# Carol Bartz

> Carol Bartz is a trailblazing Silicon Valley executive who became the first woman to run a major technology company when she took the helm of Autodesk in 1992, growing revenue from $285M to $1.5B over 14 years. She later served as CEO of Yahoo from 2009 to 2011, famously emailing all 14,000 employees the night she was fired by phone, telling them she'd been let go. Known for her blunt candor, 'Fail Fast Forward' philosophy, and resilience - she delayed breast cancer surgery by a month to keep a professional commitment - Bartz transformed from a dairy farm girl in Wisconsin to one of the most powerful women in American business.

- **Role:** Board Chair at Caliva; Independent Director (Autodesk, Cisco, NetApp)
- **Organizations:** Autodesk, Yahoo!, Cisco Systems, Intel Corporation, NetApp, Caliva, National Breast Cancer Research Foundation, New York Stock Exchange (board), U.S. President's Council of Advisors on Science and Technology
- **From:** Winona, Minnesota, USA
- **Nationality:** American
- **Education:** Started undergraduate studies, William Woods University, B.S. in Computer Science, University of Wisconsin-Madison
- **Known for:** First woman to run a major technology company (Autodesk, 1992), Grew Autodesk revenue from $285M to $1.5B over 14 years (5x growth), Grew Autodesk stock an average of 20% annually during her tenure

## Career timeline

- **1971** — Graduated UW-Madison with B.S. in Computer Science - one of only two women in the program
- **1971-1973** — Sold computer services at First National Bank of St. Paul
- **1973-1976** — Systems analyst at 3M Corporation, microfilm division
- **1976-1983** — Joined Digital Equipment Corporation (DEC) - became only the second woman ever in their sales department; promoted to sales manager
- **1983-1992** — Marketing Director and rising executive at Sun Microsystems
- **1992** — Named Chairman, President, and CEO of Autodesk - became first woman to run a major technology company
- **1992** — Diagnosed with breast cancer shortly after taking Autodesk helm; delayed surgery one month to fulfill professional commitments
- **1996** — Joined Cisco Systems Board of Directors
- **1999** — Acquired Discreet Logic for $410M, expanding Autodesk into animation and visual effects
- **2000** — Received Horatio Alger Award for overcoming adversity to achieve success
- **2004-2005** — Named to Forbes World's 100 Most Powerful Women and Fortune 50 Most Powerful Women in Business
- **2006** — Departed Autodesk CEO role after 14 years; became Executive Chairman
- **2007** — Joined Intel Corporation Board of Directors
- **2009** — Named CEO of Yahoo! on January 13, replacing co-founder Jerry Yang
- **2009** — Finalized landmark 10-year search partnership with Microsoft/Bing
- **2011** — Fired from Yahoo by phone on September 6 by chairman Roy Bostock; emailed all 14,000 Yahoo employees from her iPad that evening
- **2019** — Invested in and became Board Chair of cannabis company Caliva, participating in $75M funding round alongside Joe Montana
- **2024-2026** — Active keynote speaker; holds equity stakes in Autodesk (~$230M+), NetApp, and Cisco

## Achievements

- First woman to run a major technology company (Autodesk, 1992)
- Grew Autodesk revenue from $285M to $1.5B over 14 years (5x growth)
- Grew Autodesk stock an average of 20% annually during her tenure
- Negotiated landmark 10-year search deal between Yahoo and Microsoft/Bing (2009)
- Inducted into Women in Technology International (WITI) Hall of Fame (1997)
- Received Horatio Alger Award (2000) for overcoming adversity
- Ada Lovelace Award from Association for Women in Computing (2003)
- Named to Forbes World's 100 Most Powerful Women (2004, 2005)
- Named to Fortune 50 Most Powerful Women in Business (2005)
- Profiled in Harvard Business School 20th Century Leaders series
- One of only two women majoring in computer science at UW-Madison in 1971
- Second woman ever hired in Digital Equipment Corporation's sales department
- Appointed to U.S. President's Council of Advisors on Science and Technology (PCAST)

## Latest updates

- **2026-02** — Net worth estimated at approximately $243M by GuruFocus, primarily through Autodesk stock holdings (~1M shares)
- **2024-11** — Net worth estimated at approximately $489M by Benzinga based on insider holdings
- **2019-01** — Joined Caliva cannabis company as Board Chair after participating in $75M funding round alongside Joe Montana

## Links

- LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/carol-bartz-7842307/

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Profile page: https://yespress.io/carol-bartz
Published by YesPress — https://yespress.io
Last updated: 2026-05-04