Social Currency with Sammi Cohen Bill Ready (Pinterest) on Social Media’s “Big Tobacco” Moment, Growing Pinterest to 578M Users, and What Gen Z Really Wants
Sep 2, 2025
Bill Ready, CEO of Pinterest and former leader at Google and PayPal, shares insight into his transformative vision for the platform. He discusses the shift towards a healthier digital space, including making accounts under 16 private by default and tuning AI for positivity. Bill also highlights the rise of Gen Z shopping habits and how collaborations, such as Pinterest Predicts with Emma Chamberlain, are setting cultural trends. This conversation showcases the potential of social media when focused on progress over doomscrolling.
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Humble Start Shapes Leadership
- Bill Ready describes working in his father's Kentucky auto shop from age 13 and facing a customer after a mistake.
- That experience taught him to treat users as real people and own mistakes transparently.
Make Long Bets, Then Measure
- Have the courage of your convictions and commit to long-term bets even if short-term metrics dip.
- Listen to user clues and measure responses to adjust without abandoning the core bet.
Optimize For Time Well Spent
- Algorithms tuned to maximize view time favor triggering, provocative content that hooks attention.
- Optimizing for "time well spent" or user-stated intent surfaces helpful, positive content instead.
