The fate of Yahoo may be decided within the next week, with the board of the company set to discuss a potential spin-off or sale of its $30 billion in shares of Alibaba, core business or even both, according to sources in a report from the Wall Street Journal.

The meetings are set to begin on Wednesday and will continue through Friday, according to people familiar with the matter.

It is expected that the board will discuss whether or not to proceed with the planned spin-off of the company's $30 billion in shares of Alibaba. Not only that, but the report suggests that Yahoo could end up looking for a buyer for its core business of Web properties. As far as buyers go, it is expected that a number of private equity firms will look at buying the core business of Yahoo.

Perhaps in a sign of the coming changes, a Yahoo executive recently cancelled a scheduled appearance at an investment conference held by Credit Suisse.  

The news comes as there is growing concern over CEO Marissa Mayer's lack of progress when it comes to Yahoo's future, despite the fact that the board has given her several years to try and turn the company around. Despite this, Yahoo's most valuable asset remains the 15 percent stake of Alibaba that the company holds, and while the company has planned on spinning off its holdings in Alibaba for some time, the plan has been delayed due to tax concerns.

If Yahoo does end up selling its core business, what's left of the company will be little more than a holding company for the shares of Alibaba that Yahoo holds. However, even if the spin-off of only the Alibaba shares does go through, it will leave Yahoo in a much weaker position than before and will likely make Marissa Mayer's job in turning the company around a lot tougher.

Source: The Wall Street Journal