WebProNews

Ah, rumors - they’re often difficult to report, never mind analyze.  Yet here you are: Gregory Coleman, Yahoo’s executive vice president of global sales, may be replaced by Hilary Schneider.  And this personnel move may be an example of favoritism among executives, or it could demonstrate how desperate Yahoo is to reverse a downward slide.

Granted, “none of the above” is also an option - word of this changeup could be false.  When describing the situation, Valleywag’s Owen Thomas uses the phrase “[o]ne tipster claims,” and later writes, “The ad salesforce is supposed to get the word today, with the official announcement coming tomorrow.”

“None of the above” could be the case even if Schneider replaces Coleman.  Schneider, who currently serves as executive vice president of Yahoo’s Local Markets and Commerce Division and the Yahoo Publisher Network, would be an unconventional candidate, but not necessarily a bad one.

Still, as Thomas points out, “Schneider . . . is a close ally of Yahoo president Sue Decker. . . .  Schneider’s authority has expanded alongside Decker’s.  She doesn’t have a traditional ad-sales background, but perhaps . . . by promoting her to run all of Yahoo’s sales, CEO Jerry Yang and Decker are saying that a traditional approach isn’t what’s needed now.”

Maybe, if, perhaps - we’re definitely still in the rumor stages, but unlike the ongoing GPhone gossip, we should soon be able to confirm or deny the Schneider-Coleman switch.