, even if they might not work. If something fails, the company should learn quickly and move on.
Carol Bartz was CEO of Autodesk for 14 years. During this time, the company's yearly income grew a lot. It went from $300 million to $1.5 billion. The company's stock price also increased by about 20 percent each year.
Bartz also served on the boards of directors for several other companies. These included Intel and Cisco Systems. She was also part of the United States President's Council of Advisors on Science and Technology.
Becoming CEO of Yahoo!
On January 13, 2009, Carol Bartz was named the CEO of Yahoo!. Yahoo! is a big internet services company. She took over from the co-founder, Jerry Yang. When she started, she told financial experts that she wanted Yahoo! to "kick some butt."
In May 2009, reports said that she had already made many changes at Yahoo!. She reorganized the company and replaced some executives. She also cut costs and reduced the number of employees. Analysts thought her actions were exactly what the company needed.
However, some employees became worried about more job cuts. There was also a feeling of secrecy within the company. Bartz was known for keeping information on a "need to know" basis. This meant that not everyone had access to all information, which was different from Yahoo!'s usual open style.
In January 2010, after one year at Yahoo!, Bartz gave herself a "B−" grade. She said the job was "a little tougher internally" than she expected. Others in the media, however, thought she did a good job considering the challenges.
On September 6, 2011, Carol Bartz was removed from her position at Yahoo!. She was informed by a phone call from Yahoo Chairman Roy Bostock. Bartz later resigned from the company's Board of Directors.
Board Memberships
Carol Bartz has been a member of many public company boards over the past 20 years. As of early 2018, she was on the board of PlanGrid and Cisco.
Awards and Recognition
Carol Bartz has received several awards for her business achievements. In 2001, she received the Ernst & Young Entrepreneur of the Year Award. This award recognizes successful business leaders around the world.
From 2005 onwards, she was included in Forbes Magazine's List of The World's 100 Most Powerful Women. She appeared on this important list for six years in a row.
Personal Life
Carol Bartz is a survivor of breast cancer. She is married to Bill Marr, who also worked as an executive in the tech industry. They have three children named Bill, Meredith, and Layne. For fun, Carol enjoys playing golf, tennis, and gardening.
She once shared her thoughts on balancing a career with family life. She said that life isn't about perfect balance. Instead, it's about "catching the ball before it hits the floor." This means dealing with challenges as they come and keeping things moving forward.
See also
In Spanish: Carol Bartz para niños
