Bloated Yahoo may face job cuts after sale of Internet assets

San Francisco

YAHOO Inc may have a new owner before long. Whoever emerges victorious from the months-long bidding battle will face the difficult task of whittling down a company burdened by one of the the highest cost structures in its corner of the technology sector.

Once the go-to gateway to the Internet, Yahoo got fat over the years as it navigated the rapidly changing industry in a sprawling effort to be all things to all people - from search to shopping to news outlet to blogging hub. Spending ballooned on acquisitions and recruiting in an effort to offset declining sales as ad revenue was siphoned off by competitors. Now Yahoo squeezes far fewer sales from each employee than its peers, and its core services are on the auction block.