ClickUp vs Linear: Founders, CEOs and History
ClickUp was founded in 2017 by Zeb Evans, Alex Yurkowski and is led by Zeb Evans. Linear was founded in 2019 by Karri Saarinen, Jori Lallo, Tuomas Artman and is led by Karri Saarinen.
Company facts
Founders
ClickUp
Zeb Evans
Zeb Evans is the co-founder and CEO of ClickUp. A serial entrepreneur, he started ClickUp in 2017 with Alex Yurkowski after experiencing how much time teams lost moving between disconnected work apps.
Alex Yurkowski
Alex Yurkowski co-founded ClickUp with Zeb Evans in 2017 and is its chief technology officer. He built the original product, first used internally before its public release, and its flexible data model that lets one set of work appear in many different views.
Linear
Karri Saarinen
Karri Saarinen is co-founder and CEO of Linear. A designer by background, he worked on design at Airbnb and Coinbase and earlier co-founded Kippt with Jori Lallo.
Jori Lallo
Jori Lallo is co-founder and Chief Product Officer of Linear. An engineer who previously worked at Coinbase and co-founded Kippt with Karri Saarinen, he oversees Linear's product direction.
Tuomas Artman
Tuomas Artman is co-founder and CTO of Linear. Before Linear he was an engineer at Uber working on mobile architecture, and he led the design of Linear's local-first sync engine.
CEOs and their tenures
ClickUp
- Zeb Evans2017–present
Founder & CEO
Took ClickUp from an internal tool to more than $300 million in ARR and 20 million users by September 2025.
Source - Alex Yurkowski2017–present
Co-Founder & CTO
Co-founded ClickUp and built the original platform architecture that lets the same data appear as lists, boards, calendars, Gantt charts and docs.
Source
Linear
- Karri Saarinen2019–present
Co-founder & CEO
Saarinen was previously the first designer at Coinbase and Principal Designer at Airbnb, where he created Airbnb's influential Design Language System (DLS). His craft-first philosophy transformed modern developer tools.
Source - Tuomas Artman2019–2024
Co-Founder
Architected the ultra-fast synchronization engine and highly responsive local-first client database that set a new performance standard for modern issue tracking.
Source
Timeline: ClickUp and Linear side by side
2017ClickUp
Zeb Evans and Alex Yurkowski found ClickUp, first built as an internal tool before its public release.
2019Linear
Linear Orbit, Inc. is incorporated on January 10 by Karri Saarinen, Jori Lallo and Tuomas Artman; a waitlist opens in April.
2019Linear
Raises $4.2 million in a round led by Sequoia Capital.
2020ClickUp
Moves headquarters to San Diego in January; raises a $35M Series A in June and a $100M Series B in December at a valuation above $1 billion.
2020Linear
Opens publicly after its beta and raises a Series A led by Sequoia.
2021ClickUp
Raises a $400M Series C at about a $4 billion valuation, co-led by Andreessen Horowitz and Tiger Global; opens offices in Dublin and Sydney.
2021Linear
Becomes cash-flow positive.
2022ClickUp
Acquires unified search tool Slapdash and launches Whiteboards.
2023ClickUp
Launches ClickUp AI and the rebuilt ClickUp 3.0 platform; cuts about 10% of staff in July.
2023Linear
Raises a $35 million Series B led by Accel at a valuation of about $400 million.
2024ClickUp
Rebrands its AI as ClickUp Brain in January and launches ClickUp Chat in September.
2025ClickUp
Announces $300M+ ARR and 20M+ users in September; acquires Qatalog in November and Codegen in December.
2025Linear
Raises an $82 million Series C led by Accel at a $1.25 billion valuation, with about 80 employees and more than 15,000 customers; launches its agent platform.
2026ClickUp
Adds six executives in February for a path to $1B+ ARR; lays off 22% of staff in May in an AI-first restructuring.
2026Linear
Passes $100 million in ARR and 40,000 paying companies; completes a $99 million tender offer at a $2.5 billion valuation.
Acquisitions
Linear
No verified acquisitions are listed.
Questions about ClickUp vs Linear
Who is the CEO of ClickUp and Linear?
ClickUp is led by Zeb Evans and Linear is led by Karri Saarinen. Both serve as the top executive responsible for the company's strategy, operations, and financial performance.
When was ClickUp founded vs Linear?
ClickUp was founded in 2017 — 2 years before Linear, which was founded in 2019. ClickUp's longer operating history gives it a deeper track record but also potentially more institutional inertia compared to the younger Linear.
How many employees does ClickUp have compared to Linear?
ClickUp employs approximately 1,000 people, while Linear employs approximately 280. ClickUp has the larger workforce at 1,000 employees, compared to Linear's 280. A higher headcount does not necessarily imply greater efficiency — it often reflects differences in business model (e.g., manufacturing vs. software).
Where are ClickUp and Linear headquartered?
Both ClickUp and Linear are headquartered in United States, meaning they operate under the same primary regulatory and tax environment.
Who founded ClickUp and Linear?
ClickUp was founded by Zeb Evans, Alex Yurkowski. Linear was founded by Karri Saarinen, Jori Lallo, Tuomas Artman.
Which company has a longer operating history — ClickUp or Linear?
ClickUp has been operating for approximately 9 years, making it the more established of the two companies. Linear has been in operation for around 7 years. A longer operating history often signals greater institutional resilience and brand recognition, though it can also mean slower adaptation to new market conditions.
Figures come from each company's filings and the sources linked beside them. Amounts reported in another currency are shown in US dollars at an approximate rate and marked with ~. Back to the ClickUp vs Linear overview