????卡羅爾?巴茨被辭退之后，雅虎公司（Yahoo）未來會走向何方？這個問題目前依然撲朔迷離。因此，外界也無法猜測誰將代替她執掌雅虎公司。或許在新任CEO上任之前，公司可能會發生翻天覆地的轉變。而且，如果這家經營不佳的互聯網公司決定出售的話，新任CEO的人選或許會成為至關重要的一環。

????雅虎公司董事會使情況變得更加復雜。公司歷史上就有過先例，比如2009年，雅虎董事會對卡羅爾?巴茨的任命就很讓人意外，誰知道這次它又會做出怎樣的驚人之舉？智治基金（Ironfire Capital）的埃里克?杰克遜在接受彭博電視臺（Bloomberg TV）采訪時表示：“要說美國最糟糕的董事會，惠普與雅虎可謂‘旗鼓相當’。”

????與其他人一樣，杰克遜也在猜測誰將執掌雅虎。他認為新聞集團（News Corp.）前高管彼得?切寧的機會最大。杰克遜稱，切寧“急切”希望“走出魯伯特?默多克的陰影，闖出自己的名堂。”

????切寧于2009年離開新聞集團，之后成立了切寧集團（Chernin Group）。近期，該公司隨著電影《猿族崛起》（Rise of the Planet of the Apes）的成功而名聲大噪。切寧的公司還出品電視劇，并在中國和其他亞洲國家投資了多家媒體與技術公司。

????在新聞集團任職期間，切寧一力促成了福克斯娛樂集團（Fox Entertainment）投資視頻網站Hulu。Hulu由新聞集團、迪士尼（Disney）、康卡斯特旗下的NBC環球（Comcast's NBC Universal），以及普羅維登斯公司（Providence Equity Partners）共同所有。目前，該網站正在尋找買家，而雅虎正是眾多收購競標者之一。微軟（Microsoft）、亞馬遜（Amazon）、美國電話電報公司（AT&T）、谷歌（Google）等公司均參與了競標。

????早在巴茨被免職之前，已有報道稱切寧正在考慮與其他投資者合作收購雅虎。如果他確實“急切”希望在互聯網領域闖出自己的名聲，他很有可能放棄電影業務。

????另外一位可能的人選是Hulu公司的CEO賈森?吉拉爾。這位前亞馬遜高管不僅是一位廣告達人（這正是雅虎迫切需要的），而且，顯而易見，他對互聯網視頻業務也非常熟悉。雅虎一直自稱數字媒體公司，所以，如果它希望進一步涉足視頻業務，不論能否成功收購Hulu，吉拉爾都是一個不錯的選擇。

????中國阿里巴巴集團（Alibaba Group）的CEO馬云也是人選之一。雅虎在該集團持有43%的股份。馬云一直在與巴茨博弈，希望回購這筆股份，或許他還希望收購整個雅虎。目前，阿里巴巴的市值遠遠超過雅虎，所以股權交易也不無可能。如果馬云出任雅虎CEO，他很可能會出售雅虎的部分資產。

????It's impossible to guess who might be Carol Bartz's replacement at Yahoo because it's impossible to guess what Yahoo might look like when a replacement is named. It could be a totally different company before a CEO is even chosen. Or choosing the replacement might be part of the transformation if, for example, the struggling Internet firm decides to sell itself.

????Yahoo's (YHOO) board complicates matters. Given its history -- including its surprising choice of Carol Bartz in 2009 -- it's hard to know what it might do now. "I think HP and Yahoo are probably running neck and neck for the worst board in corporate America," said Eric Jackson of Ironfire Capital in an interview with Bloomberg TV.

????Jackson, like everyone else who is speculating on who might lead Yahoo, has former News Corp. (NWSA) executive Peter Chernin near the top of his list. Chernin, Jackson said, is "hungry" to "make his mark outside of Rupert Murdoch's shadow."

????Chernin left News Corp. in 2009. He launched Chernin Group, a production and investment group that recently had success with the movie Rise of the Planet of the Apes. Chernin's companies also produce TV shows and invest in media and technology firms in China and other Asian countries.

????At News Corp., Chernin was the main force behind Fox Entertainment's participation in Hulu, the video site that is owned by News. Corp., Disney (DIS), Comcast's NBC Universal (CMCSA) and Providence Equity Partners. Hulu is selling itself, and Yahoo is among the bidders along with Microsoft (MSFT), Amazon (AMZN), AT&T (T), Google (GOOG) and others.

????Even before Bartz' ouster, Chernin was reported to be considering an acquisition of Yahoo as part of a group of investors. If he is indeed "hungry" to make his mark on the Internet under his own name, he might be persuaded to leave behind the Hollywood glamour.

????Another possibility: Jason Kilar, the CEO of Hulu. The former top Amazon executive is ad-savvy (something Yahoo desperately needs) and, obviously, knows a lot about Internet video. If Yahoo, which refers to itself as a digital media company, gets deeper into video, with or without Hulu, Kilar might be a good choice.

????Jack Ma is CEO of China's Alibaba Group, in which Yahoo has a 43% stake. He has battled with Bartz and would like that stake back -- and maybe all of Yahoo. His company is worth far more than Yahoo is, so a stock deal is a possibility. Ma would then likely break off and sell pieces of Yahoo.