REUTERS/Ruben Sprich
But according to Yahoo
"I want to make it very clear that between management, Marissa, myself, the rest of the management team, and the committee, and the board, we're actually all aligned in terms of what creates the best shareholder value, and that will be the ultimate criteria of what we end up doing," Goldman said at the Morgan Stanley Technology, Media & Telecom Conference held on Thursday.
Rumors of a board conflict gained steam after reports that CEO Marissa Mayer had hired legendary tech dealmaker Frank Quattrone to act on behalf of her personally during the sales process of Yahoo's core business. Yahoo's board, on the other hand, has hired Goldman Sachs, JPMorgan and PJT Partners, to represent the company in a potential deal.
That's caused a "dysfunctional situation," with Mayer not even returning calls to potential buyers, according to Recode.
SunTrust analyst Robert Peck wrote in a recent note, "Some interested parties have expressed a lack of engagement and process by [Yahoo], making them question the seriousness of the firm and management in seeking strategic alternatives."
But it sounds like Goldman believes it's just part of the Silicon Valley rumor mill that won't leave Yahoo alone.
"I've never seen the amount of attention that we get, given our size…you have to take enough time to deal with external stuff, but the reality is we do have a board committee that is absolutely focused on that," he said.