the last yodel.

Devoted wheresnate readers will recall that I've spent the last twelve weeks as a summer intern at Yahoo!. Perhaps it's the ex-Apple employee in me, but I've been very reluctant to share my experience with the blogging community. Yahoo! doesn't discourage blogging. The Y! actually encourages it. (And publishes very loose guidelines to prove it.) So I guess it's just a personal preference.

My project work for Y! Groups is essentially done. (Proof Point #1: My team gave me a big sushi lunch send-off today.) I presented my recommendations to the marketing executive team last week. And I've done my best to heed the matra "Never eat alone." (Thanks, Morin.)

In some ways, Y! and the Fruit Company are very similar. Countless laid back and brilliant people. Cross-functional teams making it all happen. An unquestioned focus on the customer. That's what makes Yahoo!, Yahoo! (and not Google). And it's what makes Apple, Apple (and not Gateway).

But there are little things that I love (prefer?) about the Y! way. It has to do with younger employees, tons of data, and the agility of individual business units. It's an exciting place, one where a recent MBA grad could start a great career.

Who knows what will happen after I graduate. I'm just delighted to have a little yodel with my fruit.