Yahoo's executive VP, head of global media Ross Levinsohn has announced that he has left the company. Levinsohn was also the former interim CEO of Yahoo, taking over for Scott Thompson earlier in the year, though that changed with the hiring of Marissa Mayer as Yahoo's new CEO. While it's likely that Levinsohn was disappointed in not taking the top job at the company, he didn't give a specific reason for his departure, saying only that "it is time for me to look for the next challenge."

Whereas Levinsohn was focused on the advertising and media portion of Yahoo's business, Mayer's experience is in technology and product, which could signal a shift for the company. In an email obtained by AllThingsD, Mayer told Yahoo employees that "I am very grateful to Ross for his leadership and work throughout his tenure at Yahoo. His contributions will be missed."

You can read Levinsohn's complete farewell announcement below:

I wanted to let you know that my time at Yahoo has come to an end. It has been an incredible journey for me and I could not be prouder of what we accomplished over the past few years helping define Yahoo as a leader in digital media and advertising. Yahoo is an amazing brand and company, and I leave knowing we did all we could to help inform and entertain more than 700 million users each month. Leading this company has been one of the best experiences of my career, but it is time for me to look for the next challenge.