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It's as if Yahoo president Sue Decker hasn't heard of a thing called Web search. How else to explain her mealy-mouthed memo to Yahoos on EVP Jeff Weiner's departure? Any one with any reason to care knows or will quickly find out that Weiner left Yahoo for a sweet gig spotting startups for VC firms Accel Partners and Greylock. But in her memo, Decker asked her charges to believe Weiner is leaving to spend more time with his family.

As some of you may know, Jeff Weiner and his wife Lisette celebrated the birth of their new baby girl, Sophia, four weeks ago and Jeff has been on a scheduled paternity leave. Over the course of his time away, Jeff and I spoke a few times as he reflected on his priorities. After careful consideration, he has decided to leave Yahoo! to spend more time at home with his new family before beginning a new chapter in his career.

Using a time-tested euphemism such as the "spending more time with his family" line isn't a "Mission Accomplished"-level deception. But it is a lie, and a transparent one. Worse, it's a lie that makes more important ones — like Decker's line later in the memo that "We’re making amazing progress on our product initiatives" — less believable. Why not just dash off: "Weiner left us for a cushy job in VC because he can't take the heat. Let's make him regret it, shall we?" That seems easier. (Photo by AP/Applewhite)