Media veteran Ross Levinsohn, bypassed for CEO job, leaves Yahoo

Media veteran Ross Levinsohn is leaving Yahoo, two weeks after being passed over for the chief executive’s job.

The executive, whose experience straddles technology and entertainment, had been most recently serving as the Internet company’s interim CEO since the ouster of Scott Thompson in May -- and was considered by many on Wall Street to be the candidate to beat. But he lost out to one of the top executives at Google, Marissa Mayer, whose appointment was considered a coup for Yahoo.

Levinsohn sent an email Monday afternoon to his staff, declaring that his time at Yahoo had “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,” Levinsohn wrote, adding: “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.”

Levinsohn joined the company in 2010 as head of Yahoo’s digital media business. Before that, he served as co-founder and managing partner at Fuse Capital. He also ran News Corp.’s Fox Interactive Media.

Levinsohn did not immediately return a call or email seeking comment.

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