Yahoo Brings a Google Exec on Board

In the ongoing battle of the Internet giants, Yahoo has struggled to keep up with the bigger players, like Google and Facebook. But the company’s most recent announcement shows that it may be learning from its contemporaries’ more successful moves.

Yahoo, a company in need of ad revenue resuscitation, has hired Google executive Michael Barrett as chief revenue officer. This announcement comes more than four years after Facebook lured its chief operating officer Sheryl Sandberg from her position as vice president of global online sales and operations at Google.

Barrett, who was most recently in charge of Google’s integration efforts after it acquired Admeld (where he once served as CEO), will be a part of Yahoo’s senior executive team and report directly to interim CEO Ross Levinsohn.

“Michael Barrett is regarded as one of the most successful and influential executives in media and technology, and I am thrilled to have him join Yahoo in this critical role,” said Levinsohn in a statement about Barrett’s appointment. “I am confident that his deep industry experience and relationships will help us drive our strategic vision.”

Barrett’s presence could provide Yahoo with much-needed stability and expertise. Since former CEO and founder Jerry Yang resigned in 2008, Yahoo has gone through two CEOs, including former PayPal exec Scott Thompson, who got booted after a much-publicized resume fraud accusation.

Levinsohn and Barrett previously worked closely together at Fox Interactive Media, where Levinsohn served as president and general manager and Barrett was chief revenue officer, managing worldwide revenue for all of the division’s properties.

“Yahoo is one of the largest and most iconic Internet companies in the world,” Barrett said. “I am grateful for this opportunity to work with Ross and a group of immensely talented and energized people.”