Ex-Vodafone Exec Reportedly Says, 'No Thanks, Yahoo'

"[Sarin] is expected to tell Yahoo that he does not want the job, according to these people. Yahoo said the company did not comment on rumours or speculation," said the Financial Times. According to the paper, Sarin is instead considering other roles at U.S. public companies and also a position at a private equity firm.

Sarin's rumored rejection comes just a week after reports circulated that he was on the short list to take the reins from Yang. Sarin may be hesitant to be involved with Yahoo's yearlong imbroglio with Microsoft, which may involve selling off pieces of the company. n"It is understood that one reason for his rejection of Yahoo was a perceived risk that the company could be dismembered," the Financial Times said.

Sources said that a successor to Yang would likely happen sometime next month.

Sarin led Vodafone for five years, retiring this past July. Prior to that, he was CEO of Internet metasearch site InfoSpace. Sarin and Yang are not strangers; at one point they both served on the board of directors at Cisco.