Yahoo's CEO Marissa Mayer is one of 40 people up for Time's "Person of the Year."
She's up against some stiff competition. There's Sheldon Adelson, a conservative casino magnate. There's Ai Weiwei, China's most famous artist and dogged political dissident. There's Joe Biden, our veep.
And then, of course, there is Mayer, who made news in July when the Sunnyvale-based Yahoo announced it had hired the 37-year-old pregnant woman as its new CEO. She had been Google's 20th employee - working there for 13 years. And, many say, a key contributor to the Silicon Valley company's success.
Mayer's pregnancy - discovered hours after her new CEO gig was announced - fueled a debate in Silicon Valley on whether it was appropriate to sign on for a top executive gig so close to taking maternity leave. Mayer said she would not take a full leave. Instead she planned on a few weeks and would work from home during that time, too, she said.
She gave birth to baby Bogue weeks after taking the job, and she's now the Fortune 500's highest-profile working mom.
Mayer's description as No. 23 of Time's 38 candidates states that she had "yet to put her imprint on Yahoo ... but her mere presence has boosted its reputation."
"And the fact that she gave birth to a baby boy weeks after taking the job has made her the Fortune 500's highest-profile working mom," Time stated.
As always, the Time award brings fame and recognition, and even though viewers can cast their vote online, Time's editors choose the prestigious "Person of the Year" award. Voting closes at 11:59. p.m. on Dec. 12. The winner will be announced Dec. 14.
