Yahoo CEO Marissa Mayer Fires Company’s COO

Henrique de Castro will head out the door after 15 months with a $20 million stock bonus

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Jason Alden / Bloomberg via Getty Images

Yahoo CEO Marissa Mayer is firing the company’s second-in-command, according to a document Yahoo filed with the Securities and Exchange Commission Wednesday.

Henrique de Castro was Mayer’s first major hire at the company. She convinced him to leave Google and join her at Yahoo as COO in October 2012, luring him with a four-year $62 million deal.

De Castro and Mayer, however, reportedly did not get along — a situation that became particularly pronounced over the last few months. His departure was long expected by close watchers of the company, per technology news website Recode. Recode also posted Mayer’s memo announcing De Castro’s departure:

“During my own reflection, I made the difficult decision that our COO, Henrique de Castro, should leave the company,” Mayer wrote. “I appreciate Henrique’s contributions and wish him the best in his future endeavors.”

Thursday will be De Castro’s last day at the company. As part of his severance package, de Castro will receive a $20 million stock bonus, per Yahoo’s SEC filing.

Yahoo is in the midst of a Mayer-spearheaded realignment, which includes moves in the media and technology spaces.