{"id":5062,"date":"2025-06-26T10:48:31","date_gmt":"2025-06-26T10:48:31","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/friscotimes.org\/?p=5062"},"modified":"2025-06-27T03:14:07","modified_gmt":"2025-06-27T03:14:07","slug":"bill-readys-decision-that-tanked-pinterest-stock-helped-make-it-a-gen-z-winner","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/friscotimes.org\/?p=5062","title":{"rendered":"Bill Ready\u2019s decision that tanked Pinterest stock helped make it a Gen Z winner"},"content":{"rendered":"\n

Pinterest CEO Bill Ready made a decision three years ago that Wall Street didn\u2019t like: He would prioritize the long-term well-being of users over short-term engagement metrics, even if it meant watching the company\u2019s stock price tumble.<\/p>\n

\n

The gamble has paid off. The visual discovery platform now boasts more than 570 million active users<\/a>, with Generation Z representing over 40% of its user base<\/a>\u2014its largest and fastest-growing demographic.<\/p>\n

Pinterest\u2019s stock price today is up 86% from when Ready took over as CEO in June 2022, although it remains 58% down from its all-time high amid the COVID pandemic in February 2021.<\/p>\n

\u201cThere\u2019s a good business in positivity,\u201d Ready told Fortune<\/em> in an interview at Cannes Lions. \u201cWe can do well by doing good, and it really is about short-term versus long-term.\u201d<\/p>\n

After taking the reins at Pinterest, Ready\u2019s most controversial move came in 2023, when Pinterest became the first major platform to make accounts for users under age 16 private-only by default<\/a>, preventing young users from being discoverable to strangers online and restricting certain social features.<\/p>\n

The decision triggered immediate backlash from investors concerned about user engagement, with the stock price plunging 26% between April 14 and May 5, 2023.<\/p>\n

\u201cWhen we announced that, people thought it would be our death with Gen Z,\u201d Ready recalled. \u201cBut a year later we had nearly doubled because it was core to why we won with Gen Z.\u201d<\/p>\n

Ready\u2019s somewhat contrarian approach reflects his broader philosophy that platforms can thrive by focusing on user health rather than maximizing screen time.<\/p>\n

Unlike other social media companies that optimize algorithms to show users content that triggers the strongest reactions, Pinterest redesigned its artificial intelligence to prioritize what users consciously choose to see again, not just what captures their attention momentarily.<\/p>\n

\u201cSocial media became toxic when it switched from being a chronological feed of what your friends posted to what the AI thought you should see,\u201d Ready explained.<\/p>\n

\u201cThe AI figured out you look longer at the things that trigger you,\u201d he said. \u201cWe [the tech industry] started tuning for maximizing view time with the same triggering content rising to the top.\u201d<\/p>\n

Pinterest\u2019s algorithm now appeals to what Ready calls \u201cconscious choice versus unconscious choice.\u201d<\/p>\n

Using the metaphor of drivers slowing down to look at car accidents, Ready noted that while people may glance at disturbing content, they don\u2019t actually want to see more of it. \u201cIf you ask somebody afterwards, \u2018Would you like to see another one?\u2019 The vast majority of people say, \u2018No, that was terrible.\u2019\u201d<\/p>\n

Pinterest capturing Gen Z<\/h2>\n

The strategy has resonated particularly well with Gen Z users. <\/p>\n

\u201cIf you ask a Gen Z user, \u2018Why do you go to Pinterest?\u2019 there\u2019s two things they\u2019ll reliably tell you,\u201d Ready said. \u201cThe first, \u2018Pinterest just gets me.\u2019 But the other really big part is they see Pinterest as an oasis away from the toxicity they experience elsewhere online.<\/p>\n

\u201cIt shouldn\u2019t be controversial to say that we should be committed to the long-term health of our users. But what I\u2019m trying to prove is that there\u2019s a good business in positivity.\u201d<\/p>\n

The company has quickly extended its youth-focused initiatives beyond privacy settings. <\/p>\n

Pinterest shows pop-up messages to school-age users during school hours, encouraging them to return after classes, although this prompt can be ignored and bypassed. <\/p>\n

It has also advocated for phone-free schools while working with politicians and regulators on both sides of the Atlantic.<\/p>\n

\u2018You\u2019ve got to have the conviction and the courage to say, \u201cI believe this is right\u201d\u2019<\/h2>\n

Ready acknowledges the pressure that comes with making decisions that initially displease investors. <\/p>\n

\u201cYou\u2019ve got to have the conviction and the courage to say, \u2018No, I believe this is right, [and] I\u2019m going to see it through,\u2019\u201d he said. \u201cBut you also have to deliver results.\u201d<\/p>\n

For Pinterest, those results have validated Ready\u2019s long-term approach.<\/p>\n

The platform has achieved what Ready calls \u201csomething that is extremely rare amongst consumer apps\u201d: It is \u201cactually aging down\u201d by successfully attracting younger users, reversing a previous trend of aging up and out.<\/p>\n

The company\u2019s success during the advertising industry downturn has positioned it to take market share as economic uncertainty continues. <\/p>\n

\u201cMy bet was that if we give them an alternative, they\u2019re going to choose it,\u201d Ready said of Gen Z users. \u201cFortunately, that\u2019s worked out for us.\u201d<\/p>\n<\/div>\n\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

Pinterest CEO Bill Ready made a decision three years ago that Wall Street didn\u2019t like: He would prioritize the long-term well-being of users over short-term engagement metrics, even if it…<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":702,"featured_media":5063,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"_monsterinsights_skip_tracking":false,"_monsterinsights_sitenote_active":false,"_monsterinsights_sitenote_note":"","_monsterinsights_sitenote_category":0,"footnotes":"","jetpack_publicize_message":"","jetpack_publicize_feature_enabled":true,"jetpack_social_post_already_shared":true,"jetpack_social_options":{"image_generator_settings":{"template":"highway","enabled":false},"version":2}},"categories":[6],"tags":[1080,906,228,3210,6334,6332,293,6333,2078],"jetpack_publicize_connections":[],"yoast_head":"\nBill Ready\u2019s decision that tanked Pinterest stock helped make it a Gen Z winner - Frisco Times<\/title>\n<meta name=\"description\" content=\"Pinterest CEO Bill Ready\u2019s contrarian decisions led to short-term stock drops but delivered sustained growth.\" \/>\n<meta name=\"robots\" content=\"index, follow, max-snippet:-1, max-image-preview:large, max-video-preview:-1\" \/>\n<link rel=\"canonical\" href=\"https:\/\/friscotimes.org\/?p=5062\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:locale\" content=\"en_US\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:type\" content=\"article\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:title\" content=\"Bill Ready\u2019s decision that tanked Pinterest stock helped make it a Gen Z winner - 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