Gil Ben Artzy - Yahoo

Following on the interviews that I already did (If you haven't read them, check all previous Interviews: Ofer Adler and Talmon Marco), I recently did a short interview with Gil Ben-Artzy from Yahoo. Beyond his own answers, I will add that he lives in the Bay Area and that he loves Soccer (I envy him, because I think he is going to see the world cup in Germany in June).

I think that people like Gil can have a great impact on the Israeli Internet scene in the future, as they are the basis for the future Israeli Internet eco-system. With that being said, here it is:

1. Can you say a few words about yourself and your background.

I was born and raised in Israel, but I have spent the last 6 years in the US. In 2000 I attended Wharton's MBA program, followed by 3 great years in New York working as a consultant for the Boston Consulting Group, focusing on the consumer goods sector. This past summer I decided to join Yahoo!'s Corporate Development group located in the company's Headquarters in Sunnyvale, California. Prior to my move to the States, I spent two years working for an Israeli consulting firm, focusing on advising media and telecom clients. I also spent time working for a start-up company that developed virtual reality software, and served for 3 years as a tank commander in the Israeli army. I hold a BA in Economics and Business Administration from the Hebrew University of Jerusalem.

2. What is the role of the Yahoo Corporate Development team.

Yahoo's Corporate Development team has three main functions: (1) Develop and shape Yahoo's high-level strategy (2) Evaluate, acquire and invest in innovative companies, management and/or technologies (3) Integrate acquired companies, management and/or technologies into our business units and product lines. We are a global team that works closely on multiple projects that aim to keep Yahoo at the forefront of this rapidly moving industry.

3. What do you think about the potential of Internet in Israel?

I recently visited Israel for the second time in the past 6 months, as I accompanied Simon Levene, Head of Yahoo's Corporate Development Group in Europe, who leads our Israel efforts. Overall we felt that there is an increased momentum in Israel's Internet industry, which was apparent by both the number and quality of ventures that we met. We were fortunate to attend Yossi Vardi's fantastic Kinnernet event and The Marker's vibrant Internet conference, where we were able to really see the potential and excitement at many start-ups. As VCs increase their Internet investments and more funding is allocated for R&D, we look forward to seeing the continued growth of this industry in our future visits.

4. What are some of the key trends that you see in the Internet world today.

As the Internet industry continues to evolve and maintain its rapid pace of innovation, a few trends that I find particularly interesting are:

• Emergence of Social Networks: Various social sites, including MySpace and Facebook in the US, MSN Spaces in Europe, and CyWorld in Korea, are offering users (especially youth) the ability to create their online personalities, express themselves and communicate with each other. Many of these companies aspire to become a personal homepage and entry point to the Internet for their users, but it is too soon to tell if they can sustain their rate of growth or stall (e.g., Friendster).
• Sharing and creation of rich media: Video is quickly becoming a huge part of online activity. Many online players are acquiring rights to video programming to attract users. Amateur video is also becoming more popular as well as remixed content.
• New ways to deliver services beyond the browser on mobile phones: Carriers and content producers are looking for new ways to deliver services on mobile phones. With the increase in higher-speed mobile Web services and more powerful handsets, we are likely to see a rise in live video, music downloads, and web search by mobile users.
• New advertising formats and devices: Advertising inventory is expected to evolve and grow; display ads will adopt new technologies that offer greater interactivity with the users, more opportunities are created for developing ad capabilities off the PC and through internet-connected video games, and better behavioral targeting.

Comments

[Guy Grimland]

I Would really love to hear about any specific Israeli internet company Yahoo finds interest. I hope soon we will all hear about Yahoo purchasing Israeli company.