Meta vs Pinterest: Founders, CEOs and History
Meta was founded in 2004 by Mark Zuckerberg, Eduardo Saverin, Andrew McCollum and is led by Mark Zuckerberg. Pinterest was founded in 2009 by Ben Silbermann, Evan Sharp, Paul Sciarra and is led by Bill Ready.
Company facts
Founders
Meta
Mark Zuckerberg
Meta possesses arguably the most scrutinized, polarizing, and dramatized founding story of the 21st century, rooted entirely in the exclusive, intensely competitive dormitory culture of Harvard University and driven by an effective, socially awkward computer p…
Eduardo Saverin
Eduardo Saverin was a Facebook co-founder and the company's first chief financial officer, but his long-term story diverged sharply from the company he helped start.
Andrew McCollum
Andrew McCollum co-founded Facebook but left the company relatively early compared with Zuckerberg and Moskovitz. After Facebook, he continued in technology and entrepreneurship, including work connected to education and startup leadership.
Dustin Moskovitz
Dustin Moskovitz co-founded Facebook and served as a key early technical and operational leader before leaving in 2008 to co-found Asana.
Chris Hughes
Chris Hughes co-founded Facebook and later became known for his work in media, politics, and public policy after leaving the company.
Ben Silbermann
Ben Silbermann co-founded Pinterest and served as CEO from its launch until June 2022, steering it through its 2019 NYSE listing. After handing day-to-day leadership to Bill Ready he became executive chairman and remains on the board.
Evan Sharp
Evan Sharp co-founded Pinterest and designed its early grid layout, in which Pins of different heights stack into columns. He later led design and creative as Chief Design and Creative Officer before stepping back from the company.
Paul Sciarra
Paul Sciarra co-founded Cold Brew Labs in 2008 with Ben Silbermann; its first product, the shopping app Tote, preceded Pinterest.
CEOs and their tenures
Meta
- Mark Zuckerberg2004–present
Founder, Chairman and CEO
Zuckerberg sets product and capital priorities and controls the majority of shareholder voting power through Class B shares.
Source - Eduardo Saverin2004–2005
Co-Founder
Eduardo Saverin co-founded Facebook with Mark Zuckerberg while at Harvard in 2004, providing the initial seed funding and serving as the company's first CFO and business manager.
Source
- Ben Silbermann2010–2022
Co-founder and Chief Executive Officer
Co-founder who led Pinterest from launch through its 2019 IPO and handed the CEO role to Bill Ready in June 2022; later a board member.
Source - Bill Ready2022–present
Chief Executive Officer
Revenue grew from $2.80 billion in 2022 to $4.22 billion in 2025 and users from about 450 million to over 600 million during his tenure, though the stock fell sharply in 2026 on tariff-related ad weakness.
Source - Julia Donnelly2023–present
Chief Financial Officer
Oversees finance, including the 2026 capital return program in which Pinterest repurchased more than $2 billion of stock in the first half of the year.
Source
Timeline: Meta and Pinterest side by side
2004Meta
Facebook launches at Harvard
Facebook launched on February 4, 2004, as a real-name student network. The product mattered because it made identity, campus trust and friend connections the core of the service before the company became a public social platform.
2007Meta
Ad platform becomes the business model
Facebook's advertising products turned user attention into a scalable commercial system. The shift mattered because the company could keep the consumer product free while charging marketers for measurable reach, targeting and conversion tools.
2009Pinterest
Pinterest Founded
Ben Silbermann, Evan Sharp and Paul Sciarra begin building Pinterest under Cold Brew Labs in San Francisco.
2010Pinterest
Invite-Only Beta Launch
Pinterest launches as a closed beta in March 2010 and grows slowly through craft and design communities.
2012Meta
Instagram acquisition
Facebook agreed to acquire Instagram for about $1 billion in cash and stock. The deal mattered because Instagram was mobile-native at a moment when Facebook needed to prove it could survive the smartphone shift.
2012Pinterest
Open Registration
Pinterest drops its invite requirement in August 2012 after rapid growth in unique visitors.
2014Meta
WhatsApp acquisition
Facebook announced a deal to acquire WhatsApp, adding a large private messaging network to a company still known mainly for public feeds.
2014Meta
Oculus acquisition
Facebook agreed to acquire Oculus VR for about $2 billion. The deal mattered because it gave the company a hardware and immersive-computing bet years before the Meta rebrand.
2014Pinterest
Promoted Pins Introduced
Pinterest starts testing paid Promoted Pins, its first ad product.
2016Pinterest
Acquired URX and Instapaper
Pinterest buys app deep-linking startup URX and read-it-later service Instapaper.
2017Pinterest
Acquired Jelly Industries
Pinterest acquires Jelly, the Q&A search startup co-founded by Biz Stone.
2019Pinterest
NYSE IPO
Pinterest lists on the NYSE in April 2019 at $19 per share, raising about $1.4 billion.
2021Meta
Facebook becomes Meta
Facebook changed its corporate name to Meta in 2021 to bring its apps and technologies under a new company brand.
2021Pinterest
Acquired Vochi
Pinterest acquires video editing app Vochi to support creator video.
2022Pinterest
Bill Ready Becomes CEO
Former Google and PayPal executive Bill Ready succeeds Ben Silbermann as CEO in June 2022.
2023Meta
Threads launch
Meta launched Threads in July 2023 and said the app passed 100 million sign-ups in its first five days. The launch mattered because Instagram distribution gave Meta a fast entry into real-time text conversation.
2023Pinterest
Amazon Ads Partnership
Pinterest signs Amazon as its first third-party ad partner, bringing Amazon product ads to the platform.
2024Meta
$164.501B revenue
Meta reported $164.501 billion in FY2024 revenue and $62.360 billion in net income. The year mattered because AI-powered ad tools, Reels monetization and expense discipline restored confidence after the 2022 slowdown.
2025Meta
$200.966B Revenue
Meta reported $200.966B in FY2025 revenue, $60.458B in net income, $83.276B in income from operations, and 78,865 employees at year-end.
2025Pinterest
Record $4.22B Revenue
Annual revenue rises 16% to $4.22 billion and users reach 619 million.
2026Meta
Q2 2026 revenue up 28%
Meta reported Q2 2026 revenue of $60.80B, up 28%, and net income of $15.85B, down 14%, after $2.40B of legal charges and $1.18B of severance from a May 2026 headcount reduction. It narrowed 2026 capex guidance to $130-145B.
2026Pinterest
AI Restructuring and 640M Users
Pinterest announces a cut of under 15% of staff to fund AI work, then reports a record 640 million MAUs in Q2 2026.
Acquisitions
Meta
- Kustomer2022$1B
- CTRL-labs2019$500M
- WhatsApp2014$19B
- Oculus VR2014$2B
- Instagram2012$1B
- THE YES2022Undisclosed
- Vochi2021Undisclosed
- Instapaper2016Undisclosed
Questions about Meta vs Pinterest
Who is the CEO of Meta Platforms, Inc. and Pinterest, Inc.?
Meta Platforms, Inc. is led by Mark Zuckerberg and Pinterest, Inc. is led by Bill Ready. Both serve as the top executive responsible for the company's strategy, operations, and financial performance.
When was Meta Platforms, Inc. founded vs Pinterest, Inc.?
Meta Platforms, Inc. was founded in 2004 — 5 years before Pinterest, Inc., which was founded in 2009. Meta Platforms, Inc.'s longer operating history gives it a deeper track record but also potentially more institutional inertia compared to the younger Pinterest, Inc..
How many employees does Meta Platforms, Inc. have compared to Pinterest, Inc.?
Meta Platforms, Inc. employs approximately 75,472 people, while Pinterest, Inc. employs approximately 5,265. Meta Platforms, Inc. has the larger workforce at 75,472 employees, compared to Pinterest, Inc.'s 5,265. A higher headcount does not necessarily imply greater efficiency — it often reflects differences in business model (e.g., manufacturing vs. software).
Where are Meta Platforms, Inc. and Pinterest, Inc. headquartered?
Both Meta Platforms, Inc. and Pinterest, Inc. are headquartered in United States, meaning they operate under the same primary regulatory and tax environment.
Who founded Meta Platforms, Inc. and Pinterest, Inc.?
Meta Platforms, Inc. was founded by Mark Zuckerberg, Eduardo Saverin, Andrew McCollum, Dustin Moskovitz, Chris Hughes. Pinterest, Inc. was founded by Ben Silbermann, Evan Sharp, Paul Sciarra.
Which company has a longer operating history — Meta Platforms, Inc. or Pinterest, Inc.?
Meta Platforms, Inc. has been operating for approximately 22 years, making it the more established of the two companies. Pinterest, Inc. has been in operation for around 17 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 Meta vs Pinterest overview