Pinterest Executive Shakeup One of Many Recent Growing Pains
It’s been confirmed that Pinterest CEO Paul Sciarra is leaving the company and will be replaced by co-founder Ben Silbermann. This move follows Sciarra’s decision to take a 6-week break.
While Sciarra was the company’s CEO on paper, it was Silbermann who unofficially took the role and who the media acknowledges as such. Meanwhile, the company’s third co-founder Evan Sharp has his hand on product and design.
Sciarra was initially unclear on what he’ll do following the departure but recent reports reveal that he’ll work for Andreessen Horowitz as an entrepreneur-in-residence.
Pinterest has raised $35.7 million in funding to date with investors such as Bessemer, Ron Conway, and Andreessen Horowitz. The company is currently preparing for some short- and long-term product launches, and an executive shakeup of this sort isn’t at all uncommon for Valley startups just gaining their footing in a business-driven market. Pinterest is also just getting over user backlash after its ToS update, and copyright concerns.
Another company with a recent executive departure is Google Wallet, as co-founding engineer Rob von Behren ends his 8-year relationship with the search giant. He will transfer to Square, following former colleague Jonathan Wall. The move was confirmed on his LinkedIn profile earlier today. Von Behren and Wall had worked with NFC-based Google Wallet since 2009.
“When I left the Google Wallet project in January, I fully expected to stop working in payments but to remain at Google,” he said. “After meeting the team at Square, however, I decided to do the opposite. Square is doing some great things in the payment space. They have a strong leadership team and a culture that fosters innovation.”
HP has its share of executive shakeups as well with unit CTO Sam Greenbatt, who is in the forefront of WebOS development, leaving his current post and taking an undefined new role within the company. AllThingsD sees this as a move to dismiss the senior executive for good but in a smooth transition.
RIM is also in distress with its senior officials. Following a 9 percent stock drop, the company lost a number of key senior executives.
Meanwhile, Paypal names mobile unit chief David Marcus as new CEO and will start his new position on Monday. The position previously belonged to Scott Thompson who left the company for Yahoo.
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