It's Carol at Yahoo

It is a done deal: As widely reported yesterday, Carol Bartz, the former CEO and until yesterday Executive Chairperson of Autodesk, is the new CEO of Yahoo effective now.

The news from Yahoo looks very straight up, and even Jerry Yang's public statement includes some upper-case: "I believe Carol is the ideal person to take Yahoo forward and I will be honored to be a resource to assist her in any way she finds helpful. I believe Yahoo's best years are still ahead of it. For the past 14 years, I have poured all of my energies into this great company -- and I hope to keep contributing to its success for many years to come."

Today's press release does not state that Yang has been given any formal role in the company, so the fate of the title "Chief Yahoo" may have been sealed. It's clear from Bartz' previous speeches -- and she's made many with Autodesk -- that she is no cheerleader. She speaks with moderation and conviction, and she leads by a clear set of principles gleaned from her background in engineering and mathematics.

In the clearest indication that Bartz will indeed be changing course immediately, Yahoo is rather unceremoniously accepting the resignation of president Sue Decker. It's widely believed that the company's strategy since Terry Semel stepped down, up until yesterday, was under the direction of Decker; and very likely the extent of Decker's assistance to Bartz during the transition -- mentioned in this morning's press release -- will be limited to showing her the coffee machine and the copy room.