The exec who lost his job to Yahoo CEO Marissa Mayer slams the company with a classic 'Rocky' quote
Although he's been out of the company for over 4 years now, Levinsohn continues to make headlines over Yahoo's sales process.
In April, he was reported to be a part of a group that had made a bid for Yahoo's core internet business, which has been fielding offers since earlier this year. His bid, which was made in partnership with Bain Capital and Vista Equity Partners, is no longer in the running, according to Levinsohn during an interview with CNBC on Monday.
Still, Levinsohn was brutally honest with his assessment of Yahoo during the interview, slamming the company and Mayer for failing to turnaround the company.
"I think the prediction is pain," Levinsohn said, according to CNBC, using the famous Mr. T comment from the movie, "Rocky III."
"The state is troubled, clearly. I think we can look back over the last 4 years and say the strategy did not pay off," he continued.
No announcement today
Levinsohn said that the final bids will likely come in today, but didn't anticipate Yahoo making any official announcements about the sales process during the company's earnings call, which will also take place later today.
"I don't expect an announcement today or frankly anytime too soon. Frankly, the whole process has been sort of a Kabuki theater in my opinion," he added.
Verizon, AT&T, and a number of private equity firms are still reported to be in the race for Yahoo's core business. Depending on what's included in the deal, such as its IP patents and real-estate properties, Yahoo's expected to get a deal in the range of $3.5 billion to $5 billion, according to the latest reports.
Levinsohn believes Yahoo would be able to get $5 billion at most because there's so much work to be done to fix the company. But he still had some nice words to say about the company that he almost ended up leading 4 years ago.
"The core of it I think is still fantastic - great people, terrific brands," he said. "I'd love to have stayed. I'd love to still be there. But a lot of work ahead."