Marissa Mayer started as the CEO of Yahoo today, after spending the last 13 or so years at Google managing various products at different times, including its most profitable (Search) as well as its most fanciful (Google Doodles).

Regardless of her shifting roles and titles, Mayer has been one of Google’s most public faces for years. She’s one of the few recognizable personalities at the company besides founders Larry Page and Sergey Brin, and has appeared everywhere from insidery trade shows like TechCrunch Disrupt to the pages of Glamour. She’s best known as a meticulous — some say over-controlling — product designer who blossoms in the spotlight.

Yahoo’s board reportedly picked Mayer over interim CEO Ross Levinsohn, formerly the head of global media. By doing so, the company has chosen to focus on products rather than content or advertising. It’s the first clear direction Yahoo’s had in years. It also represents a stark contrast to the strategy taken by rival AOL, run by former Google ad man Tim Armstrong, which opted to become a digital publisher with the acquisition of The Huffington Post.

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