Pinterest vs Snap: Founders, CEOs and History
Pinterest was founded in 2009 by Ben Silbermann, Evan Sharp, Paul Sciarra and is led by Bill Ready. Snap was founded in 2011 by Evan Spiegel, Bobby Murphy, Reggie Brown and is led by Evan Spiegel.
Company facts
Founders
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.
Snap
Evan Spiegel
Evan Spiegel co-founded Snapchat in 2011 and has been CEO of Snap Inc. since its founding.
Bobby Murphy
Bobby Murphy co-founded Snap Inc. and is its Chief Technology Officer. He built the first version of Snapchat and has overseen Snap's technology, including the Lens AR platform and Lens Studio. Murphy rarely speaks in public.
Reggie Brown
Reggie Brown proposed the idea of disappearing photos while at Stanford in 2011 and worked on the first version of Picaboo with Spiegel and Murphy. He was pushed out of the company soon after and sued for a share of it.
CEOs and their tenures
- 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
Snap
- Evan Spiegel2011–present
Co-Founder and Chief Executive Officer
Evan Spiegel co-founded Snapchat and has served as its CEO since inception, driving every major product, strategic, and cultural decision in the company's history.
Source - Bobby Murphy2011–present
Co-Founder and Chief Technology Officer
Architected the core disappearing message technology and camera computing frameworks that differentiated Snapchat and powered its Lens augmented reality platform.
Source
Timeline: Pinterest and Snap side by side
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.
2011Snap
Snapchat Launched as Picaboo
Reggie Brown, Evan Spiegel, and Bobby Murphy launched the first version of the app under the name Picaboo in July 2011.
2012Pinterest
Open Registration
Pinterest drops its invite requirement in August 2012 after rapid growth in unique visitors.
2012Snap
Rebranded to Snapchat and Rapid User Growth
The app was renamed Snapchat in September 2011 and achieved rapid growth through 2012, driven by word-of-mouth adoption among high school and college students. By December 2012 Snapchat was processing over 50 million snaps per day.
2013Snap
Rejection of Facebook's $3 Billion Acquisition Offer
Mark Zuckerberg traveled to Los Angeles to meet with Evan Spiegel and offered to acquire Snapchat for $3 billion in cash, a figure that stunned the technology industry when details became public.
2014Pinterest
Promoted Pins Introduced
Pinterest starts testing paid Promoted Pins, its first ad product.
2014Snap
Stories Feature and Series B Funding
Snap launched the Stories feature in October 2013, allowing users to compile multiple photos and videos into a narrative sequence visible to all their friends for 24 hours before disappearing.
2015Snap
Lenses Launched, Transforming AR for Consumers
Snap launched its real-time augmented reality Lenses feature in September 2015, initially offering a small set of face-transforming filters including the famous dog face and flower crown effects.
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.
2017Snap
Initial Public Offering at $24 Billion Valuation
Snap went public on the New York Stock Exchange on March 2, 2017, under the ticker SNAP, pricing shares at $17 each for a $24 billion valuation.
2017Snap
Spectacles Hardware Launch and Snap Map Introduction
Snap launched its first generation of Spectacles camera glasses in 2016 and expanded distribution in 2017, marking the company's first venture into consumer hardware.
2018Snap
Disastrous App Redesign Triggers User Revolt
Snap launched a major app redesign in February 2018 intended to make the platform more accessible to new users by separating content from social communications.
2019Pinterest
NYSE IPO
Pinterest lists on the NYSE in April 2019 at $19 per share, raising about $1.4 billion.
2020Snap
Spotlight Launches to Compete with TikTok
Snap launched Spotlight, a TikTok-style algorithmically curated short-form video feed, in November 2020 and committed over $250 million in creator incentive payments to bootstrap content supply.
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.
2022Snap
Snapchat+ Subscription Service Launch
Snap launched Snapchat+, a paid subscription tier at $3.99 per month, in June 2022, becoming one of the first social media platforms to charge consumers directly for premium features.
2023Pinterest
Amazon Ads Partnership
Pinterest signs Amazon as its first third-party ad partner, bringing Amazon product ads to the platform.
2023Snap
Workforce Restructuring and Cost Discipline
Following a period of revenue stagnation and significant losses, Snap executed two rounds of workforce reductions in 2022 and 2023 that collectively reduced its employee count by approximately 20 percent from its peak.
2024Snap
Fifth-Generation Spectacles AR Glasses Unveiled
Snap unveiled its fifth-generation Spectacles in September 2024, the first Spectacles model designed specifically for advanced augmented reality with a full AR display, positioning the device as a developer platform rather than a consumer product.
2025Pinterest
Record $4.22B Revenue
Annual revenue rises 16% to $4.22 billion and users reach 619 million.
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.
2026Snap
Snap narrows losses while revenue passes $5.9B
Snap reported FY2025 revenue of $5.931B and narrowed its annual net loss to $460.489M, then reported Q1 2026 revenue of $1.529B.
Acquisitions
- THE YES2022Undisclosed
- Vochi2021Undisclosed
- Instapaper2016Undisclosed
Snap
- WaveOptics2021$500M
- AI Factory2020$166M
- Bitmoji (Bitstrips)2016$64.2M
- Vergence Labs2014$15M
Questions about Pinterest vs Snap
Who is the CEO of Pinterest, Inc. and Snap Inc?
Pinterest, Inc. is led by Bill Ready and Snap Inc is led by Evan Spiegel. Both serve as the top executive responsible for the company's strategy, operations, and financial performance.
When was Pinterest, Inc. founded vs Snap Inc?
Pinterest, Inc. was founded in 2009 — 2 years before Snap Inc, which was founded in 2011. Pinterest, Inc.'s longer operating history gives it a deeper track record but also potentially more institutional inertia compared to the younger Snap Inc.
How many employees does Pinterest, Inc. have compared to Snap Inc?
Pinterest, Inc. employs approximately 5,265 people, while Snap Inc employs approximately 5,400. Snap Inc has the larger workforce at 5,400 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 Pinterest, Inc. and Snap Inc headquartered?
Both Pinterest, Inc. and Snap Inc are headquartered in United States, meaning they operate under the same primary regulatory and tax environment.
Who founded Pinterest, Inc. and Snap Inc?
Pinterest, Inc. was founded by Ben Silbermann, Evan Sharp, Paul Sciarra. Snap Inc was founded by Evan Spiegel, Bobby Murphy, Reggie Brown.
Which company has a longer operating history — Pinterest, Inc. or Snap Inc?
Pinterest, Inc. has been operating for approximately 17 years, making it the more established of the two companies. Snap Inc has been in operation for around 15 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 Pinterest vs Snap overview