Marissa Mayer

Marissa Mayer was born on May 30, 1975 in Wausau, Wisconsin. A 2012 IEEE Spectrum profile identified Zachary Bogue as her husband.⁠[1]

A Vogue profile reported that Mayer’s mother was an art teacher and her father worked in environmental engineering. She grew up with a younger brother in Wausau and took part in activities including dance, piano, swimming and debate.⁠[2]

Mayer earned a bachelor’s degree in symbolic systems and a master’s degree in computer science at Stanford UniversityStanford UniversityStanford University is a research university in California founded by Leland and Jane Stanford in 1885 and opened in 1891.Open the full entry, with a focus on artificial intelligence.⁠[3]

Mayer joined Google in 1999. Stanford Technology Ventures Program describes her as the company’s first woman engineer and says she led user interface and web server teams, worked on products including Search, Google News and Gmail, and taught introductory programming at Stanford.⁠[3]

Effective July 17, 2012 Mayer became Yahoo’s president, chief executive and a director. Stanford Engineering reported that the appointment reflected a renewed emphasis on product innovation, user experience and advertising revenue.⁠[4]

During Mayer’s tenure Yahoo required some remote employees to return to the office, prompting debate about flexible work and company culture. A Harvard Business School analysis cautioned that the change could alienate remote workers and called for management to maintain connections with them.⁠[5]

In a 2024 Associated Press interview Mayer said she had addressed specific working arrangements while Yahoo needed a turnaround, rather than intending to make a universal statement about remote work. This was her retrospective account of the decision.⁠[6]

A 2016 TIMETIMETIME is an American newsmagazine and media brand founded by Henry Luce and Briton Hadden, which published its first issue on March 3, 1923; it is headquartered in New York and known for its Person of the Year selection and the TIME100 list. Since 2018 it has been personally owned by Marc and Lynne Benioff; its current Chief Executive Officer is Jessica Sibley, and its Editor-in-Chief is Sam Jacobs.Open the full entry report said Mayer and her husband Zachary Bogue had three children. Her short personal maternity leaves while serving as Yahoo’s chief executive prompted discussion about leadership, parenting and workplace policy.⁠[7]

In 2013 Yahoo expanded paid parental leave for employees. ABC7 reported that mothers of newborns could receive up to 16 weeks of paid leave; the company policy was separate from Mayer’s own leave choices.⁠[8]

In June 2013 the Associated Press reported that Yahoo had completed its approximately $1.1 billion acquisition of Tumblr. The original terms provided for Tumblr to operate independently, with David Karp remaining chief executive.⁠[9]

In 2018 the U.S. Securities and Exchange Commission said Altaba, formerly Yahoo, agreed to pay $35 million to settle charges concerning the delayed disclosure of a 2014 data breach to investors. The action concerned the company and should not be described as a conviction or penalty imposed on Mayer personally.⁠[10]

VerizonVerizonVerizon (Verizon Communications Inc.) is one of the largest telecommunications carriers in the United States, formed in 2000 through the merger of Bell Atlantic, one of the “Baby Bells,” and GTE. Headquartered in New York City, it operates a nationwide wireless network, Fios fiber broadband and communications services for businesses and government, and is listed on the New York Stock Exchange and Nasdaq.Open the full entry’s 2018 annual report said the parties reduced the agreed purchase price by $350 million to approximately $4.48 billion in February 2017 and completed the acquisition of Yahoo’s operating business that June. It reported approximately $4.7 billion in closing consideration including cash acquired, a different measure.⁠[11]

Mayer founded Sunshine, originally called Lumi Labs, in 2018. In 2025 WIRED quoted her spokesperson saying Sunshine’s management and shareholders had decided to sell the company to Dazzle AI, a newly incorporated business; the entities should be understood separately.⁠[12]

A Starbucks board biography identifies Mayer as Dazzle AI’s chief executive and lists her earlier roles at Sunshine, Yahoo and Google and her board experience.⁠[13]

In September 2026 Dazzle launched a personal AI assistant that uses photo context to offer suggestions and help with tasks. In October 2026 The Next Web discussed the product and public reactions to the use of artificial intelligence in family settings.⁠[14]