WebProNews

YSlow plug-in creator and Chief Performance Yahoo Steve Souders has ditched his Sunnyvale gig in favor of the greener pastures around the Googleplex.

We have observed plenty of departures on the VP level from Yahoo through 2007. Since the portal company has a few hundred of those positions, some winnowing probably had to take place anyway.

It's one thing to lose sales and marketing pros, but Souders' departure means watching a respected geek type decamp for a competitor. That's not a great development at Yahoo.

Ajaxian founder and Google coder Dion Almaer can't wait for his new co-worker to report for duty next week. "Lunch is on me on the 7th, Steve," Almaer wrote.

Souders' announcement, placed atop his blog, showed he's embraced the model with which Google discusses its internal business: "I'm at Google as of January 7, 2008."

We kid, we kid. But if Souders was at least partially responsible for speeding up Yahoo's new mail client, he's going to be missed by his former co-workers.