Marissa Mayer refused to hire Gwyneth Paltrow because she didn't have a college degree: Report

SUNNYVALE, Calif., Dec. 23 (UPI) -- Marissa Mayer's previous experience at Google and her innovative approach to doing business were cited as some of the reasons behind her being appointed the CEO of Yahoo in 2012, and according to a new report, not hiring actress Gwyneth Paltrow was one of the big decisions she made after joining the company.

Nicholas Carlson, the author of Marissa Mayer and the Fight to Save Yahoo!, revealed in an adaptation of his book on Dec. 17 that there's a paradox in Mayer's management style. On one hand she's described as being data-driven when making decision, and on the other, she's said to rely on her gut when it comes to the staffing of the company.

Mayer's gut is what reportedly kept her from hiring Oscar-winner, and best-selling author Paltrow as a contributing editor for Yahoo Food.

"Even though the actress Gwyneth Paltrow had created a best-selling cookbook and popular lifestyle blog, Mayer, who habitually asked deputies where they attended college, balked at hiring her as a contributing editor for Yahoo Food," Carlson wrote in his long-form adaptation of his book. "According to one executive, Mayer disapproved of the fact that Paltrow did not graduate college.

The author touched on the other side of the paradox when addressing Mayer's decision to hire news anchor Katie Couric. According to the author, Couric was hired after she "put the idea in Mayer's head" and despite the fact her previous work for Yahoo didn't garner many clicks from users.

"Mayer ignored those metrics, and in mid-2013, she named Couric Yahoo's 'global anchor' in a deal worth more than $5 million a year," Carlson wrote.

Yahoo last reported poor quarterly results in July.