Yahoo Inc's chief technology officer and head of products is stepping down, the company said on Thursday.

Ari Balogh is leaving for personal reasons and will remain with the company until June 3, Yahoo said in an emailed statement. A replacement is expected to be named in the coming weeks, the company said.

Balogh, who joined Yahoo in February 2008, said in a statement provided by Yahoo that he is leaving because of a situation with his family that he described as difficult and which he said has driven him to make some life changes.

This job was my dream job, which makes this decision very hard, Balogh said.

Balogh, who is responsible for Yahoo's global consumer and advertising products, leaves Yahoo amid a continuing effort to revive growth and redefine the company under the leadership of CEO Carol Bartz.

Yahoo is among the most popular online destinations in the United States, but has been eclipsed by Google Inc in the search market and faces increasing competition from social networking sites like Facebook.

One month after Bartz became CEO in January 2009, she undertook a major reorganization of Yahoo's management structure that combined Yahoo's various technology and product groups into one entity led by Balogh.

Earlier this year, Yahoo combined its search efforts with Microsoft Corp as part of a 10-year deal to cut costs and allow Yahoo to refine its focus.

(Reporting by Alexei Oreskovic; editing by Carol Bishopric)

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