Pinterest announced the appointment of Matt Madrigal as its new Chief Technology Officer (CTO). 

Madrigal joins Pinterest from Google, where he led the global engineering and product teams responsible for Google Shopping experiences and infrastructure.

“Matt’s deep technical expertise and experience building for global markets at a massive scale and in e-commerce will be crucial to shaping Pinterest’s future,” stated Pinterest CEO Bill Ready, who previously worked with Madrigal at Google.

He noted that the appointment comes as Pinterest grows in size, complexity, and influence, particularly in the e-commerce sector. 

Madrigal’s experience includes managing a product listing system with over 45 billion items, updated more than 2 billion times per hour at Google.

His resume also includes significant roles at eBay, where he led teams responsible for internet marketing technology, advertising solutions, and productivity tools. 

Madrigal’s experience spans various aspects of e-commerce and digital advertising at companies such as Fanatics, Williams-Sonoma Inc., and KANA Software.

“Pinterest is tackling so many important platform challenges – from safely engineering AI to help users see themselves reflected on the platform to the underlying mission of building a more positive corner of the internet,” Madrigal stated.

The new CTO noted the platform’s resonance with younger users, stating, “This work resonates with users, especially with Gen Z – even my teenagers approve!”

Madrigal replaced Jeremy King, who was Pinterest’s CTO for five years. Under King’s leadership, the platform reached the milestone of half a billion monthly active users.

Madrigal’s appointment signals a strategic move to leverage his expertise in e-commerce and large-scale technology infrastructure. 

According to the company’s Feed Optimization Playbook, people who use Pinterest weekly are 40% more likely to say they love shopping and 75% more likely to say they’re always shopping.

The company also says 50% of its users see the platform as a place to shop and find inspiration.