“Along the way, here we are a 14-year-old Internet company that somehow got boring,” said Bartz, who said the company’s 6 percent operating margins were “pathetic” and “unacceptable.”

“Today is the beginning of a journey back to respect,” Bartz said.

Yahoo executives said the company would invest in editorial staff to produce more original features and tweak its online products to keep users on the site longer and boost advertising revenue.