Yahoo CEO Marissa Mayer Gives Birth to Identical Twins

Last month, an activist investor Starboard Value LP advised Yahoo to halt its planning to do investment in Alibaba Group Holding Ltd. The reason was quite appropriate as the company was already facing downfall and it had to consider the tax applied amid the process of participation.

The Yahoo! CEO, 40, and her husband Zachary Bogue welcomed identical twin daughters Thursday and wasted no time sharing the exciting news with world. He was first to say Yahoo was likely to pause its spin out of Alibaba shares.

The move comes after growing concerns that the proposed spinoff of the Alibaba stake, which is worth more than US$30 billion ($44 billion), could bring about a substantial tax bill.

“In addition to our efforts to increase value and diminish uncertainty for investors, the ultimate separation of our Alibaba stake will be important to our continued business transformation”, said Marissa Mayer, CEO of Yahoo. “However, I’m extremely energized by and dedicated to both my family and Yahoo and will do all that is necessary and more to help both thrive”. The stock, which initially rose after the troubled Internet company abandoned plans to spin off its Alibaba (BABA) stake to instead assess a spin off of its core Web properties, are now down, falling 4.4% to a recent $33.33 a share. The spinoff is created to let Yahoo avoid paying billions of dollars in future taxes. “Our whole family is doing great”.

The core business – which includes the company’s Internet search component and a range of online advertising and digital media operations – are essentially worthless based on Yahoo’s market value. The company disclosed Wednesday that Paypal co-founder Max Levchin, a director recruited by Mayer, is resigning from the board to concentrate on running his latest financial services startup.

“We believe that we are tremendously undervalued and we think the best path to unlocking that value is by separating the Alibaba assets from our operating businesses and also turning around the performance in our operating business”, he said.

Mayer previously said that she planned to take limited time away and work throughout her pregnancy, similar to the approach she took when her son. Her decision to take only a few weeks of maternity leave and to work throughout it caused a big debate, with some criticising Mayer for setting an example that would be impossible for other working women with children to match.