George Polis, Self-Described 'Dirty Old Man,' Hits On Marissa Mayer At Shareholder Meeting

Investor To Marissa Mayer: 'I'm A Dirty Old Man, And You Look Attractive'

A man stood up in the middle of a recent Yahoo shareholders meeting to ask CEO Marissa Mayer a question about his investment on Tuesday. Before he got to anything related to Yahoo's stock, however, he had some important information to share. "I'm George Polis. I have 2,000 shares of Yahoo. I'm Greek, and I'm a dirty old man, and you look attractive, Marissa."

The audience let out a little chuckle, and Polis went on to ask about dividends. The whole scene is disturbing, not just because this man has clearly embarrassed himself, but because it highlights a way some people think it's appropriate to speak to women in power. No one would ever stand up in a meeting to say he or she was attracted to Mark Zuckerberg.

Mayer, Yahoo's 38-year-old CEO, took over the company around this time last year. Mayer made her start at Google, where she was the company's first female engineer. Since becoming CEO of Yahoo, Mayer has made some bold moves, including the acquisition of Tumblr for $1.1 billion.

Unsurprisingly, Mayer did not respond to the man's comment.

Before You Go

1
Advice To Job Hunting Women
"Find something you're passionate about and just love. Passion is really gender-neutralizing," Marissa Mayer said on Martha Stewart's "Women with Vision" television series in 2011.
2
The Pie 'Isn't Big Enough'
"Right now is a great time to be a woman in tech, but there's not enough women in tech," Mayer told a CES2012 panel hosted by CNET. "[I] worry a lot of times the conversation gets really focused on what percentage of the pie is women. And the truth is, the pie isn't big enough. We're not producing enough computer scientist. We're not producing enough product designers. We need a lot more people to keep up with all of these gadgets, all of this technology, all these possibilities."Mayer also commented on the stereotypical culture within the tech world: "There's all kinds of different women who do this. You can wear ruffles, you can be a jock, and you still be a great computer scientist or a great technologist, or a great product designer."
3
Tangible Technology
"There's just huge growth and opportunity. [T]he fact that the technology is now so tangible in our everyday lives, I think, will inspire a lot more women to go into technology -- and I'm really heartened by that," Mayer said for the MAKERS "Women in Tech" interview series in 2012.
4
Internet Empowered
"I consider myself incredibly lucky to be present in a moment in time when this wonderful and powerful medium, the internet, is empowering geeks -- and especially female geeks -- to express and pursue their passions," Meyer said in a 2012 acceptance speech at the Celebrating Change gala. She had just won the International Museum of Women's first-ever Innovator Award.
5
Geekin' Out
"People ask me all the time, 'What is it like to be a woman at Google?' I'm not a women at Google; I'm a geek at Google. And being a geek is just great," she said in an interview for CNN's "Leading Women" series in 2012.

Popular in the Community

Close

What's Hot