I am sorry, but is this guy the biggest egomaniac ever? The activist investor cum corporate raider not only fiddled with the fate of Motorola, but now he is seeking the removal of Yahoo's CEO, Jerry Yang. Will Icahn ever stop?

Carl Icahn long tussled with the board of Motorola as its past success with the Razr began to slip away. In the end, he got what he wanted. Former CEO Ed Zander took a hike, and Icahn was allowed to appoint two nominees to the phone manufacturer's board of directors (after failing to secure a seat himself).

As the MicroHoo drama has played out over the last few months, he began taking a more active role, which eventually led him to purchase a large amount of Yahoo stock. Once he had the stock in his hand, he approached Yahoo about attempting to reconcile the deal with Microsoft. It hasn't worked out, and Icahn apparently wants to do something about it: Get rid of Yahoo CEO Yang.

The Wall Street Journal is reporting that if Icahn and his dissident slate of directors can gain control of Yahoo's board, they will see to Yang's removal. The Journal goes on to report that the details released in a report yesterday showing that Yang had placed a poison pill of sorts within Yahoo's structure were it to experience a change in control enraged Icahn. He told The Journal, "It's no longer a mystery to me why Microsoft's offer isn't around. How can Yahoo keep saying they're willing to negotiate and sell the company on the one hand, while at the same time they're completely sabotaging the process without telling anyone."

My question is, why did Carl Icahn step into this deal to begin with? Why must he play such a pivotal role in shaping the future of tech giants? What is his real motivation? If you ask me, it goes far beyond driving up the equity owned by shareholders.