Yahoo! board removes Carol Bartz as CEO

Bartz confirmed the news to her staff at 4:20 p.m. Tuesday:  

“To all, I am very sad to tell you that I've just been fired over the phone by Yahoo's Chairman of the Board.  It has been my pleasure to work with all of you and I wish only the best going forward."

Prior to the official word, our Yahoo sources told us that Bartz's tenure as Yahoo chief was coming to an end.

Bartz, who had far more success in her previous job as Autodesk CEO, struggled to turn Yahoo around.  Few people will say it's her fault that Yahoo is where it is today (way behind Google and Facebook in hipness and profitability), but many people are frustrated that she was unable to turn things around.

(...) Bartz came in under admittedly tough circumstances - the company had just rebuffed a big takeover offer from Microsoft - and again, her leadership qualities are already proven.  But she was brought in to raise Yahoo's profile and fortunes, and that just didn't happen.  Now, the company is said to be takeover bait yet again, and, according to All Things Digital, Yahoo CFO Tim Morse is said to be Interim CEO.